Tag: Department of Health and Social Care

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 17 March 2023.

Precautionary and temporary measures introduced in January to improve the UK’s ability to detect potential new variants of Covid from China are being removed.

• From today (Friday 17 March 2023) the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) voluntary, on-arrival testing programme of travellers arriving from China to London’s Heathrow airport is set to end
• In addition, from 5 April 2023, people flying from mainland China to England will no longer require proof of a negative pre-departure test
• The removal of these measures comes as China has increased information sharing regarding testing, vaccination and genomic sequencing results, providing greater transparency on their domestic disease levels
• Latest data indicates that the Covid variants observed in China continue to be the same as those already circulating in the UK

From today (Friday 17 March 2023), the Heathrow Covid testing surveillance programme delivered by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will end.

The programme was first introduced as a temporary measure in January 2023 to improve Covid surveillance of travellers arriving from China to Heathrow. The aim was to help strengthen the UK’s ability to rapidly detect potential new variants circulating in China.

Throughout the programme an average of 99 people per flight were tested, a total of 3,374 total to date. Over this time, 14 positive cases were identified, none of which were variants of concern.

In addition, passengers flying directly or indirectly from mainland China to England or transiting through will no longer need to show proof of a negative pre-departure test after 5 April. The regulations were implemented under powers within the Public Health (Control of Diseases) Act 1984 but are set to expire.

The removal of these measures comes as China has increased information sharing regarding testing, vaccination and genomic sequencing results, providing greater transparency on their domestic disease levels.

Latest international genomics data indicates that the Covid variants observed in China continue to be the same as those already circulating in the UK. The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also reports that all regions have passed their infection peak.

The ending of this enhanced surveillance is in line with international partners such as the EU who are reducing border measures to monitor new variants from China. The UK continues to work closely with international partners on global security to detect and assess new Covid variants.

The government will continue to maintain a range of contingency measures in reserve, which would enable detection and swift and proportionate action for potential new harmful variants of Covid entering the UK, should the need arise.

The press release issued by the Department for Health and Social Care on 16 March 2023.

After constructive talks with health unions, the government has put forward an offer for more than 1 million NHS staff to receive an additional pay rise.

The press release issued by the UK Health Security Agency on 16 March 2023.

Latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on scarlet fever and invasive group A streptococcus cases.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 16 March 2023.

The MHRA’s UK Stem Cell Bank is one of only two places in the world to test this technology.

An innovative new robot that grows stem cells, the CellQualia^TM Intelligent Cell Processing System, is being trialled by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This robotic system has the potential to bring safer and more cost-effective treatments to people with a wide range of diseases. It is currently the only one in the world outside of Japan, where it was developed.

Stem cells have a unique ability to turn into different types of cells with specialised functions. This makes them particularly useful in medicine because they can replace cells that have been damaged or lost from disease – for example restoring eyesight after corneal disease.

Because stem cell-based therapeutics are difficult to manufacture, their current availability is limited. This means that most treatments for degenerative diseases are focused on limiting the extent of damage rather than fixing the damage that has already occurred. The system being tested at the MHRA has the potential to change this, offering new hope to patients with serious diseases such as Parkinson’s.

This trial is part of a UK-based international research programme, launched in 2021, and a partnership between the MHRA, SAKARTA (a Scottish Regenerative Medicine start-up), and Sinfonia Technology Co. Ltd (a Tokyo-based electrical equipment manufacturer), supported by Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe (FBRI). The UK Stem Cell Bank is testing the robot over a 12-month period to see whether the cells produced by the fully automated Intelligent Cell Processing System meet the standards needed for them to be used in the manufacture of potentially life-saving treatments.

Marc Bailey, MHRA Chief Scientific Officer said:

At the MHRA, we’re committed to being at the forefront of the latest scientific developments so that we can help bring safe and effective treatments to the people who need them most.

Cell-based therapeutics have the potential to treat, and even cure, a vast number of diseases but their availability has been limited because they are often very difficult to manufacture.

The new Intelligent Cell Processing System being tested at the MHRA, of which there are only two machines in use in the world, could make this manufacturing process much easier and therefore transform the availability of these treatments. It also has the potential to reduce human error in this process and produce a more consistent final product which will result in safer and more effective treatments.

