India News: The UK on Sunday eased travel restrictions for India by moving the country from its "red" to "amber" list, which means fully vaccinated Indian passeng
UK buys another 60 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
30th April 2021
The UK government has secured an extra 60 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, in a bid to strengthen plans for the autumn COVID-19 vaccination programme.
The government is planning to use the additional doses in preparation for a booster programme based on clinical need ahead of winter.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) added that the extra Pfizer/BioNTech jabs will be used alongside other approved vaccines as part of the booster programme.
Details of the booster programme will be published in ‘due course’ and will be informed by advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the results of clinical trials in the UK testing different combinations of approved COVID-19 vaccines.
THE government unlawfully witheld details of billions of pounds’ worth of coronavirus-related contracts during the pandemic, the High Court ruled today.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) was taken to court for its “wholesale failure” to disclose details of contracts agreed with companies for services such as the provision and delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE).
The government is legally required to publish a notice within 30 days of the awarded contract for public goods or services worth more than £120,000.
Many multi-million-pound contracts seen by the Morning Star were published up to 10 months after they had been awarded to firms in 2020.
UK government proposes reforms for health and social care following pandemic
11th February 2021
The UK government is set to publish a white paper containing proposals for future reforms in a bid to ‘bring health and care services closer together’.
The reforms, set out by Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock with support from NHS England and health and care system leaders, will aim to improve care and tackle health inequalities.
This includes proposed changes to legal framework which would make the health and care system ‘fit for the future’, as well as implementing targeted improvements for the delivery of public health and social care.
DHSC publishes ‘UK Rare Disease Framework’
12th January 2021
The UK’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published its ‘UK Rare Disease Framework’, which will aim to continuously improve the lives of people living with rare diseases.
Despite rare diseases being individually uncommon, it is currently estimated that there are over 7,000 rare disease, with new conditions being identified as research advances.
Currently, 1 in 17 people will be affected by a rare disease at some point during their lifetime.
The framework identifies four key priorities for rare diseases care and diagnosis to be addressed over the next five years, which includes: