This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Health Protection Agency is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| Health Protection Agency | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2005 |
| Preceding Agency | Health Protection Agency (special health authority) and National Radiological Protection Board |
| Superseding agency | none |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | London |
| Employees | 3155 (2831 fo HPA and 324 NRPB |
| Annual Budget | £244.7 million (2008-2009) |
| Minister Responsible | Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Health |
| Parent agency | Department of Health |
| Child Agency | National Radiological Protection Board |
| Website | |
| HPA.org.uk | |
The Health Protection Agency (HPA), originally established as an NHS special health authority in 2003, it is now a non-departmental public body charged with protecting the health and well-being of the United Kingdom citizens from infectious diseases and in preventing harm and reducing impacts when hazards involving chemicals, poisons or radiation occur. On April 1, 2005, the Agency was established as a non-departmental public body, replacing the HPA SpHA and the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB).
Contents |
Health protection role
HPA's role is to provide an integrated approach to protecting public health in the UK by providing emergency services, support and advice to the National Health Service (NHS) and local authorities, other Arms Length Bodies, the UK Department of Health (DoH) and the Devolved Administrations. HPA also has a lead role in helping preparations for new and emerging health threats, such as a bioterrorism or in the event of an emerging virulent disease strain.
Anthrax vaccine
The HPA is the sole licensed manufacturer of the anthrax vaccine in the UK[1].
Funding
HPA is accountable to the UK Secretary of State for Health, and is funded primarily by Government Grant in Aid. Other income is received from the NHS, commercial activities, grants, and other sources. HPA’s annual income for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2005, was £203.3 million. HPA employed 2,871 staff as of that fiscal year.
Porton Down Centre
Internationally recognised as a world leader in microbiology research and testing, HPA's Porton Down Centre (formerly the Centre for Applied Microbiology & Research) works with foreign governments, international biotechnology and pharmaceutical corporations, and start-up and spin-out companies. The strategic goal of the Centre is "to build on and develop the intellectual assets of the organisation in partnership with industry." Areas of expertise include: bacterial vaccines, toxin therapeutics, Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and in-vivo testing of compounds, biodefence and biosafety testing, diagnostics, and the provision of cell cultures.
Health Protection Agency Annual Conference
The Health Protection Agency Annual Conference, which is attended by approximately one thousand health professionals and scientists to promote scientific excellence and best practice in health protection and emergency planning, brings together experts from a wide variety of disciplines to share knowledge of the latest scientific research and developments.
See also
- Similar Agencies
- Public health
External links
- OPSI - Health Protection Agency Act 2004
- Pharmaceutical-Technology.com - "Health Protection Agency - Healthcare Product Research, Development and GMP Manufacture: The Health Protection Agency has been working with the pharmaceutical industry for over 50 years, undertaking contract research, development and manufacture of healthcare products"
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 19 November 2008, at 11:52.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Health Protection Agency".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.