We look forward to communicating the results of our testing.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

This pioneering new robot has the potential to speed up access to more cost-effective, safer stem cell therapies. By replacing cells that have been damaged or lost, this new technology could transform the lives of tens of thousands of people with Parkinson’s and other devastating diseases.

The UK is only the second country where this technology has been tested, thanks to a partnership between the MHRA and industry. It is yet another example of how clinical research is ensuring patients benefit from the very latest scientific breakthroughs.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 9 March 2023.

The National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (‘the Amendment Regulations’) have today been laid before Parliament to increase certain National Health Service charges in England from 1 April 2023.

We have applied an inflation rate of 3.21%. This year we have increased the prescription charge by 30 pence from £9.35 to £9.65 for each medicine or appliance dispensed. The cost of prescription pre-payment certificates (PPCs) will also be increased: 3-month PPC increases by £1 to £31.25 and 12-month PPC increases by £3.50 to £111.60. The recently introduced HRT PPC will cost £19.30.

Charges for wigs and fabric supports will also be increased in line with the blended inflation rate, as described above. Details of the revised charges for 2023 to 2024 can be found below.

Prescription charges

• Single charge: £9.65
• 3-month PPC: £31.25
• 12-month PPC: £111.60
• HRT PPC: £19.30

Wigs and fabric supports

• Surgical bra: £31.70
• Abdominal or spinal support: £47.80
• Stock modacrylic wig: £78.15
• Partial human hair wig: £207.00
• Full bespoke human hair wig: £302.70

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 8 March 2023.

Women across the country to benefit from better access to care for essential services for menstrual problems, contraception, pelvic pain and menopause care.

• £25 million new funding allocated to create new women’s health hubs, as part of the Women’s Health Strategy for England
• New hubs to reduce pressure on secondary care, waiting lists and tackle health inequalities

Women across England will benefit from tailored healthcare and support by new women’s health hubs – improving access and quality of care for services for menstrual problems, contraception, pelvic pain, menopause care and more.

A £25 million investment over the next two years will accelerate the development of new women’s health hubs to benefit women across England and helping to ease pressures facing the NHS.

The hub models will be tailored to meet local women’s needs. They will focus on delivering services in the community that better fit around women’s lives and streamline access to women’s health services. Hubs aim to address fragmentation in provision, for example by providing management of contraception and heavy bleeding in one visit, or integrating cervical screening with other aspects of women’s health care. At the moment, women often need to attend multiple appointments and go to different places to access these essential services.

As well as improving women’s experiences of healthcare, hubs can create longer-term savings for the NHS through improving access to preventative care and reducing pressure on secondary care services.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it is important we look back on the real progress made on the rollout of our Women’s Health Strategy – including making hormone replacement therapy more accessible and supporting women’s reproductive health in the workplace.

New funding of £25 million for women’s health hubs – which provide tailored services for women including menopause care, menstrual health and contraception – mean more women can get the right support that works around their daily lives.

Minister for Women’s Health, Maria Caulfield said:

Women make up 51% of the population and should not be an afterthought in healthcare.

Better access to specialist services is key to tackling health inequalities – the £25 million funding will create new Women’s Health Hubs providing specialist care and advice to women across the country.

We are making excellent headway to meet our commitments set out in England’s first ever Women’s Health Strategy, aiming to boost the health and wellbeing of women and girls.

Early adopter women’s health hubs already exist in England including in Liverpool and Manchester. These have been well received by women in their area and are offering a significant increase in appointments for long-acting reversible contraception, alongside other services such as menstrual health, menopause, and pelvic floor care.

Other existing hubs make use of digital models to tackle inequalities in access to care and ensure services are delivered efficiently. These include City and Hackney women’s health hub which is leading the way with virtual menopause engagement events and group consultations, with follow up in a physical location hub where needed.

Based on consultation with more than 100,000 people across England, the Women’s Health Strategy sets out an ambitious ten-year plan for improving the health and wellbeing of women and girls and reforming how the health and care system listens to them.

As part of this, Professor Dame Lesley Regan was appointed as the Women’s Health Ambassador. Her role is instrumental in raising the profile of women’s health, increasing awareness of ‘taboo’ topics, and supporting implementation of the strategy’s priorities.

