Large UK-wide pandemic preparedness tests planned this year

Emergency service teams, local councils and government officials will take part in a full, multi-day pandemic preparedness exercise, to help the UK prepare for potential future threats.

The test, which is likely to take place in the autumn, will involve thousands of people across different parts of the UK, minister Pat McFadden has announced.

The plans come in response to the first set of recommendations made by the Covid-19 Inquiry - the ongoing public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic.

The chair of the inquiry, Baroness Hallett, found the UK was "ill-prepared" for the coronavirus pandemic, and "failed" its citizens.

The national pandemic response exercise will be the first of its kind in nearly a decade, designed to test capabilities, plans and procedures in the face of new threats, the government says.

The government has also committed to training 4,000 people a year to be better prepared for crises such as pandemics, through a UK resilience academy, planned to open in April.

The Covid-19 inquiry report found the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups.

A new national "vulnerability map" will be produced, Mr McFadden says, to highlight populations who may be vulnerable in a crisis, using data on age, disability, ethnicity and whether someone is receiving care.

It is designed to help people get more targeted local support.

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Source: The Guardian, 16 January 2025