09/07/2025
Large UK-wide pandemic preparedness tests planned this year
Emergency service teams, local councils and government officials will take part in a full, multi-day pandemic preparedness exercise, to help the UK prepare for potential future threats.
The test, which is likely to take place in the autumn, will involve thousands of people across different parts of the UK, minister Pat McFadden has announced.
The plans come in response to the first set of recommendations made by the Covid-19 Inquiry - the ongoing public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic.
The chair of the inquiry, Baroness Hallett, found the UK was "ill-prepared" for the coronavirus pandemic, and "failed" its citizens.
The national pandemic response exercise will be the first of its kind in nearly a decade, designed to test capabilities, plans and procedures in the face of new threats, the government says.
The findings and lessons will be made public, as requested by Baroness Hallett, who made a series of recommendations in a 217-page report published in July 2023.
Another measure will be a full test of the emergency alert system - which sounds an alarm through mobile phones - later this year.
The alert has been used four times since its launch in 2023, including in areas hit hardest by recent storms.
The government has also committed to training 4,000 people a year to be better prepared for crises such as pandemics, through a UK resilience academy, planned to open in April.
The Covid-19 inquiry report found the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups.
A new national "vulnerability map" will be produced, Mr McFadden says, to highlight populations who may be vulnerable in a crisis, using data on age, disability, ethnicity and whether someone is receiving care.
It is designed to help people get more targeted local support.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj910k8g4l0o
We accept this recommendation and recognise the need for exercising and learning. As such, work has commenced on preparation for a Tier 1 Exercise (Exercise PEGASUS) on a 4-Nation basis. Northern Ireland participation is led by the DoH, with input from TEO and other NI departments as required.
https://www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-01/executive-response-to-the-covid-19-module-report-jan-2025.PDF
Exercise PEGASUS will be held in Autumn 2025 with the high-level aim to “assess significant elements of our preparedness, capabilities, and response arrangements in the context of a pandemic arising from a novel infectious disease.”
DoH, as the Lead Government Department, will provide oversight and TEO will lead on the cross-government input for NI. Planning for this exercise will include the identification and assessment of any sub-objectives that NI may seek to achieve as part of the overall exercise.
These exercises will require coordination across the 4-Nations and will include relevant devolved governments, voluntary and community organisations and Blue Light organisations.
Active consideration is being given to departments providing input to planning and participation in this exercise.
We recognise that these exercises must consider how a broad range of vulnerable people will be impacted in the event of a pandemic.