Professor Dame Lesley Regan, Women’s Health Ambassador:

As a practicing gynaecologist, I have first-hand experience of how important it is for women to have easy access to the right care when they need it.

Although a woman’s health needs change during her life course, most of them are predictable. It is crucial that we provide her with the best information and support at each and every stage of her journey.

Women’s health hubs offer us the opportunity to provide holistic care – including contraception, help with period problems, early pregnancy problems, pelvic pain, menopause and cancer screening. Timely access to high quality services will help to build women’s confidence in the healthcare system.

Expanding women’s health hubs across England is a key commitment in the first ever government-led Women’s Health Strategy for England, with an initial aim to see at least one hub in every integrated care system (ICS).

The Department of Health and Social Care is working collaboratively with stakeholders across the health and care system to develop resources to support local creation of women’s health hubs, including a best practice guide, possible care pathways for local adoption, case studies and a cost benefit analysis. This will be published in due course.

Expanding women’s health hubs is one of ministers’ top priorities for the first year of implementing the Women’s Health Strategy. The eight priorities are:

1. Encouraging expansion of women’s health hubs to improve women’s access to services and to create efficiencies for the NHS
2. Improving information provision on women’s health, including improvements to the NHS website and supporting teachers to deliver women’s health elements of the relationships and sex curriculum.
3. Supporting women’s health in the workplace, including through the Health and Wellbeing Fund 2022-25.
4. Pregnancy loss, including through reporting findings of the independent Pregnancy Loss Review and developing the pregnancy loss certificate.
5. Fertility, including improving access to NHS fertility treatment for female same-sex couples and assessing the use of non-clinical access criteria locally.
6. Improving access to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by introducing the HRT prescription prepayment certificate in April 2023 and boosting HRT supply.
7. Healthy ageing and long-term conditions – with work feeding into the government’s forthcoming Major Conditions Strategy.
8. Boosting research and evidence into women’s health

NHS chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said:

For too long, too many women have felt that their pain has been ignored, misunderstood or downplayed when they approach health professionals for help.

The NHS is continuing to find ways to ensure women’s health is prioritised, that more focus is placed on their needs, and that access to the care they need is as convenient as possible – whether that’s for menstrual problems, menopause or contraception.

So it is fantastic, particularly on a day where we are recognising women, that this new funding will be made available to support the NHS to expand these one stop shops across the country.

They are already making a huge difference where they are up and running and will hopefully go a long way in improving the health and experiences of women.

This comes following last week’s announcement that the government has appointed a Department of Work and Pensions Menopause Employment Champion. Helen Tomlinson will work with employers to ensure women affected by the menopause are properly supported in the workplace.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 8 March 2023.

Five projects will receive part of £5 million innovation fund to test new ways to reduce use of so-called recreational drugs.

• On-the-ground projects include skills development and education for young people
• Supports strategy to reduce drug use to a 30-year low and build a world-class knowledge base

Five projects aimed at reducing drug use have been awarded £734,000 of the first allocation of a £5 million grant, with the remaining funding available across two further phases.

As part of the government’s Drug Strategy Innovation Fund, Phase 1 will see the successful applicants begin the initial stage of their projects offering a range of education-based programmes, skills development for young people and community outreach.

Each project will receive initial funding to help develop interventions for evaluation. Those that are successful, and new projects, will be able to apply for further funding in Phase 2 which will launch later in the year to evaluate interventions over 12 months.

Projects for phase 1 are based in Huddersfield, Derbyshire, Manchester, Dorset and the South East of England and will include schemes tailored to meet local needs, including pop-up pods at festivals and events to educate people on the harms of using drugs – as well as workforce support to help young people develop personal and social skills to reduce vulnerability to illegal substance use.

Other projects include training programmes for night-time economy staff, such as people working in nightclubs, as well as experts from public health, voluntary services, the NHS and the police.

Health Minister Neil O’Brien said:

Stopping drug use in its tracks is essential to protecting people and the community from the harms caused by addiction, which has devastating impacts and drives half of all crime.

