Public health information has been a central tool in the Government’s fight against Covid-19. However, the public’s ability to obtain, process and understand health information is variable, with 61% of adults in one observational study struggling to understand health information that included both text and numbers. This article examines some of the barriers to understanding public health information, particularly in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. It also looks at what the Government is doing to improve levels of health literacy.
Documents to download
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Regulation of Health and Social Care Professions Etc Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (133 KB, PDF)
The Regulation of Health and Social Care Professions Etc Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour). The Bill received its first reading in the House of Lords on 26 May 2016, and is scheduled to have its second reading on 3 February 2017. The Bill would require the Government to bring forward legislation giving effect to the recommendations of the Law Commission, Scottish Law Commission and Northern Ireland Law Commission in their report Regulation of Health Care Professionals: Regulation of Social Care Professionals in England, April 2014, Cm 8839. The report included a draft bill to reform the legal framework around the regulation of health care professionals. The legislation would have to be introduced within three months of the day on which the Act is passed. Clause 1(2) of the Bill would require the Secretary of State to confirm that in their view the introduced bill is substantially based on the draft bill prepared by the Law Commissions. Lord Hunt introduced a bill of the same name in the 2015–16 session.
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Documents to download
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Regulation of Health and Social Care Professions Etc Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (133 KB, PDF)
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The draft Human Medicines (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 and the draft Medical Devices (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 seek to amend how clinical trials, medicines and medical devices will be regulated in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland after 31 December 2020, whilst taking into account the Northern Ireland Protocol. Under the Protocol, trade in goods between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and between Northern Ireland and EU Member States, will continue unaffected.
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The Government has announced that the England-wide Covid-19 restrictions commonly referred to as ‘lockdown 2’ will not be renewed past 2 December 2020. The restrictions are to be replaced with a revised tier structure for England similar to the one in place before the second lockdown. The revised tiers form part of the Government’s Winter Plan, which was announced on 23 November 2020.
