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...

Message on Northern Ireland Trade from the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial StrategyThe Secretary of State for Business has asked us to share the below message on Northern Ireland trade with members:--- This year, as we mark the centenary of Northern Ireland, we need no reminder about its integral place within our United Kingdom.Our trade deal with the EU and the additional agreement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol has safeguarded Northern Ireland's place in...

03/02/21   CRYOcheck™ Lupus Anti-Coagulant Testing Solutions for Every Stage of the Testing Pathway For laboratories wishing to perform accurate testing for Lupus Anti-Coagulant (LA), the cryocheck™ frozen controls and reagents provide solutions to fit every stage of the pathway - screen, mix, confirm and quality control.   Available in the UK exclusively from Alpha Laboratories, these products, developed by ...

The cyber security market is set to grow massively over the next decade due to the increase of virtual health technologies being adopted into healthcare services, both public and private. Remote-access medical devices will be leading to a large demand in protective services for virtual health technologies as the COVID-19 pandemic reshapes the delivery of healthcare communications. Telehealth applications such as virtual appointments and remote patient monitoring have facilitated medical care ove...