Projects like these will pave the way for new research into preventing drug addiction and enable us to meet our national strategy aim to cut drugs and crime.

This is part of government plans to reduce the demand for drugs and will decrease the number of people requiring treatment as well as drive down the illegal and exploitative supply chain, anti-social behaviour and wider crime.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Joint Combating Drugs Unit – a cross governmental team based in the Home Office – have selected the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to lead the research bidding process.

The selection process focused on encouraging creativity and innovation from applicants – looking at prevention of experimental drug use or early intervention as a way to prevent people going on to problematic or dependent use in the future.

Projects showing to be successful after evaluation and implementation in specific areas will be considered for national roll out across the country to stop drug taking in its early stages. The results of the studies will also be used to build a world class evidence base on how to tackle drug use.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Scientific Advisor for the Department of Health and Social Care, NIHR Chief Executive Officer, said:

This is a really positive step towards expanding the evidence base on this important issue. I hope that the range of projects in this, and future phases, will identify effective interventions that can have a real impact across the country in the future. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of these projects.

Projects were chosen following a competitive bidding process and passing an independent assessment committee made up of experts.

Successful projects

Zoë Welch, Head of Research, Change Grow Live said:

Change Grow Live, in partnership with Middlesex University, are delighted to have the support of the NIHR Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances to prepare our Derbyshire 1625 Outreach Service for evaluation.

1625 Outreach supports young people and young adults (aged 16-25) through place-based early interventions that improve knowledge and reduce demand and harm around substance use and associated risky behaviours.

The innovative multi-strand approach works across rural and urban settings in Derbyshire and Derby city offering education programmes, responsive outreach, a branded van and pop-up pod at festivals/events, digital interventions, and night-time economy staff training.

Our aim is to prepare 1625 Outreach for robust evaluation through literature review, stakeholder feedback, data linkage and creative methods to capture process and outcomes. We will use desk research, PPI, stakeholder consultation, and county-wide collaboration to refine the model and develop a framework to evaluate the different strands of outreach activity.

Professor Michael Doyle, Professor in Mental Health Research, University of Huddersfield said:

We are excited to start work on our project to reduce demand for illicit substances in young people through co-production, skills training and early intervention. As researchers at the University of Huddersfield, we are looking forward to working in partnership with young people and a multi-agency team of practitioners and experts from public health, voluntary services, the NHS, the police and education.

We hope that getting input from all these stakeholders will help us develop learning resources that help young people build the skills they need, raise awareness and improve understanding to support positive lifestyle choices and reduce risky behaviours, including the use of illicit substances.

Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, CEO, Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation said:

We’re very excited to have secured Phase 1 of this funding, to work with Middlesex University Drug and Alcohol Research Centre team led by Prof Betsy Thom, to develop and refine the DSM Foundation’s existing universal, multi-component drug education programme. Drug use often begins during adolescence, a period of life when attitudes and behaviours are emerging, and therefore have potential to be influenced before becoming established.

There is evidence to show a multi-component approach to drug education can increase its effectiveness in preventing or delaying the onset of drug use in adolescence, but recent research is lacking, so we’re keen to establish what works, how and why.

We’ll be engaging key stakeholders’ insights through surveys and focus groups, including young people and parents, as well as revisiting our current programme theory. By the end of this project we will have developed and refined our existing programme, and produced an evaluation strategy and methodology, ready for delivery and evaluation with young people aged 13–15 in a range of schools in Phase 2.

Dr William Floodgate, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Manchester

Our project will refine a new evidence-based, harm reduction-focused drugs education programme called The Staying Safe Programme (TSSP) so that it can be rolled out to universities across the UK. TSSP has been designed to reduce the demand for drugs among university students by equipping young adults with the knowledge required to reduce harms associated with recreational drug use, by deterring or delaying the onset of drug use, or by preventing the transition to heavy, or problematic use.

We will use a range of methods to establish the appropriateness of TSSP, its in-built assessment of learning, and the effects of TSSP on the students who complete it.

The core research team consists of Dr William Floodgate, Professor Judith Aldridge, & Lydia Swan (University of Manchester), and at the University of South Wales, Professor Katy Holloway and Shannon Murray. Collaborators include: Professor Adam Winstock, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and Universities UK.”

