• rapidly scaled-up national initiative will mean clinical trials could start in weeks rather than months

• 6 drugs entering clinical trials as part of national effort made possible by government, academia and industry working together

• this will give an early indication of whether these drugs could save lives and improve the outcomes of the most vulnerable patients with COVID-19

Thousands of patients could benefit from potential treatments for COVID-19 that will be fast-tracked through a new national clinical trial, the Health and Care Secretary has today announced.

This platform will accelerate the development of new drugs for patients hospitalised with COVID-19, reducing the time taken to set up clinical studies for new therapies from months to just weeks and helping to ease pressure on the NHS and ultimately save lives.

6 potential drugs will initially enter the programme, with the first of these beginning phase 2 studies – the stage of a clinical trial focused on the testing of a drug on patients to assess how effective it is and side effects – across the UK imminently.

Announcing the news at today’s press conference, Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

“Currently no drugs in the world have been clinically proven to treat COVID-19.But our Therapeutics Taskforce has identified a number of promising candidates. Currently, 6 different treatments have been entered into national clinical trials and the first is ready to enter the next stage: a new early phase clinical trial platform that we are launching today.

This is a national effort made possible by government, academia and industry working together.”

Funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), this collaborative programme – known as the ACCORD (Accelerating COVID-19 Research & Development platform) – aims to get an early indication of drug treatments’ effectiveness in treating coronavirus and if positive results are seen, these drugs will advance rapidly into the large-scale trials currently in progress across the country.

ACCORD brings together a single, UK-wide clinical trial platform provided by the clinical research company IQVIA and the UK’s leading research expertise through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), to rapidly test potential drugs through early stage clinical trials and feed them into the UK’s large-scale COVID-19 studies such as the RECOVERY trial, currently the world’s largest randomised controlled clinical trial for COVID-19 treatment. It is reducing the time taken to set up clinical studies from months to just weeks.

ACCORD is part of a co-ordinated therapeutic development pathway that the government has put in place, overseen by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and delivered by the UKRI, as part of the overall Therapeutics Taskforce.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said:

“The UK is home to world-class scientists and researchers who are united in their aim to defeat coronavirus.

“Through ACCORD, we are bringing together the government, industry and research organisations to speed up the development of effective new coronavirus treatments, helping to save thousands of people’s lives and benefiting our NHS.”

Further potential treatments will be rapidly fed into ACCORD as the programme rolls out over the next few weeks.

UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive, Professor Sir Mark Walport said:

“This initiative will rapidly test the most promising drugs in the fight against COVID-19. Bringing together expertise from across the UK’s world-class research and innovation sectors – from clinical researchers through to the pharmaceutical industry – this national platform will rapidly prioritise and deliver the best potential drugs into clinical trials to discover if they can help people with COVID-19.”

ACCORD has been made possible by partnership working between the Government Scientific Office, the NIHR’s Biomedical Research Centres and Clinical Research Facilities, and expert centres in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, clinical research company IQVIA and biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

Professor Tom Wilkinson, ACCORD clinical academic lead based at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, said:

“There has been a tremendous effort to pull this initiative together so rapidly. ACCORD is a national effort and will be key to developing effective new treatments which are needed so desperately.”

“The ACCORD platform will be able to rapidly test potential new treatments, advancing the most promising through phase 2 clinical trials into the NHS. This unique national platform for developing new COVID-19 drug candidates will access the world-class expertise and resources of the NIHR Respiratory Translational Research Collaboration and allied centres nationwide.”

Through the Therapeutic Taskforce, the life science sector can suggest potential drugs or molecules that could be tested through the ACCORD platform. Data will be open source and freely available to enable global knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Dr Jonathan Sheffield, NIHR COVID-19 Research Operations Director said:

“ACCORD will transform the way in which the UK’s research community finds treatments for global healthcare challenges such as COVID-19. ACCORD is an exemplary case of government, industry and research organisations working together with urgency, to the benefit of patients and the NHS.”

“The NIHR’s experimental medicine infrastructure of people, facilities and technology is well-placed to fast-track research into COVID-19 treatments.”

In addition to the first drugs being tested, the Therapeutics Task Force continues to identify potential early stage drugs to be trialled through the ACCORD platform.

