The UK will become the first country in the world to detail how it would legislate to ensure the safe and effective rollout of fusion energy, outlined in a Fusion Green Paper launched by Science Minister George Freeman today (Friday 1 October).

Fusion energy research aims to capture the same energy process that powers the Sun, and forms part of the government’s long-term plans to harness new technologies to build a strong, home-grown energy sector that reduces reliance on fossil fuels and exposure to volatile global gas prices. A fusion power plant would combine hydrogen atoms to generate energy without producing the carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.

Due to the expected low hazard of fusion power, the government is proposing the continuation of a proportionate ‘non-nuclear’ regulatory approach as laid out in regulatory consultation proposals published today. This will allow for the safe and efficient rollout of the technology through innovation-friendly regulation.

In addition, the Fusion Strategy published alongside the green paper sets out how the UK will leverage its leadership in fusion to deliver commercialisation of this potentially revolutionary technology.

Science Minister George Freeman said:

Fusion energy could be the ultimate power of the future – low carbon, safe and sustainable – and we want the UK to continue to lead the world as we work to unlock its potential and build back greener.

By putting in place the crucial foundations we’re setting out today, we will ensure the UK is uniquely placed to capitalise on this innovative and revolutionary energy source in the years ahead – helping to tackle climate change and reduce our dependence on unreliable fossil fuels at the same time.

As set out in the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the government wants the UK to develop the cutting-edge technologies needed to end its contribution to climate change and level up economic growth across the UK.

As part of this, the government aims to demonstrate the commercial viability of fusion by building a prototype fusion power plant, STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production).The UK hopes to deliver the world’s first prototype fusion power plant by 2040.

The strategy also aims for the UK to build a world-leading fusion industry which can export fusion technology around the world in subsequent decades, securing the economic opportunities of a future, low carbon energy market. Harnessing fusion power could provide low-carbon, safe electricity, with the fuels used in fusion reactions effectively inexhaustible.

Under the consultation published today, the government is asking for industry stakeholders and the public to have their say on fusion energy regulation. The consultation closes on 24 December 2021.

Millions of patients will benefit from earlier diagnostic tests closer to home thanks to 40 new community diagnostic centres set to open across England in a range of settings from local shopping centres to football stadiums.

The new one-stop-shops for checks, scans and tests will be backed by a £350 million investment from government to provide around 2.8 million scans in the first full year of operation.

The centres will help to achieve:

• earlier diagnoses for patients through easier, faster, and more direct access to the full range of diagnostic tests needed to understand patients’ symptoms including breathlessness, cancer, ophthalmology

• a reduction in hospital visits which will help to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission

• a reduction in waits by diverting patients away from hospitals, allowing them to treat urgent patients, while the community diagnostic centres focus on tackling the backlog

• a contribution to the NHS’s net zero ambitions by providing multiple tests at one visit, reducing the number of patient journeys and helping to cut carbon emissions and air pollution

GPs will be able to refer patients to a centre so they can access life-saving checks closer to home and be diagnosed for a range of conditions, rather than travelling to hospital. This will be more convenient for patients, more efficient and more resilient to the risk of cancelled tests in hospitals due to COVID-19. The centres will be staffed by a multi-disciplinary team of staff including nurses and radiographers and are open 7 days a week.

All cancer services are back to or above pre-pandemic levels with almost half a million people checked for cancer in June and July – among the highest numbers on record – while more than 50,000 people started treatment for cancer in the same period, a 32% increase on the same period last year. The centres will continue to further level up access to vital cancer tests and other tests to tackle the backlogs that have built up during the pandemic.

The new centres are being rolled out in a host of accessible settings, including:

• the Glass Works in Barnsley – the new centre will be part of the town centre redevelopment with access to 670 parking spaces and will deliver ultrasound, X-ray, breast screening, phlebotomy and bone density scans

• Falmer Community Stadium, home of Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club – this will be one of 4 centres across the region serving a population of 1.7 million. The centres will provide additional MRI, CT, ultrasound and X-ray services

• a Community Diagnostic Village in a repurposed retail outlet in Poole – it will bring together primary, community and secondary care as well as local health support teams to serve the population of Dorset, particularly those in areas of known deprivation

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, said:

Tackling waiting lists will require new and more innovative ways of delivering the services people need. That is why we’re making it easier and more convenient to get checked.

