As reported the National Health Executive, the UK government has unveiled a major new strategy to strengthen its preparedness for future pandemics, setting out a wide-ranging plan to improve resilience across health and public services
Published on 26 March 2026 by the Department of Health and Social Care, the framework replaces the 2011 pandemic influenza plan and reflects lessons learned from COVID-19.
At the heart of the strategy is a push to improve how data is shared in a crisis, with plans to standardise systems so critical information can be accessed quickly and transparently. The government will also rebuild and diversify PPE stockpiles and expand reserves of essential laboratory materials to strengthen early testing capacity.
Departments have been instructed to review their pandemic response plans to ensure essential services and national infrastructure can continue operating during outbreaks. Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency will be supported to enhance its capabilities for mass testing, contact tracing and wider public health responses.
Ministers are also preparing an ‘All Pandemic Hazards Bill’, designed to provide a flexible legal framework for responding to different types of health threats.
The strategy is informed by findings from Exercise Pegasus, a nationwide simulation conducted in 2025 to test the UK’s response to a major outbreak.
Alongside this, a long-term partnership with Moderna is boosting domestic vaccine production, with a new Oxfordshire facility set to strengthen supply during future global crises.
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