IQVIA is providing a national, single platform to ACCORD and will deliver the trials via NIHR’s world-class network of investigators and research facilities, and partners sites in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. AstraZeneca will work with the pharmaceutical industry to scope and support rapid upscaling of development and trials.

Tim Sheppard IQVIA UK GM and SVP Northern Europe said:

“COVID-19 is the greatest public health challenge that has faced the world in a generation. Hyper-accelerating clinical trials of medicines in discovery pipelines could be instrumental in saving many lives in the UK and beyond.”

“IQVIA is proud to be able to mobilise our platform and use our vast network of clinical trial infrastructure, research expertise and data analytics to work with the ACCORD partners to develop treatments that can change the course of this pandemic.”

The first wave of new and existing medicines to be tested through the ACCORD-2 platform are:

For further info on the BerGenBio compound, please contact Richard Godfrey, CEO of BerGenBio, at media@bergenbio.com.

ODP Buddy Scheme information pack

Introduction to the Buddy Scheme

Our ODP Cross-Government Buddy Scheme is here to help increase student support for those undertaking an ODP qualification.

We understand that everyone learns differently so we offer this scheme as an option to those who feel they would benefit from further support during their qualification journey.

For those who have completed their qualification already, this is an exciting opportunity to develop your skills and knowledge, by leading and managing candidates, whilst working collaboratively across different government departments.

Buddies will offer additional support and guidance to people who are currently undertaking the same level of qualification that they have previously completed. It is an informal support network that will be carried out in a way that the buddy and candidates agree suits everyone best.

In this pack we will outline what you can expect from the Buddy Scheme and explain how you can get involved if you haven’t done so already.

Roles and Responsibilities – who is involved?

Buddies

• Provide support and guidance to your candidates
• Answer queries regarding the qualification
• Encourage discussion between yourself and your candidates
• Lead and manage your candidates
• Update the ODP central team if a candidate completes their qualification or withdraws
• Progress queries if answers cannot be provided immediately

Candidates

• Engage with your buddy and fellow candidates
• Be open to suggestions and advice
• Take part in group discussions and share best practices with other candidates where possible
• Feedback to your buddy on how effective you are finding the support and suggest ideas for improvement where required

ODP Central Team

• Manage any enquiries regarding the scheme
• Be a main point of contact for buddies where support is required

It is important that although you are there to support each other and share best practices you must not plagiarise each other’s work – this may be viewed as serious misconduct

LISTR

If you have not yet registered yourself onto the LISTR tool you will need to do this in order to start your buddy/candidate journey, you can do this by clicking here – Listr tool – Register and entering your email address and a password and clicking “register my account”

To register as a buddy: If you are interested in registering as a buddy all you need to do is register yourself on LISTR. During the registration process you will be asked if you would like to be a buddy and which ODP qualification you have completed. Once you are registered on LISTR candidates can directly request you as their buddy – you will be given the option to accept or decline any candidates.

To register as a candidate: If you are interested in matching with a buddy to help you with your qualification, please follow our quick guide below once you have registered on LISTR

1. Click into the “Community” Tab at the top of your profile page
2. Search for an individual who is listed as having the same qualification that you are currently undertaking, you can do this using the filter tool at the left of your screen and selecting Qualification as shown below.
3. Once you have selected your qualification click “Filter” and the tool will automatically list only people who have completed the qualification that you are currently undertaking.
4. Please select the person you wish to be your buddy and select the “Connection Request” button next to their profile which will lead to the page below.
5. Select I am requesting a “Qualification Buddy” as above and leave your potential buddy a message to introduce yourself. Then click submit and await their response.

If the person you have selected declines your request you can ask somebody else to potentially buddy you – there are no limits to how many people you can request but we do recommend that you only have one buddy.

Next Steps

Once you have found a suitable match and have contacted them direct, we would advise that you arrange a time/date suitable for you both to review where the candidate is currently up to with their qualification and how the buddy feels they could support the candidate best.

Before starting this process have a think about what you would like to get from the scheme and make a note of any ideas you might have about how you can contribute and ways you can communicate across government.

