Corporate report

UKHSA Advisory Board: 24 May 2023 meeting minutes

Updated 17 July 2023

Date: Wednesday 24 May 2023

Present at the meeting were:

• Ian Peters – Chair of UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Advisory Board
• Jennifer Dixon – non-executive member
• Jon Friedland – non-executive member
• Professor Dame Jenny Harries – Chief Executive
• Graham Hart – non-executive member
• Susan Hopkins – Chief Medical Advisor
• Mark Lloyd – non-executive member
• Raj Long – associate non-executive member
• Sir Gordon Messenger – non-executive member
• Scott McPherson – Director General, Strategy, Policy and Programmes
• Isabel Oliver – Chief Scientific Officer (interim)
• Andrew Sanderson – Director General, Finance, Commercial and Corporate Services
• Thom Waite – Deputy Chief Medical Officer (England)

Observers at the meeting were:

• Lee Bailey – Director of Communications
• Sarah Collins - Commercial Director
• Jac Gardner – Chief People Officer
• Oliver Munn – Director General, Health Protection Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Testing
• Steven Riley – Director General, Data, Analytics and Surveillance

In attendance were:

• Shona Arora – Director of Health Equity and Clinical Governance
• Hannah Frude – Head of Governance (minutes)
• Linda Kennedy – Director of Health Protection Policy
• Emma Reed – Director, Emergency Preparedness and Health Protection
• 8 attendees who had their names and titles redacted

Apologies were received from:

• Simon Blagden – associate non-executive member
• Marie Gabriel – associate non-executive member
• Cindy Rampersaud – non-executive member

Announcements, apologies and declarations of interest

23/061 The Chair welcomed participants to the meeting and noted apologies. Cindy Rampersaud sent apologies for the meeting but was welcomed in her role as non-executive member of the Advisory Board and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC), having commenced on 3 April 2023.

23/062 Thanks were noted to the Manchester team for hosting the Advisory Board.

23/063 The Chair noted an expired declaration of interest for his role as Director of Advizzo Ltd.

23/064 Raj Long noted a new declaration of interest for her expert reviewer with European Commission Innovative Health Initiatives programme.

Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising

23/065 The Advisory Board agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2023 (enclosure AB/23/023) as an accurate record.

23/066 The Advisory Board noted the list of actions from the previous meeting (enclosure AB/23/024). Action 22/020 would be run as a workshop engagement session out of the Board meeting cycle. A session was held the previous day enabling engaging discussion to shape the 3-year strategy and development of UKHSA’s brand. Similar sessions would be considered to support discussion on important issues.

Chief Executive’s update

23/067 The Chief Executive expressed thanks to the North West team for hosting and sharing knowledge of the important work in the region.

23/068 The Advisory Board noted the update from the Chief Executive (enclosure AB/23/025). Highlights from UKHSA activity included:

• proactive support to tackle measles cases with the lowest coverage in a decade
• reviewing surveillance needed of COVID-19 in winter
• active monitoring of health incidents internationally including diphtheria and meningitis in Nigeria, and Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea
• inauguration of UKHSA Awards to recognise the valuable work of our staff

23/069 UKHSA had received a 2-year core resource budget settlement, which gave stability to the organisation. Work continued on settlement of the COVID-19 budget; UKHSA would continue to prioritise resources and explore efficiency opportunities that maintain quality delivery of public health outcomes.

23/070 Discussion noted work on avian influenza as a positive example of cross-organisation working to support response and develop diagnostic and testing capacity. UKHSA was leading a study to develop asymptomatic surveillance, which was praised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an exemplar study.

23/071 Congratulations were noted on publishing of the science strategy, which was well received by staff and external organisations. It was seen as a valuable opportunity to support direction and growth of UKHSA. Thanks were given to staff, the Executive Committee and the Advisory Board for their feedback. Colleagues looked forward to later discussion on presenting the delivery plan to support the science strategy.

23/072 It was observed that the move to Canary Wharf offices was on track for August 2023. The Executive Committee had visited the site and remained confident in the facilities serving needs of London-based staff, and that no material disruption would be incurred. It offered an opportunity for improved collaborative working.

Financial report

23/073 The Advisory Board noted the financial update (enclosure AB/23/026). The trend of underspending remained against core and COVID-19 resource budgets due to:

• delayed recruitment
• higher than expected income
• lower testing demand

23/074 The 2-year funding settlement for headline resource settlement of £395 million included some ring-fenced funds to be released following business cases. This level is in line with the run rate of the previous year. UKHSA is remaining focused on efficiency in enabling functions to grow capability in frontline delivery.

23/075 The Advisory Board queried how recruitment campaigns would affect budget run rate, given underspends in previous year. It remained vital for the Executive Committee to understand the run rate in the first initial 3 to 4 months of the year to enable any adjustments.

Preparedness for environmental hazards

23/076 The Chief Scientific Officer (interim) presented the paper on preparedness for environmental hazards (enclosure AB/23/027), following the March discussion on chemical, radiological and nuclear threats to health.

23/077 The Advisory Board noted the activities under way in UKHSA to build capacity and protect health from environmental hazards. The paper focused on the impacts to health of climate change, which were growing. Climate change was not a health hazard in itself but creates the context in which UKHSA operates to respond to a range of health threats.