Claire Shiels, Corporate Director of Commissioning & Partnerships, Dorset Council

The partnership in Dorset is absolutely delighted to be successful in this Phase 1 bid to test interventions that will help our workforce support young people to develop personal and social skills interventions that seek to reduce their vulnerability to illegal substance use and to develop effective communications with communities about the social impact of illegal substance use.

Active collaboration between researchers, skilled practitioners, children, young people and parents and parents and carers are central to our programme and we believe this is an excellent opportunity to make a real difference.  This work will be part of our local Combatting Drugs strategy and is an active collaboration between two local councils – Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), the local health system and the police.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 3 March 2023.

Nine of the most promising artificial intelligence healthcare technologies to receive nearly £16 million in government funding to accelerate research.

• Nine of the most promising artificial intelligence healthcare technologies to receive nearly £16 million in government funding to accelerate research
• Examples include systems to run cancer checks, diagnose rare diseases and identify women at highest risk of premature birth
• Successful technologies will be fast-tracked into NHS to improve speed and accuracy of diagnoses, tackle waiting lists and free up clinician time

Tens of thousands of patients across the country could benefit from quicker, earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments for a range of conditions – as the government invests nearly £16 million into pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) research.

Nine companies have been awarded funding through the third round of the AI in Health and Care Awards, which is accelerating the testing and deployment of the most promising AI technologies. The awards were set up in 2019 to develop AI technology focused on helping patients manage long-term conditions, improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis, and ultimately help tackle the COVID backlogs and cut waiting lists. They are delivered between the NHS AI Lab, the Accelerated Access Collaborative and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The winners include AI systems which can help detect cancer, diagnose rare diseases, identify women at highest risk of premature birth and support the treatment of neurological conditions like dementia. The funding will be used to support the testing, evaluation and adoption of their technologies by the NHS.

So far, in total, £123 million has been invested in 86 AI technologies across 3 rounds of awards supporting over 300,000 patients and improving their care and treatment for health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mental health and neurological disorders.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

Artificial intelligence has the potential to speed up diagnoses and treatments and free up time for our doctors and nurses so they can focus on caring for patients. Around 300,000 people have already benefited from companies supported by our AI awards, with tens of thousands more set to benefit.

These schemes include technology that could recognise the signs of cancer more quickly and accurately, predict which women are more likely to give birth prematurely or analyse electronic health records to detect the signs of an undiagnosed rare disease.

Start-up Ibex has been awarded more than £1.5 million and it has developed an AI-driven algorithm to run checks for breast cancer. The technology analyses images of tissue extracts, helping pathologists detect cancer, so they can complete diagnoses more quickly. Its high accuracy rate could reduce the need for patients to repeat the biopsy process and free up more time for consultants.

Known as Galen Breast, it will be trialled at Nottingham University Hospitals, Cambridge University Hospitals, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and University Hospitals Birmingham. Researchers will analyse its findings on 10,000 patients and evaluate improvements in the quality of diagnosis, cost-effectiveness and quicker turnaround times for patients.

Ibex previously won an AI award in 2020, enabling the roll-out of Galen Prostate – the equivalent technology for prostate cancer – at 6 hospitals including University College London and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire.

Another winner, medical device company Medtronic, has been rolling out devices and therapies to treat more than 30 chronic diseases, including Parkinson’s and diabetes, some of which are being trialled in the NHS. It has been awarded £2.5 million to further develop an AI-based medical device called GI Genius, which has been trained to process colonoscopy images and detect signs of colon cancer, enabling earlier, more accurate diagnoses. An earlier study carried out in Dublin, Ireland suggested the technology could increase the detection of hard-to-detect precancerous polyps – small growths on the inner lining of the rectum – by up to 14.4%. In the 2021 study it was shown to reduce the missed polyp rate by nearly 50%.

Digital health start-up Mendelian has been awarded £1.4 million to support an AI system which identifies patients with undiagnosed rare diseases, as well as recommending the best management options, by analysing electronic health records. In the past decade undiagnosed rare diseases have cost the NHS in excess of £3.4 billion and data shows that patients with rare diseases attend hospitals more than twice as often as other patients, costing the NHS 4 times as much on average. To complement this kind of research, a new Rare Diseases Action Plan for England was published this week to ensure those living with these conditions continue to receive better care and treatment along with fairer access to testing.