Buddies should think about how much time you can dedicate and what support you can offer. Consider practical issues, such as how you would prefer your candidate group to contact you?

We would recommend that candidates remain with the same buddy for the duration of their qualification, as a minimum. Hopefully you will remain in contact with your buddy/candidate following completion of their qualification however, offering continuous development and support across government as your careers progress.

Hints and Tips

Please remember that the Buddy Scheme is flexible in order to accommodate all and will develop depending on the requirements of the individuals involved. It’s up to you to decide how you wish to communicate, how often and what forums you may use.

Candidates

It is important that you get what you need from your buddy so please come to all meetings arranged by your buddy fully prepared. You may wish to consider pulling together any questions/issues you are having with your qualification and sending them to your buddy prior to these meetings. This would enable your buddy to ensure they are equipped to answer all of your questions.

Buddies

Once you have received contact from your candidates, we recommend that an initial telekit is arranged by you to introduce yourself, from here you can decide how you both wish to proceed. A suggested agenda for the first chat is:

1. Introductions and ice breaker
2. Where you are on your journey (have you completed any units yet, when did you register for you qualification, how long have you got left to complete)?
3. Aims & objectives – what do you want to get from the scheme, what support would you like, how will you communicate with each other? What part of your qualification are you most worried about?
   Agreed outcomes – for example will you be having monthly dial-ins, are you going to set up an online forum for discussions? Will you be contacting each other via email?

Both We’ve included below a list of things that could be considered by buddies and candidates when arranging their meetings:

• Monthly telekits
• Online forums for buddies with more than one candidate
• 1-2-1’s – conducted over the phone, face-to-face, email
• Webinars, video conferencing
• Revision sessions
• Proof reading
• Email contact
• Buddy diary – issues log to record FAQ’s
• Candidate diary – recording development, best practice, obstacles faced.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as “presenting someone else’s work, in whole or in part, as your own. Work means any intellectual output, and typically includes text, data, images, sound or performance”. (University of Leeds, 2017)

It is important that everybody fully understand what plagiarism is and the techniques that can be used to avoid plagiarising. For units with written assignments candidates will be asked to submit a statement of authenticity confirming that the work being submitted is their own. When submitting any work (including exam papers) electronically candidates are also declaring that the work is authentic and is their own.

In cases where plagiarism is identified these will be investigated further by Premier Partnership and City & Guilds and may result in candidates being disqualified from the qualification itself. Plagiarism and malpractice will not be tolerated, any incidents will also be reported to candidates departments and may result in disciplinary action.

Candidates- Please visit The University of Leeds – Academic Integrity & Plagiarism page before starting your qualification and familiarise yourself with the information available.

We would also recommend completing the You Be the Judge activity and Recognising Plagiarism to test your understanding.

If you anybody is still unsure what constitutes plagiarism, or would like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to contact the ODP Central Team learningandaccreditationteam.centralodp@hmrc.gov.uk.

FAQ’s

Q: I’ve completed one qualification already and started my second. Can I take part as a buddy and a candidate at the same time?

A: Yes, if you’d like to support others with the qualification you have completed but would also like to join a group who are undertaking the same qualification as you this is fine.

Q: What do I do if I no longer want to take part in the scheme?

A: If you’re a candidate please discuss this with your buddy at the earliest opportunity. Involvement in the scheme is not mandatory, if at any time you wish to withdraw you can. If you are a buddy please contact your candidate and tell them of your decision to enable them to contact potential new buddies at their earliest convenience.

Q: As a buddy how much time will I need to dedicate to this? I’m worried that I won’t be able to fit this in around my day job…

A: How much time you put in is entirely up to you, however the more you put in, the more you will get out of it. As a buddy you’ll be facilitating and encouraging your candidates. How you chose to support your candidates will depend on what you decided between yourselves. For example, you may decide to offer a monthly dial in for an hour or set up an online forum where you can manage and answer queries as they are raised.

For help and support with learning please email learningandaccreditationteam.centralodp@hmrc.gov.uk

For help with LISTR/Account issues please use the “help” button at the top of the Listr tool – Register

• From April 2nd to 25th Government has chartered 20 medical equipment flights back from China
• These have included over 21 million pieces of PPE and more than 1,000 ventilators that have been bought and donated
• Chinese companies have reciprocated donations from UK firms made in February

The UK Government has flown over 21 million pieces of PPE and more than 1,000 ventilators to the NHS and Social Care Services from China over the last three weeks.

The British Embassy in Beijing has worked with the Department of Health to procure and source donations of medical equipment from China and deliver it to NHS hospitals and care homes all over the UK.

Dame Barbara Woodward, British Ambassador to China, said:

I am delighted that we have been able to deliver huge quantities of lifesaving equipment for the NHS and our social care services.

Our strong trade relationship with our Chinese partners has meant that we have been able to source the right equipment and we have seen both UK and Chinese firms contribute to our joint fight against Covid-19.

We are working round the clock to bolster the NHS supplies and save lives and we are seeking further deliveries as a matter of urgency.

20 flights have been operated by passenger airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic,as well as various cargo operators and delivery specialists.

The British Embassy in Beijing is a whole of Government platform with staff from the Department for International Trade, Foreign Office, UK Visas and Immigration and the Ministry of Defence all working to support the procurement, logistics and coordination of donations.

The China Civil Aviation Authority granted the UK special permission to allow passenger routes to take cargo instead.

Guys and St Thomas hospital and Age UK have been received medical supplies that have been bought by the UK Government and donated by Chinese organisations.

David Lawson, Chief Procurement Officer at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said:

We are very grateful for donations from the British Chinese Community and for the support of the British Embassy in Beijing, both of which have helped to ensure a steady and timely supply of PPE and other vital medical equipment to help the NHS response to COVID-19.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director of Age UK, said:

We are grateful to the people of Changsha for their kind support and donation to Age UK during this challenging time.

The masks we received will be given to our local Age UKs which are providing practical support in their communities, including helping people who are recovering from the virus to leave hospital and go back to their homes, and will help to keep staff and older people safe.

Almost 2.5 million of the PPE equipment has been donated by Chinese organisations including British Chinese Community Zhejiang UK Association.

The biggest donor so far whose equipment has already reached the UK is Bank of China, who has donated over 1.8 million pieces of PPE and 20 ventilators.

At the start of the Covid-19 crisis the UK provided much needed supplies to the people of Wuhan including goggles and gloves. UK firms that have donated equipment to China include AstraZeneca and GSK.

Notes to editors:

• As well as the Chinese organisations named above the following have all provided donations (Dalian Haiqing Food, Tencent, Chinese Chevening Alumni, Administrative Committee of Changsha National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun-Yat Sen University, China Construction Bank, Hangzhou Foreign and Affairs Office and Fosun International.

• As well as the UK organisation above the following provided donations to China: GSK, AstraZeneca, BP, HSBC Group, Standard Charted, Smith and Nephew, Smith’s Medical, Jaguar Land Rover, Swire Group, Diageo, RELX Group, PwC, EY, Deloitte, ReckittBenckiser, Unilever, IHG, BHP and JM Jardines

• His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will read an extract from King George VI’s diary from 8 May 1945 

• Members of The Royal Family, the Prime Minister and the Culture Secretary will take part in video calls with Second World War veterans 

• Churchill’s famous victory speech will be broadcast as part of BBC special programming

• A national moment of remembrance will take place with a two minute silence as Culture Secretary calls on the public to mark the occasion at home

• Second World War veterans will receive calls from NHS Volunteer Responders


The UK Government has announced revised plans to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day which will include an address from Her Majesty The Queen. 

In line with government guidance, the original plans for VE Day 75, which included a veteran procession, had to be adjusted due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. 

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced a new programme that will allow members of the public to remember and give thanks to the Second World War generation from the safety of their own homes. 

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:

We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the greatest generation that served in combat and on the home front during the Second World War.

Whilst we now need to celebrate VE 75 in our homes and on our doorsteps, rather than in parades and street parties, I know the nation will come together to mark this historic occasion.

In these difficult times, acts of remembrance are even more poignant and I am sure that millions will want to join me to remember and give thanks to those who gave so much to secure peace, freedom and prosperity in Europe.

To mark this historic occasion, Her Majesty The Queen will send a message to the nation at 9pm on BBC One, the exact moment her father, King George VI, gave a radio address in 1945. 

