The government has launched a new public health body devoted to tackling the current coronavirus crisis, as well as preparing the UK against future pandemics.
The agency, named the UK Health Security Agency (UKSA), was announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock during at the Local Government Association virtual conference.
The UKSA will bring together the work of Public Health England, NHS Test & Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre and will be led by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jenny Harries.
Matt Hancock said the agency will be a “dedicated, 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.
“Even after years without a major public health threat, UKSA must be ready, not just to do the science, but to respond at unbelievable pace.”
The UKHSA will be established from April 1 and is expected to be fully operational by Autumn.