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15th January 2020

Medical Devices and Clinical Consumables meeting update

Please see below the key updates from the Medical Devices and Clinical Consumables meeting held on the 7th of January 2020.

  • Following the General Election the Government is moving forward to implement the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol, and negotiate on the future partnership with the EU.
  • In light of the successful vote at Second Reading of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB), the Prime Minister has now confirmed the Government’s intention to stand down no deal planning for 31 January 2020 with immediate effect.
  • The WAB is continuing its passage through the House of Commons this week and will likely move to the House of Lords next week.
  • With this deal the UK will enter an Implementation Period, which under the WAB will end on 31 December 2020.
  • During the Implementation Period, the UK will continue to stay aligned to EU law, and existing regulatory and customs procedures will remain in place. Supplies, including medicines and medical goods, will continue to flow as today during the Implementation Period.
  • The Department held a webinar for industry on 18th December, which was attended by over 480 representatives.
  • The ‘stand down’ message will be formalised in a written letter from the Department and should be agreed and circulated in the next week or so.
  • The Centralised Stock Build will be managed down over the next four months and this activity, including related engagement with industry from NHS Supply Chain, has already begun.
  • The National Supply Disruption Response (NSDR) function has been stood down. Any supply issues or shortages should be reported through business as usual channels.
  • The Department’s supplier engagement efforts, including one-to-one calls with suppliers, will continue this week and next and be repeated again in February.
  • The next meeting of the trade association group will be scheduled for late February/early March and a representative from the MHRA will be invited.
  • The Department reiterated its thanks to industry for its efforts to support continuity of supply.