Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
We asked the Department how learning would be applied to future emergency response planning.
Conclusion
We asked the Department how learning would be applied to future emergency response planning. The Taskforce noted that a success factor had been the closer working relationships with vaccine manufacturers, which were critical to the speedy supply and deployment of vaccines. It indicated that this could be important for future ways of working.19 Following a Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit in early March 2022, the government committed along with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and a number of other bodies to the ‘100 Days Mission’, to lay the groundwork for developing novel vaccines against future emerging pathogens within 100 days.20
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
4: PAC conclusion: There is considerable learning from the COVID-19 vaccine programme that might apply elsewhere, both in the health sector, such as screening programmes and routine vaccinations, and across wider government. 4: PAC recommendation: The Department should carry out a systematic exercise to identify successes and other lessons from the programme and, within six months of this report, communicate to the Committee the main improvements it will make as a result in other health programmes, as well as any wider applications to emergency response planning or other government programmes. 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2023 4.2 There are many important lessons to be learned from the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out which will have application across other public health programmes and beyond. 4.3 In practice, lessons learned to date are already influencing work across the health system. NHSE is leading development of an integrated immunisations strategy, aiming to align vaccination and immunisation services over the longer-term, drawing on the successes and lessons from the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and with a focus on uptake and addressing health inequalities, data and technology, vaccine delivery models, and how vaccination services can support wider public health and prevention. Stakeholder engagement is being undertaken, with early recommendations expected to be produced by spring 2023. 4.4 The department is also committed to continually learning and developing pandemic preparedness planning, integrating new scientific information and learning from outbreaks, including COVID-19. 4.5 The department will continue to work across the health system to learn lessons from the pandemic response and identify opportunities for future innovation. 4.6 The department will write to the Committee setting out the main improvements being made as a result of this work as requested in the recommendation.