New DSIT Permanent Secretary appointed
- Emran Mian has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, replacing Sarah Munby
- Emran is currently Director General for Digital Technologies and Telecoms at DSIT, where he is responsible for programmes to make the UK one of the best places in the world to undertake AI research and to build an AI company, covering data use and access policy, cybersecurity policy and online safety.
New Trade Strategy to protect and boost British business
- Trade Strategy sets out how UK will unlock £5 billion for businesses and expand UKEF capacity to £80 billion, delivering growth as part of the Plan for Change.
- Trade defences toughened up with new tools and safeguards to better protect our vital industries from global threats.
- UK sets its sights on quicker deals that firms can benefit from sooner, with a strong focus on services and high growth sectors.
EU excludes Chinese companies from procurement of medical devices over €5 million
- The European Commission announced on Friday morning its decision to exclude Chinese companies from EU public procurement contracts for medical devices exceeding €5 million, prompting a terse response from Beijing.
- Earlier this month, EU countries had voted in favour of such sanctions in response to the legal and administrative barriers imposed by China on European companies.
- The move marks the first use of restrictive measures under the EU’s International Procurement Instrument (IPI) since it came into force in 2022.
A vision of healthcare in 2035 – from wearables to robots
- The integration of seven technologies will transform our healthcare experience by 2035.
- A new white paper, led by the Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) at Imperial College London, identifies how implementation of these technologies at scale will reshape the NHS and pave the way to a future of better healthcare.
- The paper is the output of the Future State Programme, commissioned by Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which envisions what healthcare could look like in 2035.
One year on: How is Pharmacy First working for patients?
- Launched in January 2024, Pharmacy First allows community pharmacists to diagnose and supply prescription-only medicines for seven common conditions, such as sinusitis, sore throat, and earache, without visiting a GP.
- Since then, 98% of pharmacies have signed up, and millions of consultations have been delivered. But what do patients think?
- Our new report revisits research we carried out before the launch of Pharmacy First in 2023. Our previous investigation found that most people value pharmacy services and liked the idea of getting help from a pharmacist for common conditions.
Has the time finally come for community health services?
- We find ourselves at a pivotal point with the upcoming release of the ten-year health plan. Grappling with longstanding operational and financial challenges, the NHS may be on the cusp of a wholesale transformation.
- Community services, working closely with partners in general practice, social care and the voluntary sector, are central to achieving the pledged ‘three shifts’ – not just from ‘hospital to community’, but ‘analogue to digital’ and ‘treatment to prevention’ too.
- Areas that invest in community services reap the benefits of lower hospital activity, including emergency care. This demonstrates the very real opportunity to achieve better patient outcomes, join-up care and reduce the strain on other parts of the NHS.