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will read an extract from King George VI’s diary from 8 May 1945 which describes the day including The Royal Family’s iconic Buckingham Palace balcony appearances. 

Members of The Royal Family, the Prime Minister and the Culture Secretary will take part in a series of video calls with Second World War veterans and those who served on the Home Front. First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford will also host calls with veterans in Wales.   The official commemorations will begin at 11am with a national moment of remembrance and a two minute silence. 

Other plans for the day include:

• As part of special BBC programming, extracts from Sir Winston Churchill’s victory speech will recreate the moment peace in Europe was announced 75 years ago at 3pm and the Prime Minister will speak about the importance of VE Day. 

• The Archbishop of Canterbury will record a special reflection and moment of prayer for VE Day.

• Her Majesty The Queen’s 9pm address to the nation will be followed by a national singalong of Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’. The public will be encouraged to open their doors and join in with this national moment of celebration. 

• The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has produced a template pack so that the public can hold a 1940s style afternoon tea party at home complete with homemade VE Day bunting, original recipes, games, and educational and creative activities for children. 

• NHS Volunteer Responders will be deployed to give a number of Second World War veterans a call and provide an opportunity to share their stories.

• Historian and broadcaster Dan Snow will host history lessons for children from Monday 4 May. At 4pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Dan will host a History Hit live on YouTube’s Timeline channel that will focus on a different aspect of the Second World War and aim to teach the public about the importance of VE Day. 

• The Government and Ancestry are working together to encourage the public to join together in commemorating VE Day by discovering their own connection to the Second World War. As part of this, all UK historical records available on ancestry.co.uk will be free for the public from Monday 4 May until Sunday 10 May, giving people the opportunity to uncover the personal stories of the Second World War and the roles their families played.

• Legion Scotland and Poppyscotland will broadcast a virtual Service of Remembrance followed by online tributes from a range of performers.

• The First Minister of Wales will host a video call to veterans.

• A number of commemorative events will also take place across Northern Ireland.   


The Royal British Legion’s Assistant Director of Commemorative Events, Bob Gamble OBE, said: 

As we face some of the most challenging times since the Second World War, now more than ever it is important to unite in recognition of people’s service to the nation, just as communities did 75 years ago.

With members of the public unable to attend VE Day 75 events, we are calling on people across the UK to mark the anniversary from home and take part in these national moments of remembrance and thanksgiving. There is no right or wrong way to take part in the Silence at 11am, some people may wish to stand at their windows or step outside their front door, but we hope that individuals and families across the UK will embrace the opportunity to share in a national moment of reflection.

Russell James, Family History expert at Ancestry®, said: 

  > VE Day is one of the most significant moments in British history and Ancestry is proud to be working with the UK government to help the nation commemorate its 75th anniversary from their homes. Stories of WWII are something we share not only within our families, but as a nation, so using this time to learn about those experiences through historical records and speaking to our relatives gives us all an opportunity to feel connected – to our family and to people all over the country.

Graeme Dey, Scottish Government Minister for Veterans said:

The upcoming 75th anniversary of VE Day is a fantastic opportunity to remember and thank our Second World War generation for the many personnel sacrifices they made – both at home and abroad, both in and out of uniform.

If it weren’t for their efforts, we wouldn’t enjoy the many freedoms which we now take for granted. I look forward to joining with the rest of the nation on May 8th to pay tribute to them.

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford said: 

We wouldn’t be where we are today without the determination of our veterans and those who contributed to Britain’s efforts during the Second World War. As we remember and thank them, let’s find inspiration in their bravery to guide us through our own extraordinary moment in history.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• The BBC will broadcast two special programmes on BBC One to mark VE 75 which will be shown at 14:45 – 15:45 and 20:00 – 21:10.

• All events will be pre-recorded. Journalists and the public are not encouraged to travel to watch events being filmed. The public are reminded not to travel to watch events and must adhere to the Government’s social distancing and travel guidance. Everyone must stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. 

• You can download DCMS’s commemoration afternoon tea party guide here and activity pack for children here.
• You can see and take part in Dan Snow’s creative challenge for children here.