Our new community diagnostic centres will bring those crucial tests closer to home including in the communities that need them most. They will help enable earlier diagnosis, allowing us to catch cancer and other issues as quickly as possible, and save more lives.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said:

Rapid diagnosis will save lives and these one stop shops for checks, scans and tests in the heart of local communities will not only make services more accessible and convenient for patients but they will also help us to improve outcomes for patients with cancer and other serious conditions, ultimately sparing more patients and families the pain and trauma of disease.

NHS staff have continued to provide routine care, throughout the pandemic, alongside treating around 450,000 seriously ill COVID patients in hospital, and the roll-out of these community diagnostic centres will help us to spot problems sooner, when they are easier to treat.

Professor Sir Mike Richards, the first NHS national cancer director who recommended the changes, said:

The pandemic brought into sharper focus the need to overhaul the way we deliver diagnostic services and so I am absolutely delighted to see one of the key recommendations of my report becoming a reality for patients so quickly. I have no doubt that many people will benefit from these new NHS community diagnostic centres, bringing together many tests in one convenient place.

The centres will begin providing services over the next 6 months, with some already up and running, and will be fully operational by March 2022.

The centres are one of the recommendations from Professor Sir Mike Richards, the first NHS national cancer director, who conducted a review of diagnostic services as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, published last year.

The government recently announced an extra £5.4 billion to the NHS to respond to COVID-19 over the next 6 months, taking total extra COVID-19 funding to health and care services to over £34 billion this year alone. It builds on the new Health and Social Care Levy, which will see funding rise by a record £36 billion over the next 3 years.

This is on top of a further £36 billion for health and social care across the UK thanks to the Health and Care Levy, which will include £8 billion ring-fenced to tackle backlogs and help the NHS deliver an extra 9 million checks, scans and operations for patients across the country from 2022 onwards.

• £25 million to support care providers to access COVID-19 and flu vaccines
• Designated Settings Indemnity Scheme extended to March 2022

People who receive care and the adult social care workforce will be further protected from COVID-19 and flu over the coming months, as the government sets additional funding for infection prevention and control.

Today (Thursday 30 September) Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid has announced an additional £388.3 million to prevent the spread of infection in social care settings, including £25 million to support care workers to access COVID-19 and flu vaccines over the winter months. This will ensure social care staff who need to travel to receive their COVID-19 or flu vaccinations are paid their usual wages to do so and can be support with travel costs .

To boost flu vaccine uptake among social care staff, GP practices will be able to vaccinate care home staff that are not registered at their practice. Uptake will be regularly monitored by region to allow a targeted approach, and more flu vaccines will be available earlier this year.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said:

Protecting care home staff and residents has been a priority throughout the pandemic and as we move into winter I am committed to ensuring they have the resources they need.

This additional funding demonstrates how we will continue to support those delivering and receiving care.

Everyone deserves to be cared for with dignity and respect and our wider reforms will continue to work towards our aim of a world-leading social care system.

Continued funding to prevent infection spreading and provide testing will be delivered through the Infection Control and Testing Fund (ICTF), which was first introduced in May 2020 with an investment of £600 million. Today’s funding announcement includes £237 million for Infection Control measures and £126.3 million for testing costs. This will allow testing to continue for staff, residents and visitors to ensure residents can see their loved ones as safely as possible.

Minister for Care, Gillian Keegan said:

The social care workforce have continued to deliver high quality care in the most challenging circumstances over the past 18 months – showing true dedication and professionalism – and I can’t thank them enough for all their hard work.

We will ensure both staff and those who receive care continue to be protected from COVID-19, as well as other illnesses, this winter.

Infection prevention and control measures to protect residents and staff include:

• Continuing to provide free PPE to protect against COVID-19 to the adult social care sector until the end of March 2022.
• Providing regular asymptomatic COVID-19 testing .
• Continuing to support care providers to make best use of technology to help remote monitoring including making pulse oximeters available to care homes that have less than the recommended number of devices.
• Continuing to support care home providers to follow guidance on restricting workforce movement between care homes and other care settings.
• Supporting providers to pay staff who are isolating in line with government guidance their normal wages while doing so.