The winners also include a consortium led by the University of Bristol which has already developed an online medical tool which is identifying pregnant women who are most at risk of giving birth prematurely or of developing complications that could lead to stillbirth. Tommy’s App has been created to process information gathered at pregnancy check-ups which then generated a risk score for each patient. This is used to provide personalised care recommendations, lowering the risk of preterm birth or stillbirth. The team will receive nearly £1.9 million in government funding to build on the clinical decision tool.

Last year, data was published in obstetrics and gynaecology journal BJOG, showing the tool can help reduce health inequalities in Black, Asian and other pregnant women in ethnic minority groups. Researchers found perinatal death rates – those affecting pregnant women and others up to a year after giving birth – were 3 times higher in ethnic minority mothers. However, when the tool was used alongside targeted care, these rates fell to approximately the same across all the ethnic groups.

Professor Emad Rakha, Honorary Consultant Pathologist at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust, said:

Over the last several years in the UK, cancer cases increased while the number of pathologists decreased, resulting in record-high workloads for pathology departments.

Timely and accurate diagnosis can significantly impact breast cancer survival rates, making Ibex’s solution a vital and welcome addition into NHS trusts.

Dr Jackie Cook, Consultant in Clinical Genetics and Co-Clinical Director at North East and Yorkshire NHS Genomic Medicine Service Alliance, said:

Patients with rare diseases can face a long diagnostic journey, often taking many years with multiple investigations and appointments before a diagnosis is made.

By using this technology to interrogate patient records, my hope is that patients with rare diseases will be identified much faster, avoid unnecessary investigations and achieve a diagnosis in a much shorter timeframe.

This could enable patients to receive potential treatments earlier, inform ongoing care and, where appropriate, allow reproductive decisions.

Dr Bu Hayee, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Principle Investigator of Medtronic’s study, said:

I’m pleased to be working on this project to establish whether the use of AI in colonoscopy might influence endoscopy performance and improve outcomes for patients.

There has never been a greater need for innovation in the NHS and this research may be able to shine a light on the possible benefits this technology can provide.

Our NAIAD (National study of Artificial Intelligence in Adenoma Detection for colonoscopy) study is set to explore the use of AI in a ‘real world’ setting, and how it might influence endoscopists in their day-to-day practice.

Professor Basky Thilaganathan, Clinical Director to the Tommy’s National Centre for Maternity Improvement, said:

We believe that our Clinical Decision Support Tool can make a significant change in the delivery and experience of maternity care.

We are thrilled to be able to expand our work with this funding, and further our learning to support our aim for NHS-wide adoption.

Dominic Cushnan, Director of AI, Imaging and Deployment at the NHS Transformation Directorate, said:

The AI Award is helping to develop the clinical and economic evidence for AI technologies we need to help build confidence among the NHS workforce that these technologies can not only free up some of their time but safely support them in providing care for patients.

Cutting NHS waiting times is one of the government’s top 5 priorities, backed by record funding including up to £14.1 billion for health and social care over the next 2 years. Advances in innovation and technology – including in robotics and artificial intelligence – will give patients greater control and help tackle some of the biggest healthcare challenges from cancer to genetic diseases. These kinds of innovations can free up staff time while speeding up treatments and diagnoses.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 2 March 2023.

Plan for better, fairer access to high quality special educational needs and disabilities support.

Children and young people across England with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision (AP) will get high-quality, early support wherever they live in the country.

The SEND and AP improvement plan published today (Thursday 2 March) confirms investment in training for thousands of workers so children can get the help they need earlier, alongside thousands of additional specialist school places for those with the greatest needs – as 33 new special free schools are approved to be built as of today.

The transformation of the system will be underpinned by new national SEND and AP standards, which will give families confidence in what support they should receive and who will provide and pay for it, regardless of where they live.

There will be new guides for professionals to help them provide the right support in line with the national standards but suited to each child’s unique experience, setting out for example how to make adjustments to classrooms to help a child remain in mainstream education.

