By David Williams
2 July 2010
The government’s £1.2bn response to last year’s swine flu pandemic was ‘proportionate and effective’, an independent review has found.
Dame Deirdre Hine was commissioned by the government earlier this year to assess the reaction of the UK government and devolved administrations to the virus.
Her report, The 2009 influenza pandemic, was published yesterday. Swine flu arrived in Britain in March last year, killing 457 people and making 800,000 ill.
Hine’s study calculated the total cost to the public sector as £1.2bn. Of that sum, £654.75m had been spent in anticipation of a flu epidemic through deals with vaccine suppliers, along with stockpiling anti-viral drugs and equipment such as facemasks. It cost £28m to develop the National Pandemic Flu Service in advance.
An additional £587.38m was spent during the crisis. Much of the cash went on extra drugs, additional costs to the Health Protection Agency and administering the vaccination programme.
Hine pointed out that the contracts with the makers of the vaccine tied the government’s hands. The government ordered 132 million doses of swine flu vaccine from two suppliers – Baxter Healthcare and GlaxoSmithKline.
But when it became apparent that fewer doses would be necessary, the government was enable to enact a break clause in the Baxter contract, but not with GSK, forcing the taxpayer to buy more doses than it needed.
‘The Department of Health should negotiate advance purchase agreements that allow flexibility over the eventual quantities purchased,’ Hine recommended.
The report also noted that the 2009 outbreak was the first time when a vaccine has been available for use while the virus it is designed for is still making people ill. She noted this was a ‘significant achievement’ both for the government and manufacturers, and reflects the ‘exceptional level’ of preparedness in the UK.
In her introduction to the report, Hine praised the public sector’s response to the pandemic. ‘The planning was well developed, the personnel involved were fully prepared,’ Hine said. ‘The scientific advice provided was expert, communication was excellent, the NHS and public health services right across the UK – and their suppliers – responded splendidly.’
Swine flu was also the first crisis to affect the entire UK in an area of policy devolved to the nations. Hine’s report said a ‘four nations health group’, comprising health ministers from each government, responded well to the crisis and recommended the model be adopted for future emergencies.
2 July 2010
The government’s £1.2bn response to last year’s swine flu pandemic was ‘proportionate and effective’, an independent review has found.
Dame Deirdre Hine was commissioned by the government earlier this year to assess the reaction of the UK government and devolved administrations to the virus.
Her report, The 2009 influenza pandemic, was published yesterday. Swine flu arrived in Britain in March last year, killing 457 people and making 800,000 ill.
Hine’s study calculated the total cost to the public sector as £1.2bn. Of that sum, £654.75m had been spent in anticipation of a flu epidemic through deals with vaccine suppliers, along with stockpiling anti-viral drugs and equipment such as facemasks. It cost £28m to develop the National Pandemic Flu Service in advance.
An additional £587.38m was spent during the crisis. Much of the cash went on extra drugs, additional costs to the Health Protection Agency and administering the vaccination programme.
Hine pointed out that the contracts with the makers of the vaccine tied the government’s hands. The government ordered 132 million doses of swine flu vaccine from two suppliers – Baxter Healthcare and GlaxoSmithKline.
But when it became apparent that fewer doses would be necessary, the government was enable to enact a break clause in the Baxter contract, but not with GSK, forcing the taxpayer to buy more doses than it needed.
‘The Department of Health should negotiate advance purchase agreements that allow flexibility over the eventual quantities purchased,’ Hine recommended.
The report also noted that the 2009 outbreak was the first time when a vaccine has been available for use while the virus it is designed for is still making people ill. She noted this was a ‘significant achievement’ both for the government and manufacturers, and reflects the ‘exceptional level’ of preparedness in the UK.
In her introduction to the report, Hine praised the public sector’s response to the pandemic. ‘The planning was well developed, the personnel involved were fully prepared,’ Hine said. ‘The scientific advice provided was expert, communication was excellent, the NHS and public health services right across the UK – and their suppliers – responded splendidly.’
Swine flu was also the first crisis to affect the entire UK in an area of policy devolved to the nations. Hine’s report said a ‘four nations health group’, comprising health ministers from each government, responded well to the crisis and recommended the model be adopted for future emergencies.
