Department Of Health
Detail of feedback received
The Department of Health and Social Care is grateful for stakeholders engagement on this complex topic. We are now considering the government response.
Confirmation of any changes to the regulations will be published in due course.
The consultation received 151 responses. This included responses from a range of organisations, such as local authorities, bodies representing healthcare professionals, charities and NHS trusts.
During the consultation process, a webinar on the proposals was held with over 200 stakeholders.
There were a range of viewpoints shared on the 3 proposals outlined in the consultation. Overall, respondents generally agreed that the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010 should be updated, citing benefits of improved public health protection and surveillance of disease.
Consultation description
This consultation seeks relevant stakeholders views on proposed additions to schedule 1 and 2 of the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations (HPNR) 2010 and amendments to diagnostic laboratory reporting requirements in England. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will publish a response to this consultation in due course.
The HPNR (which apply to England only) place a statutory duty on registered medical practitioners to report suspected or known cases of notifiable infectious diseases, listed in schedule 1 of the regulations. They also require laboratories that test human samples to report any positive test results of notifiable causative agents, listed in schedule 2 of the regulations.
The government is seeking views from stakeholders on 3 proposals to update the regulations to meet current surveillance needs and support prompt and effective public health action:
- the potential addition of 7 infectious diseases to schedule 1
- the potential addition of 12 causative agents to schedule 2
- the potential expansion of current reporting requirements placed on diagnostic laboratories to also report negative and void test results, in addition to positive results already required
