L@B-BRIEF January Issue 2021
HELLO AGAIN
I fear that this January’s return to work has not been entirely smooth with the worsening COVID situation and many issues arising as a result of Brexit. So many of you have been sending in questions I have extended this month’s Q&A section so you can read what others have experienced. There are two events coming up that may also help provide some illumination in what’s looking like a fairly murky way forward. On 29th January at 10.30am we have another EU Exit resilience webinar, which invites members to say what the ‘actual’ rather than the ‘predicted’ impacts of Brexit have been so far. On 4th February Rhys Isaac, from BEIS, will present a run down on Rules of Origin and answer your questions - so do come prepared. You can reserve your place for either event on the GAMBICA eventbrite page here.
Meanwhile, we have had a positive response from Minister Nadhim Zadhawi to GAMBICA’s request that products required for the vaccine roll-out are sourced from reputable suppliers with a track record in the industry. We will, however, continue to lobby until a clear course of action is proposed and our next stop is the Life Sciences All Party Parliamentary Group. Another issue for members is getting vaccinations for key staff visiting high-risk areas as part of their work. This is an issue for all non-NHS staff working in hospitals and pathology labs and we aim to team-up with other affected organisations to see if measures can be put in place.
I hope to have more information for you shortly. In the meantime, stay well.
Jacqueline
INSIDE THIS MONTH
GAMBICA welcomes the new chair of the Lab Tech Sector Board
Ken MacLachlan of Thermo Fisher takes over the reins.
NHS Wales procurement team aims to go green
Buying their way to carbon neutrality is a key goal for NHS Wales’ procurement director.
Parliamentary Export Programme for SMEs
Your chance to meet with export champions and make an impression on your local MP.
Ten things to avoid when trading with China
Foreign Secretary points to human rights abuses while CBBC offer advice on other issues.
Upcoming webinars give access to postponed conference material
Forthcoming webinars in February and March include: Cyber security, rules of origin, and selling in a virtual world.
Carswell joins DIT board then leaves country
After last month’s announcement that Douglas Carswell was joining the board of DIT, this month his departure from the UK was announced to work for a US thinktank.