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On 9 March 2020, SAGE set out a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions that could in...

Conclusion
On 9 March 2020, SAGE set out a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions that could in due course be introduced by the Government. SAGE advised that “measures relating to individual and household isolation will likely need to be enacted within the next two weeks to be fully effective, and those concerning social distancing of the elderly and vulnerable 2–3 weeks after this”.116 On 12 March 2020, the Prime Minister said that anyone with a new continuous cough or a fever should self-isolate for seven days.117 Household isolation was announced on 16 March 2020.118 112 Edge Health, Understanding the role of large gatherings on the NHS, 28 May 2020. The analysis states that their findings cannot be used to establish causality 113 GOV.UK, SAGE 13, 5 March 2020 114 London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Considerations for NPI Policy – timing and sub-national targeting, 5 March 2020 115 London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Considerations for NPI Policy – timing and sub-national targeting, 5 March 2020 116 GOV.UK, Potential impact of behavioural and social interventions on an epidemic of Covid-19 in the UK, 9 March 2020 117 GOV.UK, ‘Prime Minister’s statement on COVID-19: 12 March 2020’, accessed 17 September 2021 118 GOV.UK, ‘Prime Minister’s statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 16 March 2020’, accessed 17 September 2021 36 Coronavirus: lessons learned to date
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government Acknowledged
Planning for future pandemics should have a more developed and explicit consideration of the intense interaction between the NHS and social care. The prominence of social care within the Department of Health and Social Care should be enhanced and Ministers must address the relative lack of knowledge and experience of social care within the Department and senior levels of the NHS. The Department should ensure that future policy and guidance relating to the sector is well-informed and reflects the diversity of the sector. The Department must also set out how it plans to retain the expertise of the Social Care Taskforce on a more permanent basis.
Addressee Bodies
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Timeline
Recommendation age 4.6 yrs
Report published 12 Oct 2021