23/078 The Advisory Board welcomed the paper and increasing focus on the climate emergency as an important public health risk; in particular, the potential impact upon existing health inequalities. It was noted that UKHSA utilised existing frameworks for incident response and had established the Centre for Climate and Health Security (CCHS) to support this area.

23/079 Most response events were led by other government departments with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) leading on climate change across government. UKHSA would continue working with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to increase wider understanding and demands from other government departments affecting UKHSA’s capacity. The increased demand on UKHSA’s expertise was expected to be reflected in the upcoming remit letter.

23/080 The Advisory Board queried how UKHSA facilitated the public’s access to information on increasing environmental hazards. UKHSA was maturing in this space and using the public health focus to establish the importance of its role. CCHS was developing a knowledge hub to demonstrate views on resilient communities.

23/081 It was agreed to present an update to the Advisory Board on this area and the other preparedness topics in 9 to 12 months.

(Isabel Oliver, Susan Hopkins)

Tackling health security inequalities

23/082 The Advisory Board welcomed the paper outlining development of UKHSA’s Delivering Health Equity for Health Security strategy (enclosure AB/23/028). Tackling health security inequalities was embedded across UKHSA’s activities and embraced as critical to the success of the organisation. UKHSA’s Health Equity Board would monitor progress of the action plan with positive feedback on the clear milestones provided.

23/083 Discussion focused on the partnership elements to ensure success of the strategy. UKHSA had worked with the NHS framework on inclusion health and regional health equity networks to develop the place-based approach of the strategy. It was noted that UKHSA’s relationship with Integrated Care Systems network was maturing and would support delivery of the strategy. The Advisory Board suggested mapping local communities to strengthen use of NHS England’s CORE20PLUS framework to define resources needed by these communities.

23/084 Further comments noted that:

• UKHSA was confident in delivery of year one activities to demonstrate impact and support additional funding requirements in subsequent years
• the greatest impacts to migrant health would come from behaviour and treatment of whole populations; UKHSA worked closely with the Home Office to provide robust assessment of public health risks
• UKHSA would continue work to support misinformation in disproportionately affected groups with trust on the ground considered essential

23/085 Colleagues planned to produce a technical report by the end of 2023 and report to the Advisory Board in 12 months. The Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee would continue to provide advice during this period.

(Susan Hopkins)

Data strategy update

23/086 The Advisory Board noted the update on the Data Strategy (enclosure AB/23/029) to be used when making investment, policy and service delivery decisions. A prose version was developed through collaboration with stakeholders and would be published later in the year. UKHSA is progressing pilot maturity assessments to be used throughout the agency later in the year and will update the Advisory Board on a biannual basis.

23/087 The Advisory Board welcomed updates to the strategy and encouraged UKHSA to utilise its existing connection with the Cabinet Office’s National Situation Centre (SitCen) given critically of UKHSA data to all of government. Further feedback suggested:

• improving the accessibility and impact of the communication of material to target audiences
• stronger links to science strategy
• showcasing an additional case study where significant negative impacts were avoided through UKHSA’s use of data

(Steven Riley)

23/088 Discussion followed on UKHSA’s approach to artificial intelligence (AI) given complex issues in the rising use of generation AI. UKHSA was developing use of applications but acknowledged the need for advice for a broader focus and connections across government agencies (for example, Government Office for Science).

Advisory Board Committees

Audit and Risk Committee

23/089 The Advisory Board noted the minutes of the ARC meeting on 19 January 2023 (enclosure AB/23/031). The March meeting focused on the Finance Control and Improvement Plan and development of the Strategic Risk Register.

Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee

23/090 The Advisory Board noted the minutes of the Equalities, Ethics and Communities Committee meeting on 12 January 2023 (enclosure AB/23/032). The April meeting discussed inclusion health, customer centricity and ethical decision making, alongside the Delivering Health Equity for Health Security strategy.

People and Culture Committee

23/091 The Advisory Board noted the minutes of the People and Culture meeting on 24 January 2023 (enclosure AB/23/033). The April meeting considered people survey results and an update from the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian.

23/092 Discussion noted culture as strategic risk in many organisations and its inclusion in the strategic risk register.

Science and Research Committee

23/093 The Advisory Board noted the minutes of the Science and Research Committee meeting on 8 February 2023 (enclosure AB/23/034). The May discussion included research needs and strategic partnerships.

Income generation

23/094 The Commercial Director presented the update on income generation (enclosure AB/23/030). The Advisory Board noted progress in developing a strategic approach to business development and income generation in UKHSA. The organisation was focusing on fewer, deeper partnerships targeting new geographies, new markets and new assets.

23/095 Discussion observed the importance of a supportive operational structure to provide the skills sets needed to drive income opportunities. It was noted that accountability for partnerships sat with each UKHSA Group managing the services sold.

Questions from members of the public

23/096 No questions were received from members of the public.

Forward look

23/097 The Advisory Board noted the topics for future meetings (enclosure AB/23/035). The Governance team would develop a combined forward look to detail meetings planned across the Board and its Committees.

(Hannah Frude)

Any other business and close

23/098 The Advisory Board congratulated Susan Hopkins on her election to the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship this week and noted the support from her teams over the years in getting to this achievement.

23/099 There being no other business, the meeting closed at 3:25pm.

Hannah Frude
Head of Governance
May 2023