Little Bug Busters: supporting parents and carers to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in children

North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB)

Project summary

Little Bug Busters was a regional antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and patient safety campaign designed to address health inequalities in childhood antibiotic use across the North East and North Cumbria (NENC). Evidence shows significant variation in antibiotic prescribing for children, with higher prescribing rates in more deprived areas.

The campaign aimed to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use while ensuring parents and carers, particularly in areas of higher deprivation, had equitable access to trusted, understandable NHS advice. Activity was intentionally focused in areas with higher prescribing rates, including County Durham, using community pharmacies, GP practices and family hubs as key access points. It also supported clinicians by providing clear, consistent messaging to help manage parental expectations, explaining why antibiotics may not be prescribed, when they are not clinically needed, and highlighting the risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in children, thereby reducing pressure on clinicians to prescribe unnecessarily.

A core element was promotion of the NHS Healthier Together app, supporting parents to manage common childhood illnesses safely at home and understand when antibiotics are not needed. By increasing confidence, health literacy and access to digital advice, the campaign sought to reduce inequalities driven by variation in knowledge, service access and encouraging behaviour change.

The campaign supports the NHS patient safety indicator monitoring antibiotic prescribing in children and promotes appropriate use of antibiotics in primary care.