Emergency Healthcare Equipment Regulations
The UK government and devolved administrations should publish simplified regulations for emergency healthcare equipment that are aligned with and cover the range and severity of pandemic risks identified in the National Security Risk Assessment.
The simplified regulations should:
establish the minimum technical specifications of healthcare equipment specifically for use in a pandemic, including international standards that are recognised in the UK;
clearly identify the regulator responsible for coordinating regulation, inspection and enforcement for each type of equipment; and
be accompanied by a buyer’s guide that is easily understood by procurement officials, suppliers and end-users in the health and social care sectors.
The emergency healthcare equipment regulations and the buyer’s guide should be kept under review and updated in line with relevant changes to the National Security Risk Assessment.
- The Module 5 report was published on 14 July 2026 and contains 11 recommendations (UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Module 5: Procurement).
- Searches of GOV.UK and Inquiry publications found no government response or recommendation-specific implementation update as at 23 July 2026.
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
No Published Response
Response
No Published ResponseNo formal response published by this government.
No formal response published by this government.
No formal response published by this government.
Progress Timeline
Status: Pending. No government response yet received. Module 5 report published 14 July 2026.