Talk:Health Protection Agency

Untitled
The content of the present Wikipedia entry is out of date and has too much emphasis on the Porton Down activities. I would like to update the entry with current information obtained from the HPA publications department (from the HPA annual report). I work in the web team for the HPA and have been asked to update the entry. I am completely un-biased to the information.

Opening paragraph
The opening paragraph needs updating, suggested new content:

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is a independent UK organisation, set up by government in 2003 to protect the public from threats to health from infectious diseases and environmental hazards. The agency identifies and responds to health hazards and emergencies caused by infectious diseases, hazardous chemicals, poisons or radiation. It also ensures the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and blood products.

It combines public health and scientific knowledge, research and emergency planning within one organisation. It provides advice and information to the general public, healthcare professionals, including the National Health Service (NHS), national and local government, industry and international health organisations.

The agency also ensures that the UK is prepared for future threats to health which could happen naturally, accidentally or deliberately.

Information box
Formed: 2003 Employees: 3,503 full-time equivalent staff (2008/09) Budget: £305m

Centre for Infections (CfI), Colindale, North London
Responsible for infectious disease surveillance and epidemiology, specialist and reference microbiology laboratories and new vaccine modelling.

Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE), Chilton, Oxon
Covers a range of issues associated with risks resulting from exposure to chemicals and poisons, and to ionising and non-ionising radiation.

Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR), Porton Down, Wiltshire
Coordinates preparedness and conducts emergency planning exercises. Also partners with industry, academia and government to develop new healthcare products. Manufactures anthrax vaccine for the government.

National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC)
Leader in developing standards to ensure the safety and efficacy of biological medicines.

Local and Regional Services (LaRS)
Provides specialist health protection intelligence, advice and operational and strategic support to all primary care trusts, strategic health authorities, regional directors of public health and all local authorities in England.

Regional Microbiology Network (RMN)
Provides frontline diagnostic and public health microbiology services to the NHS and the agency’s health protection units.

I don't understand any of the material about these centers. The article says that this agency has dissolved, but the text about these centers is written in the present tense. Are these divisions continuing in some form? Or have they also dissolved? ParticipantObserver (talk) 23:56, 7 August 2018 (UTC)

The Health Protection Agency Annual Conference
Attended by approximately 1,000 health professionals and scientists to promote scientific excellence and best practice in health protection and emergency planning, the conference brings together experts from a wide variety of disciplines to share knowledge of the latest scientific research and developments.

Health Protection Report (HPR)
This electronic periodical, published online every Friday, is targeted at healthcare professionals and scientists/researchers in relevant fields and its primary purpose is to inform public health action and decision-making. It contains a weekly digest of health protection-related news and surveillance reports, which include infections, chemicals, radiation and emergencies

Thanks

Peepspowell (talk) 12:27, 9 June 2010 (UTC)


 * If you work for HPA, you are certainly running the risk of being biased. Anyone can update information in our articles but you should really read Conflict of interest before trying to do so. Regards  So Why  12:33, 9 June 2010 (UTC)

I have read and understand the Conflict of interest article. However, the content in the Health Protection Agency wikipedia entry does need updating as it is out of date and is giving the wrong information to users of Wikipedia.

How can the information be updated if I cannot as I am an employee of the HPA?

Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks Peepspowell (talk) 13:19, 9 June 2010 (UTC)

Any help on this please as the content is out of date... Thanks 194.74.226.190 (talk) 09:19, 14 June 2010 (UTC)

HPA in trouble
The rumour mill has it that the HPA is in some degree of financial trouble - I must say I don't know the full details. I would be grateful if anyone could update the site accordingly — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.150.166.161 (talk) 13:13, 27 August 2011 (UTC)

Edits, July 2023
The HPA has been gone for a decade. I have changed text to past tense. Some divisions of HPA continued to exist in Public Health England, MHRA and UK Health Security Agency. Given that the section about the various divisions is completely unreferenced, I'm not sure we can be confident that these are accurate descriptions of their state when they were in HPA. I wonder if it would be better to reduce the Organisation section significantly, and link to successor organisations where relevant. --Mgp28 (talk) 20:02, 3 July 2023 (UTC)