Matt Hancock announces new health agency preventing future pandemics

The government has announced a new public health body dedicated to further tackling Covid-19 and preparing the UK against future pandemic threats.

As announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier today at the Local Government Association conference, the government is devoted to combatting the current coronavirus crisis; and preparing for the UK against any future pandemics.

The plan is to bring together the UKSA Public Health England, NHS Test & Trace, and the Joint Biosecurity Centre, Hancock says it will be a “dedicated, a mission-driven national institution for health security”.

“UKSA, as it will be known, will be this country’s permanent standing capacity to plan, prevent and respond to external threats to health,” he told a Local Government Association virtual conference. It will deploy “the full might of our analytic and genomic capability on infectious diseases,” he added.

The UKSA will be led by Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries she says, “With the creation of the UKHSA, we have an unprecedented opportunity to build on the scientific and operational strength that has been developed, learn from the past and further develop strong bonds with health protection leadership from global to local, to ensure we are ready for the challenges of the future,”

The UKHSA will be established from April 1 and is expected to be fully operational by Autumn.