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The Government is working with the social care sector to make coronavirus testing available to allow visitors to see loved ones in care homes by Christmas. English care homes will have access to testing services to facilitate COVID-secure visits, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed. A screening pilot scheme was launched this Monday across 20 care home sites in Hampshire, Devon and Cornwall. A wider roll-out across the country is expected in December in time for Christmas, depending on th...

“Good progress” is being made on the Government’s new airport testing programme, according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Government’s plans for airport testing are to launch a programme just after the end of England’s lockdown on 2nd December. The progress was announced by the minister on BBC Radio 4, who said that testing could lead to a “much reduced” self-isolation period for travellers than the current 14-day mandatory timeframe. Mr Shapps tol...

Liverpool is due to be the subject of the UK’s first pioneering attempt at mass COVID-19 testing. It has been announced that the trial will begin on Friday and involve testing for the virus being offered to all residents of the city, whether or not they are currently experiencing coronavirus symptoms. Follow-up testing services will also be offered to the individuals every two weeks or so. In Liverpool, the latest figures show the city recorded 352 cases per 100,000 in the week up to 30 Oc...

The UK’s coronavirus testing capacity has increased through Pillar One as the country expands its testing capabilities in the midst of a second wave of the virus. Government has confirmed that testing capacity has increased by nearly 20% this week, this is thanks to a boost in capacity at Public Health England laboratories working within Pillar One of the Government’s testing strategy. PHE labs are currently processing coronavirus test results from NHS staff, patients and care home w...

High street pharmacy Boots is to roll out a coronavirus testing service in selected stores across its retail network. Customers will be able to access tests which provide results within 12 minutes in-store. LumiraDx, the diagnostics company, will be the provisioner of the test kits for use in the selected stores. These tests have an accuracy of 97-98% in picking up positive cases of the virus through nasal swab samples. The tests are not yet approved for use in airport testing, meaning they cann...

MHRA Guidance and regulatory flexibilities: Please see the regulatory flexibilities page for guidance for industry on flexible approaches to regulation we are taking during COVID-19.New or updated guidance published on their general guidance page for industry:Updated guidance:How tests and testing kits for COVID-19 workDetails of update:They have added a Target Product Profile for Laboratory-Based SARS-CoV-2 Viral Detection Tests.Updated guidance:Medical devices given exceptional use authorisati...

Members can find the presentation slides and a copy of the Detection and Diagnosis Roadmap, discussed by CRUK in our recent External Affairs Working Party, attached. For any information please contact Cancer Research UK here.

Stakeholders are invited to review the proposed approach to Updating the National Genomic Test Directory set out in the consultation document and provide feedback on the proposed approach to NHS England and NHS Improvement.Feedback is particularly invited on the following key topics:1) Appropriate involvement of patients and the public throughout the process;2) The proposed timelines for submission of applications; and3) Any potential impact the proposal may have on health equalitiesMembers can ...

A UCL and LSE study has found that foreign direct investment (FDI) in the UK is to drop by 37% post-Brexit. This level is a 50% increase on previous estimates of the effect of Brexit on the investment levels of international companies in the UK economy. The peer-reviewed study, which is forthcoming in the Journal of Common Market Studies, highlights that the single market, since its implementation in 1992, has been the ‘cornerstone’ for additional foreign direct investment (FDI). As ...

The government has published guidance on the minimum standards for private sector providers of COVID-19 testing.To request to be added to the indicative list of providers on GOV.UK, providers must declare that they meet these minimum standards by completing the form, as well as providing some additional information to support due diligence checks.The government envisages that UKAS (UK Accreditation Service) accreditation will become a minimum standard for all private sector p...