Please find attached a helpful summary of the different customs models used at the various UK ports. The full details are included in the Border Operating Model, but hopefully this standalone summary maybe a helpful guide. As ever, we can take any questions you may have to colleagues at the MDCC and Office For Life Sciences so do contact Jon or Helen. 

A review has been announced into the use of health data for research and analysis by Government. The rapid review will take place until April 2021 and focusses on the more efficient and safe use of health data for research and analysis for the benefit of patients and the healthcare sector. Government has asked Dr Ben Goldacre to carry out the review and present his findings in two months. Dr Goldacre is Director of the DataLab, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the Universit...

The International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has announced the signing of an Enhanced Trade Partnership between the UK and India, along with the announcement of 1,500 highly-skilled technology jobs for the UK. The agreement paves the way for deeper economic inter-relationship between the UK and the world’s largest democracy and a potential trade deal in future. On Saturday, Liz Truss agreed the outline of the ETP with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on her visit...

The Government’s push for community testing uptake from local authorities is showing a high-uptake level. Nine in ten local authorities are now enrolled into the testing roll-out programme. The regular testing is searching for asymptomatic cases of coronavirus and uses rapid, lateral flow devices. More than 70% of authorities are already offering this rapid testing to those who are unable to work from home during lockdown restrictions. A new postcode checker has also been launched to allow...

NICE has launched a new consultation, the third in recent times, on proposals on changes to the processes which NICE uses to develop its guidance on medicines, medical devices, diagnostics and digital health technologies. The public consultation will be open for submissions until 15th April 2021 and forms part of the largest ever review undertaken by NICE, looking at the potential changes to methods and processes the organisation carries out to produce essential guidance. Opportunities to be exp...

As you all are aware, BIVDA and others have been calling for for recognition that key industry workers such as service engineers, need to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We have finally received a letter (attached below) from the Minister for COVID vaccine deployment, Nadhim Zahawi MP, which agrees this providing employers agree their staff meet the 3 criteria established by the JCVI. BIVDA are looking for a simpler mechanism to register your eligible staff to be vaccinated but in the ...

The Accelerated Access Collaborative has released a report on the impact of innovation on the NHS titled “Our Year in Focus 2019/20”. The AAC is hosted by NHS England and NHS Improvement, bringing together industry, government, regulators, patients and the NHS to remove barriers and accelerate the introduction of ground-breaking new treatments and diagnostics which can transform care. The AAC supports all types of innovations: medicines, diagnostics, devices, digital products, pathwa...

Please see below a press release from BIVDA on the publication of the Accelerated Access Collaborative’s Our Year in Focus Report. ---  BIVDA welcomes publication of Accelerated Access Collaborative’s Our Year in Focus Report The impact that new innovations has had on the NHS is set out in the Accelerated Access Collaborative’s (AAC) report, Our Year in Focus 2019/20 which BIVDA has welcomed today. The report reveals how over 700,000 patients were provi...

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has set March 3rd at the date for this year’s Budget. Following on from our successful Spending Review submission in November, which committed money to diagnostics and life sciences research, BIVDA will be sending in our views, and the views of our members, to make the Treasury awareness of needs to be done to build a strong and sustainable IVD sector in the months to come.We are very interested in hearing your thoughts on what policies you would like to see fr...

NHS Providers have released a statement addressing findings on the protective abilities of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and have warned that the NHS is still facing an extremely challenging period. NHS Providers is the membership organisation for the NHS hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services that treat patients and service users in the NHS. Non-peer reviewed data has been released that found a 67% drop in transmissibility of coronavirus due to vaccination. The data also rev...