The Foreign Secretary travels to Iran to hold talks with the Iranian government.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will visit Iran for the first time today (19 November). He will hold talks with the Iranian government on the future of the nuclear deal, Iran’s role in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, and the ongoing cases of detained British-Iranian dual nationals.

This week’s visit will be the first by a western Foreign Minister to Iran since the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. The Foreign Secretary will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif and other senior figures. He will stress that the UK remains committed to the nuclear deal as long as Iran sticks to its terms, and discuss European efforts to maintain nuclear-related sanctions relief.

The Foreign Secretary will also use his meetings to press Iran to improve its human rights record. In particular, he will call for the immediate release of detained British-Iranian dual nationals where there are humanitarian grounds to do so.

The Foreign Secretary will also discuss Yemen, and underline our deep concern at reports – documented by the UN Panel of Experts – that Iran has supplied ballistic missiles and weapons to the Houthis, in violation of Security Council Resolutions. This is destabilising and contrary to efforts to diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. At this point it is important that all countries support the UN Envoy’s efforts to convene talks between the parties in Stockholm.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

More than anything, we must see those innocent British-Iranian dual nationals imprisoned in Iran returned to their families in Britain. I have just heard too many heartbreaking stories from families who have been forced to endure a terrible separation. So I arrive in Iran with a clear message for the country’s leaders: putting innocent people in prison cannot and must not be used as a tool of diplomatic leverage.

Of the Iran nuclear deal, he will say:

The Iran nuclear deal remains a vital component of stability in the Middle East by eliminating the threat of a nuclearised Iran. It needs 100% compliance though to survive. We will stick to our side of the bargain as long as Iran does. But we also need to see an end to destabilising activity by Iran in the rest of the region if we are going to tackle the root causes of the challenges the region faces.

Further information

IT experts, clinicians and academics will come together at the first meeting of the Healthtech Advisory Board today (19 November 2018) to help guide the government on its mission to transform technology in the NHS.

The board will look at how the NHS can harness the potential of technology and create a culture of innovation, with the aim of improving patient outcomes and reducing the workload on NHS staff.

The board will report directly to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Its role will include:

• assisting in policy creation
• challenging decision making
• acting as a sounding board for new ideas

Dr Ben Goldacre will chair the board. He is a clinician, academic and author who runs the DataLab at the University of Oxford. Dr Goldacre will be joined by:

• Rachel Dunscombe – CEO of the NHS Digital Academy and Director of Digital for Salford Royal NHS Group
• Nicole Junkermann – founder of NJF Holdings, an international finance and investment company
• Manoj Badale – co-founder of Blenheim Chalcot, a digital venture builder
• David Gann – Professor of Innovation and Technology Management at Imperial College London
• Sir Mark Walport – Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
• Nicola Blackwood – Chair of the Human Tissue Authority
• Roger Taylor – Chair of Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation
• Daniel Korski CBE – co-founder and CEO of PUBLIC, a venture capital firm
• Michelle Brennan – company group chair for Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies
• Dan Sheldon – Head of Digital at Well Pharmacy
• Jeni Tennison – CEO of the Open Data Institute
• Parker Moss – health technology entrepreneur in residence at F-Prime and Eight Roads

The board will meet every quarter to help guide the government on its mission to overhaul technology and IT in health and social care.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

I want the UK to have the most advanced HealthTech ecosystem in the world. That starts with improving the technology and IT systems in the NHS and creating a culture of innovation so patients can benefit from cutting-edge treatments while reducing the workload of staff.

The new future-focused HealthTech Advisory Board will bring together tech experts, clinicians and academics to identify where change needs to happen and be an ideas hub for how we can improve patient outcomes and to make the lives of NHS staff easier.

Chair of the board Ben Goldacre said:

I am delighted that Matt Hancock has created this board to inject challenge and diverse expertise around better use of data, evidence and technology in healthcare.

I hope we can bring positive change for staff and patients, and realise the Tech Vision with a cutting-edge 21st century NHS. Medicine is driven by information: better use of data can revolutionise health care.

Taking place from 19-23 November, the campaign forms part of an awareness week involving 32 medicines regulators in the EU, Latin America, Australasia and the Middle East. Regulators will jointly focus on raising reporting numbers for suspected side effects in infants and children, and during pregnancy, including when breastfeeding.

Last year paediatric reports represented only 10 per cent of all Yellow Card reports of suspected side effects, also known as adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports.

While in most cases medicines are safe and effective, side effects can happen. It is important the risks associated with medicines are understood and communicated.

Potential side effects may range from a headache or stomach ache, to flu-like symptoms or just ‘feeling a bit off’. Some side effects can be more serious, and reporting these can help medicines regulators monitor the safe use of medicines on the market and take action as appropriate to prevent future harm.

Regulators such as MHRA rely on the reporting of suspected side effects to help make medicines on the market acceptably safe. Unfortunately, all reporting systems suffer from under reporting – this is why the campaign is important to both raise awareness and help strengthen the system.

To support monitoring of medicines used during pregnancy, the Yellow Card app now has additional questions on medicine exposure during pregnancy. Detail is requested on trimester of exposure, scans, previous pregnancies, use of supplements and whether any suspected adverse effect occurred during the pregnancy.

The campaign is supported by the Uppsala Monitoring Centre, a World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring, who have developed the campaign animations to encourage reporting.

A number of organisations, including the European Medicines Agency, the European Commission and patient organisations such as EURODIS, a non-governmental patient-driven alliance of patient organisations representing rare disease patient organisations in 70 countries, have also pledged their support.

Mick Foy, Head of Pharmacovigilance Strategy for MHRA’s Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Division, said:

The most important part of our work is making sure the medicines you and your family take are effective and acceptably safe. Our campaign will help raise awareness with parents and carers, including expectant mothers and those planning to have a baby. It’s important for them and healthcare professionals to report potential side effects and have confidence their reports are making a difference.

Children and infants can react differently to medicines than adults. It’s important for parents and carers to read the medicine’s patient information leaflet and ensure they are giving it in the right dose.

Medicines you take while pregnant or breastfeeding can sometimes affect your baby. If you need to take medicine during pregnancy breastfeeding, or even before when you plan to have a baby, it’s essential you discuss your treatment, including any potential side effects, with your doctor or healthcare professional.

Everyone can help make medicines safer by reporting any suspected side effects easily and quickly online through our Yellow Card Scheme.

Dr Max Davie, Officer for Health Promotion for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), said:

Despite some children sharing a health condition, a one size fits all approach to medicine does not work when prescribing their medication. It’s important that healthcare professionals work with children and their families to report all side effects, no matter how big or small, to ensure children have access to high quality treatment options that are best suited to their needs.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched the third annual social media campaign to promote the importance of reporting suspected side effects from medicines to the Yellow Card Scheme.