The UK Health Security Agency has published it's strategy for the next three years, with a focus on infection control and extreme weather plans. Here's everything care home operators and suppliers need to know.
Health threats are set to become 'more frequent, more complex and more interconnected', the UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) has warned as it sets out how it plans to renew its focus on protecting 'people and places most at risk.'
For care homes, the clearest implication is the ongoing prioritisation of infection prevention and control (IPC), following today's publication of the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) new three-year strategy, emphasiseing its role in reducing harm caused by 'infectious diseases, chemicals, radiation, the health effects of climate change and a range of environmental hazards including air quality.'
This broad definition of health risk reflects a shift among health and care policymakers beyond traditional outbreak management towards whole-environment health protection, including ventilation, hygiene standards and climate resilience.
For operators, this signals further alignment with NHS and public health partners, particularly around outbreak reporting, surveillance and coordinated response planning.
UKHSA says it will use its clinical, scientific and analytical expertise to continually assess which health threats pose the greatest risk, shaping where it focuses its efforts.
Current key concerns include falling vaccination uptake, which is increasing the risk of outbreaks; the ongoing impact of respiratory infections, which place heavy pressure on services and are the most likely source of a future pandemic; the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, which is making infections harder to treat; and environmental hazards, which affect large populations, contribute to poor health outcomes and can exacerbate inequalities, the strategy says.
Pandemic response
The strategy comes after the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it would work with providers to co-produce a pandemic action plan to be completed by next year.
The plan – announced as part of the government’s wide-ranging new Pandemic Strategy published in March – will aim to ‘ensure clarity of local and national roles and responsibilities, outline other important policy considerations to support the sector, and be tailored to the breadth of its services and the people accessing care,’ the Department said.
It lso said the plan will ‘consider how to improve the resilience and preparedness of the adult social care workforce’, by looking at ‘how to improve guidance and training on infection and prevention control (IPC), access to PPE and uptake of vaccines for the adult social care workforce’.
