Office for Life Sciences Bulletin - 4th September 2020

Office for Life Sciences Bulletin – 4 September 2020

OLS Introduction The Office for Life Sciences (OLS) is a joint unit between the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

This bulletin aims to keep the life sciences sector up to date on the latest guidance whilst the UK is in the transition period and during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, providing you with information from Government to help your members and networks prepare.

If you would like to be added to the distribution list, please email Anisha.Visram@beis.gov.uk Launch of DHSC consultation The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), with the Minister of Health in Northern Ireland, is seeking views on proposed changes to the Human Medicine Regulations 2012.

The changes are intended to help with the safe and efficient distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine and expanded flu vaccine programme in the UK, along with treatments for COVID19 and any other diseases that become pandemic. The consultation closes on 18 September 2020.

Enjoy summer safely campaign The UK government is working to ensure public health measures are accessible and inclusive. Your business can support the work government is doing by ensuring measures that you implement, for example providing handwashing or sanitizing stations, are accessible by all. Businesses should also be mindful that not all disabilities are visible and that some people are exempt from wearing face-covering. Social media assets that you might like to share are available here.

Call for evidence: Recognition of professional qualifications and regulation of professions The government has opened a Call for Evidence to gather insights into how professional qualifications are recognised and professions are regulated. We would like to hear your views and experiences on employing regulated professionals and using services provided by these professionals. To respond, please complete the online questionnaire or submit your response to professional-regulation-evidence@beis.gov.uk by 23 October.

UK Government to fund COVID-19 research in Scotland

The UK Government is investing £8.4 million in COVID-19 immunology research projects, including at the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee. Please find more information here.

Government commits £500 million funding for quick result COVID-19 test trials The funding will support the launch of a community-wide trial in Salford to assess the benefits of repeat population testing. It will also be used to expand promising trials in Southampton and Hampshire using a no-swab saliva test and a rapid 20-minute test. Please find out more here.

Funding boost for artificial intelligence in NHS to speed up diagnosis of deadly diseases Patients will benefit from major improvements in technology to speed up the diagnosis of deadly diseases like cancer thanks to further investment in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across the NHS. Please find out more here.

Events Government departments are hosting a series of free webinars to help businesses understand the support available. Keep up to date with all the latest available webinars here, and watch past HMRC videos here.

Tuesday 25 August – Coronavirus COVID-19 Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme Various dates – Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Various dates – Extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and flexible furloughing webinar. Register here.

8 October – ABHI Virtual IVDR Conference. In the virtual conference ABHI will review how best to embed the requirements of IVDR into your organisation, taking into account key commercial considerations including product development and market access. Please find out more information and register here.

Workforce NEW – People on low incomes who need to self-isolate and are unable to work from home in areas with high incidence of COVID-19 will benefit from a new payment scheme. More information is available here.

NEW – A number of shareable assets are available to help you support your staff to plan their journey to and from work. This includes information on car sharing.

NEW - The government has introduced a new Kickstart Scheme in Great Britain, a £2 billion fund to create hundreds of thousands of high quality 6-month work placements aimed at those aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit and are deemed to be at risk of long term unemployment.

If you are an employer looking to create job placements for young people, check if you can apply for funding as part of the Kickstart Scheme.

UPDATED - Providing apprenticeships during the coronavirus outbreak: Guidance has been updated with information on routine funding audits, redundancy and the use of face coverings.

UPDATED – Guidance has been updated to reflect changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Please find out more here.

NEW - As schools and colleges reopen, a range of resources are available to help students to get back safely. The resources include leaflets for parents.

NEW - Employers encouraged to sign up for apprentice cash boost to help them take on new apprentices and get more people into work. Please find out more here.

Support to business ATTACHED – NHS Test & Trace App guides for businesses and users.

UPDATED – The Joint Biosecurity Centre has developed Action Cards, which reflect the latest advice on how to identify, manage and report a COVID-19 outbreak. The cards are designed as a useful visual checklist for businesses and bring together guidance and useful contacts to support your organisation’s planning. This will help businesses and other organisations work effectively with their local public health teams.

UPDATED - The service to upload certain Companies House forms digitally has been updated with insolvency documents. Find out more here.

Useful Links • • • • • • • •

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Gov.uk/transition provides a central hub of resources for the transition period You can sign up to email alerts about the transition period on GOV.UK at this link.

Sign up for Home Office email updates about developments on the status of EU citizens in the UK after we leave the EU and the next steps for EU citizens in the UK at this link.

Access the ‘Check How to Export Goods’ tool here for the information you need to export goods out of the UK market.

Click here for more information and advice on exporting.

Click here for updated information on the Covid-19 response from the Department for Health and Social Care and Public Health England.

Click here for a list of Business Representative Organisations and Trade Associations you can speak with to get advice.

Specific information for businesses and employers in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales is available. In England, Growth Hubs can advise on local and UK Government business support.

COVID 19 key contact details: o General offers of help from industry: gcfcovid19enquiries@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, or visit this webpage.

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To offer your support producing ventilators please contact the Business Support Helpline for England on 0300 456 3565 or ventilator.support@beis.gov.uk.

If you have already offered to assist on the ventilators project but not received a reply, please contact existing.ventilators@dhsc.gov.uk.

Share the impact COVID-19 is having on your organisation with intel@beis.gov.uk To provide feedback on MHRA engagement please contact engagement@mhra.gov.uk To call the Business Support Helpline in England please dial FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098, Scotland 0300 303 0660, Business Wales 0330 060 300 and Invest Northern Ireland 0800 181 4422