In 2021, after completing the first round of programmes, a second round of grants were made available to new and existing programmes in eight African countries including Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Malawi and Kenya under the Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship Scheme (CwPAMS) with support from UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Fleming Fund.

A total of £10,000 – £20,000 each was available to existing and new partnerships for a period of 6-7 months commencing from mid-October 2021 and ending mid-May 2022.

With support from the Fleming Fund, National Action Plans (NAPs) on AMR, including AMS activities, have been developed in all countries. Complete World Health Organization (WHO) AMR self-assessment datasets are also available for all eight countries. This includes key findings on the progress with their NAPs, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and AMS. Initiatives focused on surveillance of resistant organisms already exist, but there is a vacuum when it comes to AMS. Partnerships should therefore place a central focus on AMS whilst incorporating and expanding the findings from other IPC initiatives.

Grants were available for projects focused on:

1. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), including surveillance – mandatory;
2. Utilising/developing pharmacy expertise and capacity – mandatory;
3. Infection Prevention Control (IPC);
4. Strengthening capacity of using clinical microbiology data

Category A: Start-up CwPAMS Projects
Under this stream, grants of £10,000 – £20,000 for health partnerships new to CwPAMS were awarded. Any health partnership, whether newly-formed or long-established, is eligible as long as the two leads have not previously been awarded a CwPAMS grant togethe

Category B: Existing CwPAMS projects
Under this stream, grants of £10,000 – £20,000 were awarded to existing CwPAMS partnerships to focus on initial steps that will pave the way for longer-term projects and build on previous work carried out.

Awarded grants during 2021 – 2022

The following Africa-UK CwPAMS programmes were awarded:

Uganda

KamCamWIMN – Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention Control

• Lead UK Partner: Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH)
• Lead LMIC Partner: Makerere University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Establish a Sustainable Centre of Excellence for Integrated AMS and IPC at Makerere University Hospital

• Lead UK Partner: Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
• Lead LMIC Partner: Makerere University Health Services

Capacity Sharing for Antimicrobial Stewardship through the Medicines and Therapeutic Committee at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital

• Lead UK Partner: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Lead LMIC Partner: Infectious Disease Research Collaboration

Scaling-up interventions for strengthening antimicrobial stewardship in Wakiso district

• Lead UK Partner: Nottingham Trent University
• Lead LMIC Partner: Makerere University School of Public Health

Ghana

Enhancing Capacities of Healthcare Providers in the Practice of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes: The Role of Local Data and Safe Medicine Practices

• Lead UK Partner: University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust
• Lead LMIC Partner: University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho

Strengthening Antimicrobial Stewardship through improving surveillance and building sustainable capacity and capability in Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly [LEKMA] Hospital and LEKMA polyclinic

• Lead UK Partner: UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH)
• Lead LMIC Partner: Ghana Public Health Association
  

Development and Institution of Antimicrobial Stewardship in the University Hospital, Knust

• Lead UK Partner: Ulster University, Coleraine Campus, Northern Ireland
• Lead LMIC Partner: University Hospital, Knust

Zambia

Developing optimal antimicrobial stewardship capacity and practice in rural and peri-urban healthcare settings in Zambia

• Lead UK Partner: University of Sussex; Brighton and Sussex Medical School
• Lead LMIC Partner: Hospital Pharmacy Association Zambia
  

Developing Reliable Systems and Practices for Antimicrobial Stewardship in a Hospital Setting in Eastern Province, Zambia: Modelled on Scottish-Ghana AMS programme

• Lead UK Partner: NHS Highland
• Lead LMIC Partner: Chipata Central Hospital

Sierra Leone

Institutionalising AMS at Connaught Hospital

• Lead UK Partner: King’s Global Health Partnerships, King’s College London
• Lead LMIC Partner: Connaught Hospital, University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospital Complex

Kenya

Kakamega and Cambridge Partnership – Working to strengthen Antimicrobial Stewardship at Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital

• Lead UK Partner: Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Lead LMIC Partner: Kakamega County Referral Hospital

Tanzania

Building the KCMC-NHCFT antimicrobial stewardship partnership

• Lead UK Partner: Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHCFT)
• Lead LMIC Partner: Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre

Malawi

Training pharmacists as antimicrobial stewardship leads in Malawi

• Lead UK Partner: Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
• Lead LMIC Partner: Pharmaceutical Society of Malawi

Nigeria

Building capacity of healthcare workers for AMS at a university teaching hospital in Lagos

• Lead UK Partner: UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH)
• Lead LMIC Partner: College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (CMUL)