To improve parents’ and carers’ experiences of accessing support, the plan will cut local bureaucracy by making sure the process for assessing children and young people’s needs through education health and care (EHC) plans is digital-first, quicker and simpler wherever possible.

This package forms part of the government’s significant investment into children and young people with SEND and in AP, with investment increasing by more than 50% compared with 2019 to 2020 – to over £10 billion by 2023 to 2024.

Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, Claire Coutinho said:

Parents know that their children only get one shot at education and this can have an enormous impact on their child’s ability to get on with life. Yet for some parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities, getting their child that superb education that everyone deserves can feel like a full-time job.

The improvement plan that we are publishing today sets out systemic reforms to standards, teacher training and access to specialists as well as thousands of new places at specialist schools so that every child gets the help they need.

The local authorities selected today to have 33 new special free schools built in their areas add to the 49 already in the pipeline. These new places come with the government’s £2.6 billion investment between 2022 and 2025 to increase special school and alternative provision capacity.

There will be expanded training for staff, ranging from up to 5,000 early years special educational needs co-ordinators to 400 educational psychologists, covering a wide range of educational needs. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education will develop an apprenticeship for teachers of sensory impairments.

The £70 million change programme will work over the next 2 to 3 years with selected local authorities in 9 regions, working alongside families to implement, test and refine longer-term plans – including new digital requirements for local authority EHCP processes and options for strengthening mediation.

The changes are also underpinned by a strengthened local authority inspection regime joint between Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission.

This plan follows extensive engagement with around 6,000 consultation responses and 175 events, ensuring the new reforms take into account the views of children, young people, parents and carers. The plan sets out a clear roadmap to transform the SEND and AP system and make it sustainable over the long term.

Minister for Learning Disabilities and Autism, Maria Caulfield said:

Everyone with special educational needs and disabilities deserves to live a happy, healthy and productive life – but we know there are often barriers to accessing the right support, especially for parents navigating the start of their children’s educational experiences.

It is vital that health, care and education are working together properly from day one for people with additional needs, which is why we’re making sure steps are being taken to better join up the system and provide support more readily for children and young people with special educational needs and for their families.

Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza said:

Children with SEND and their families have, for too long, felt penalised by a system that doesn’t support their needs.

I am particularly pleased to see this plan’s focus on early help, which will prevent families from reaching breaking point, and the increase in specialist school places so that many more children are able to attend a great school, every day.

I have called for children’s voices to be at the heart of this plan, so I am encouraged by the move to make EHC Plans digital, standardised, and more focused on what each child wants.

Our focus must now be on delivering these reforms, in tandem with those for children’s social care, and matching the ambition that children have for themselves.

Dame Christine Lenehan, Director of Council for Disabled Children said:

The SEND and AP improvement plan has set out the DfE’s understanding of the complexity and level of challenge that exists in the system whilst also acknowledging the difficult experiences of some children and families as a result.

CDC welcome the focus on early intervention and providing families support at the earliest opportunity which is key to ensuring needs are met effectively. It will be vital to provide strengthened accountability routes and to continue to focus on the improved experiences of children and families to ensure outcomes are met.

We look forward to continuing to engage children, young people and their families as well as practitioners across the SEND sector in ongoing opportunities to input into the plans moving forwards.

Additional measures confirmed today in the improvement plan include:

• a new leadership level Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator National Professional Qualification (SENCo NPQ) will be created, ensuring teachers have the training they need to provide the right support to children
• a new approach to AP will focus on preparing children to return to mainstream or prepare for adulthood. AP will act as an intervention within mainstream education, as well as high-quality standalone provision, in an approach that meets children’s needs earlier and helps prevent escalation
• an extension of AP Specialist Taskforces, which work directly with young people in AP to offer intensive support from experts, including mental health professionals, family workers, and speech and language therapists, backed an additional £6 million investment
• a doubling of the number of supported internship places by 2025, from around 2,500 to around 5,000, backed with £18 million of funding to help young people make the transition into adulthood
• £30 million to go towards developing innovative approaches for short breaks for children, young people and their families, providing crucial respite for families of children with complex needs – the programme funds local areas to test new services including play, sports, arts and independent living activities, allowing parents time to themselves, while their child enjoys learning new skills