Highlights

The NHS, with support from the Department for Health and Social Care, has published a blueprint for the improvement of access to GP appointments for patients. It seeks to support GP surgeries in increasing the number of face-to-face appointments, tackle abuse against staff and levelling up performance. Problems such as patients having difficulties contacting GP surgeries, variations in practice performance,…

A report from the life sciences cluster MedCity has a boom in demand for London lab space and an influx of investment into the sector. Identified demand for space “exceeds 500,000 square feet and over half of that needs to be satisfied within two years”, the publication states. This number is around four times that recorded in 2016. Intensive R&D…

A joint report on the Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic response has been published by the Health and Social Care Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. The 150-page report details failures and successes in the early strategy undertaken by the Government as the COVID crisis emerged. It covers sections such as pandemic preparedness, lockdowns, testing, vaccines and at-risk…

The Medical Devices and Clinical Consumables Contingency Planning (MDCC) at the Department for Health and Social Care have announced a webinar to be held on the Northern Ireland Protocol standstill period. The event will be joined by Matthew Harpur, Deputy Director of the Goods Team at DHSC and David Simmons, Director of Supply Resilience. The Government announced on 6 September…

On 30th September, NHS England/Improvement issued a letter entitled “Roadmap for NHS suppliers to reach net zero by 2045” to suppliers in the UK. This letter should not have been a surprise for any supplier, as the commitment to Net Zero was made a year ago and there has been significant activity and discussion across the healthcare industry, including featuring…

A new partner has been announced as part of the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP). The ILAP will be joined by All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC) as an established partner. The other partners include: Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC). The…

A wide-ranging health and care leadership review has been announced by the Government, which aims to “drive up efficiency and improve outcomes”. The process will be led by retired vice chief of the defence staff general Sir Gordon Messenger, who led last year's mass community Covid-19 testing project in Liverpool and has provided advice to the Government on its planning…

Health and Care Secretary Sajid Javid made his keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Tuesday. He made points on a range of issues, covering COVID-19, the NHS’s recovery and healthcare reform. Mr Javid stated that healthcare “begins at home”, with people encouraged to rely on their family first, before the state regarding their health upkeep. Mr…

The Director of Procurement Transformation and Commercial Delivery at NHS England & Improvement has published a 'Roadmap for NHS Suppliers to reach net zero by 2045'. This forms part of the NHS sustainability programme and is an important text that sheds light on how NHS suppliers are to meet the environmental and sustainability standards the NHS expects from its supply…