COVID-19 is the biggest health and economic challenge that our nation has ever faced – no one predicted it nor the scale at which it has tested us all.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has been set up to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards. It will need to take action like no other organisation previously in order to mitigate threats to health before they materialise.
Science is core to delivering our mission; research priorities will be systematically selected for maximum impact; research outputs will underpin actions and decisions across the system; UKHSA will be a global scientific leader, a central part of the nation’s life sciences infrastructure and a career destination of choice.
UKHSA will build the nation’s health resilience and security, strengthening its ability to detect and monitor infectious disease and external threats to health, going deeper to analyse threats to health and how best to prevent and control with a robust evidence and knowledge base. The UKHSA will take action to mitigate threats to health when they materialise, ensuring it has a system-wide response in partnership with local authorities, NHS, academia, global professional institutes and industry.
The UKHSA will have a strong role in global health security, and excellence in scientific and intellectual leadership. This new organisation will drive a step change in data systems, data architecture and analytics in order to enable much better surveillance of all hazards, both on a domestic and global scale. It is critical that the UKHSA has operational excellence at its core – it needs to be agile, innovative and flexible, with the ability to mobilise and scale both its own and the system’s resources as required.
UKHSA will be a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, having strong relationships across local and national government, the NHS and global partners. In order for the UKHSA to be truly successful, it will need to tackle the inequalities that exist in health and ensure there is constant focus on really making a difference.
Diversity at UKHSA is about reflecting the communities we serve, holding the principles of equality and inclusion at the heart of everything we do and all that we stand for, embracing differences, creating possibilities, and growing together. We aim to foster a culture where individuals of all backgrounds feel confident in bringing their whole selves to work, feel included and their talents are nurtured, empowering them to contribute fully to our purpose.
More information about the UKHSA can be found here.