As part of supporting good quality discharge the government will also extend the use of designated settings for people discharged from hospital to a care home with a positive COVID-19) test. This includes extending the Designated Settings Indemnity Scheme to March 2022, supported by £478 million which has already been pledged to continue hospital discharge programmes through the winter until March 2022.

From November 11 any staff or visiting professionals entering a care home will need to provide evidence of their COVID-19 vaccination or exemption status. Vaccines save lives and it is our responsibility to do everything we can to reduce the risk for those in care, who are some of the most clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

To apply for a medical exemption, individuals will be able to call 119 from 30 September and, if there is a medical reason for exemption, will be issued with an application form. Each application will be clinically reviewed and they will automatically be contacted via post with results of their application.

The government will also launch a consultation on extending free PPE beyond March 2022 for Health and Social Care on 1 October.

Vaccine exemptions

The vaccines are safe and effective. The possible reasons for exemptions are limited to continue protecting the most vulnerable in society. Examples that might be reasons for a medical exemption include:

Other medical conditions could also allow you to get a medical exemption.

Time-limited exemptions will also be available for those with short-term medical conditions.

The British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing, visited Delta State between 21 and 22 September for high-level discussions with the state governor and key stakeholders in the state government, civil society and business leaders.

During the two-day visit, the High Commissioner visited the Delta State Governor, His Excellency Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa. They discussed security challenges in the state, efforts to tackle them and measures being taken to improve economic opportunities. They also shared thoughts on improving the business environment in Delta State to create more opportunities.

During her stay in Asaba, the High Commissioner met with the Director General of Delta Hawk, David Tonwe and his team. The High Commissioner received a briefing on the state-backed group’s responsibility of fighting insecurity in Delta state.

In further discussions around security in Delta State, High Commissioner Catriona Laing met with representatives of civil society organisations who gave a run down on the security and climate challenges facing the people of Delta. She spoke about how the challenges can only be addressed through strong and open dialogue between the state and civil society. The High Commissioner was also pleased to learn from the group that female participation in the state is strong.

The High Commissioner also met with the Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC) Director of Communications, who assured the High Commissioner of the party’s plans for a peaceful election in 2023 as well as better female participation and representation.

In advancing local community engagement, the High Commissioner met with Ned Nwoko, initiator of the Ned Nwoko Malaria Project. They discussed progress on his foundation’s malaria education project, and the work of the UK aid funded Support to the National Malaria Programme in Nigeria (SUNMAP2).

The visit to Delta State also presented an opportunity for the High Commissioner to visit the world famous Mungo Park House, where she learnt about future plans to host exhibits celebrating the unique history and ethnographic identity of the area. She also had the chance to learn about the history of the British explorers in Nigeria, Richard and John Lander at the Lander Brothers Anchorage.

Through the UK Government’s Digital Access Programme (DAP), Delta State had previously benefited from its cybersecurity project, which supported SMEs across all states to equip them with knowledge and skills required to identify, protect and respond to COVID-19 instigated cyber threats. Delta State was also a recipient of the recently completed telemedicine project, which provided mental health services and awareness to the most vulnerable people living in rural clusters across Nigeria.

At the end of the visit, the British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing, said:

Being here in Asaba has helped me learn at first hand about the security challenges that the people of Delta State face and the ways that the state government is addressing them. The UK is in full support of all efforts to bring peace and prosperity to all of Nigeria including Delta State.

As a strong advocate for the full and equitable participation of women in politics, I was also pleased to learn about plans to increase women’s participation in politics looking ahead to the 2023 elections. Greater female participation It is essential to building stronger and more vibrant democracies and advancing gender equality more broadly.

Further information

Through the Support to National Malaria Programmes (SUNMAP) phases 1 and 2, UK aid provided technical advice and commodities to the Nigerian Government since 2008, enabling the country to launch an unprecedented scale up of malaria control interventions. Between 2010 and 2018, the proportion of Nigerian children under 5 who were found to be infected with malaria reduced from 42% to 23%. Annual deaths due to malaria were slashed from an estimated 154,000 to 95,000, saving thousands of lives, particularly of children.