NHS Lothian’s Antimicrobial Management Team (AMT) has been named Infection Management Team of the Year at the Scottish Healthcare Awards 2025 in Glasgow.
The annual ceremony honours individuals, teams, and organisations who are making a measurable difference, from patient care and service innovation to professional development and community health.
The AMT is a multi-professional group committed to improving antimicrobial stewardship across NHS Lothian, with a clear focus: to keep antimicrobials working. They achieve this by surveying local resistance patterns, monitoring antimicrobial use, and providing evidence-based empirical antimicrobial guidelines. Passionate about embedding stewardship principles into everyday practice, the team works tirelessly to ensure antibiotics are used safely and effectively.
Over the past year, the team has placed particular emphasis on engaging and amplifying the role of nurses in antimicrobial stewardship, empowering them through training, resources, and quality improvement projects that enhance patient care. One of their most impactful initiatives is the ‘Level Up!’ project, which transformed training on Gentamicin, a vital medicine for treating serious infections. The project strengthened nursing knowledge and confidence in using Gentamicin correctly, made training more accessible through a mobile-friendly digital resource that tripled course completion rates, and improved patient safety by promoting accurate monitoring and better use of electronic prescribing systems. These changes have helped reduce errors and support the fight against antibiotic resistance.
Simon Dewar, Consultant Microbiologist, NHS Lothian, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to receive this award. It reflects our commitment to supporting healthcare professionals and improving patient safety through innovative approaches to antimicrobial stewardship.”
Ingolfur Johannessen, Director of Laboratory Medicine, NHS Lothian, said: “This achievement highlights the incredible collaboration and dedication of our teams. Their work not only strengthens patient safety but also sets a benchmark for excellence in antimicrobial stewardship across Scotland.”
