GOV.UK blogs

Life as a Seasonal Bee Inspector

Today, 12 July, marks the start of Bees’ Needs Week. This year, Avril Earl talks about how she became a Seasonal Bee Inspector and why she loves her job.

Become a GSE member and we’ll plant a tree

Today we are proud to launch the new Government Science & Engineering (GSE) Profession Strategy, read this post to find out more, watch our launch video, and register for the live launch event with Sir Patrick Vallance.

A big thank you to NHS screening services

This blog thanks everyone working in the young person and adult screening programmes for the huge efforts made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Call for practitioners in neonatal and infant cardiology

The NHS newborn and infant physical examination (NIPE) screening programme is looking for practitioners in the field of neonatal and infant cardiology and cardiac surgery to review the NIPE heart screening pathway.

Environment Bill and heritage attractions

Today we look at coverage of provisions in the Environment Bill in relation to heritage attractions.

Taking on imposter syndrome and challenging ourselves: our new Digital Voices start their journey

Our new Digital Voices cohort has been launched - in our latest blog, four of the group taking part in our award-winning scheme tell us what they hope to get out of it.

Understanding disparities in reproductive health

In 2018 Public Health England (PHE) asked the public about their experiences with reproductive health issues and over 7,500 women and people with female reproductive needs responded. Many told us of their desire for reproductive health problems to be normalised, …

Dragons' Den, Episode 14, Series 18

As this season of Dragons’ Den winds down, other aspects of our daily lives are simultaneously opening-up and I’m not sure about you, but the prospect of ‘reopening anxiety’ is becoming frightfully real. That’s why I was pleased when Siobhan …

Emily Miles' stakeholder update - welcoming Prof. Susan Jebb, the cat food recall, and my speech to CIEH

FSA Chief Executive Emily Miles discusses an unusual food incident, her recent speech to the Chartered Institute for Environmental Health (CIEH) and welcomes the FSA’s new Chair.

Building a new, modern and user focused digital service for plant exports

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Defra are introducing a new and improved IT system for the export of plants and plant products, as Susanna Wright, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Product Owner plants IT systems, explains.

School funding: What you need to know about how we’re making it fairer for all

This year schools across England will get a total of £39 billion in core funding to spend on children’s education – this is known as revenue funding. This includes what they spend on paying teachers, leaders and staff, teaching resources …

A career at Companies House

Here, we explore best practice when applying for a career within the Civil Service.

Whole genome sequencing and newborn screening

Details of the public dialogue, commissioned by the UK NSC, Genomics England and the UKRI's Sciencewise programme, to understand the views of the public about the potential use of whole genome sequencing in newborn screening.

A letter from the Education Secretary to education leaders

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has written to education leaders to thank them for their effort and work over the course of the pandemic and to break down some of the ways in which the move to Step 4 of the …

Response to claims about the Everyone In scheme

Some media outlets are reporting claims that we have told councils that the Everyone In scheme is ending. The work of Everyone In is ongoing. We’ve made huge progress to bring rough sleepers off the streets during the pandemic and …

The mystery of Rat Island’s skeletons

The element of secrecy and security that surround most Ministry of Defence sites lends them an air of mystery. A result of this is that many of them are also associated with urban myths – some more believable than others.

Care Home Open Week: a good reason to throw a party!

After what can only be described as an uncertain and difficult 18 months, Care Home Open Week was a fantastic opportunity to focus on the positives and have some fun. 

Many of the people supported at Precious Homes have found the pandemic hard. Changes to routine can be a challenge for autistic people, and isolation from friends, family and support systems add to an already confusing situation. Precious Homes staff made sure Care Home Week was enjoyed by everyone.

Get ready for the new GSE Profession Strategy

The GSE Team has been working hard with a diverse range of stakeholders to find out exactly what you want to be included in our new GSE Profession Strategy. The strategy reflects our priorities for years to come and is …

Read, Talk, Share – How the Reading Agency helped libraries tackle loneliness

Read, Talk, Share – How the Reading Agency helped libraries tackle loneliness.
Guest post from Karen Napier, Chief Executive of The Reading Agency

Field trials for TB vaccine and skin test kickstarted in England

In today’s blog, we look at the launch of the world’s first clinical field trials of the BCG vaccine and DIVA skin test.

Innovation with a Big Bang

A pedal-powered firework launcher, a self-filling bird bath, a robotic ball boy – these are just a few of the amazingly impressive entries that we shortlisted for the Intellectual Property Office Award for Outstanding Innovator at this year’s Big Bang. …

Peatland Discovery Grant launched to support the next waves of peatland restoration

The importance of peat for nature and for our climate have been making the headlines in recent weeks. With growing interest in restoring our peatlands, I am delighted to report that we are launching a new Discovery Grant today (7th …

Uncovering previously unrecognisable fingerprints

Head of Intellectual Property, Graham Farnsworth, Dstl: “The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is a proven national asset that provides innovative solutions to help protect the armed forces and keep the public safe. It collaborates with experts in academia …

Member Communications Update

Since March 2021, the GSE Profession Communications Team has undertaken several projects to develop our communications offering and improve our member’s experience. We provide an overview of what we have achieved, what we are working on and future developments. What …

Making links easier to see and read on GOV.UK

We are making some visual improvements to links on GOV.UK to make them more accessible and easier to read.

Zoonoses Day 2021: The Year of the Ferret

In this blog find out how APHA helped protect human health by investigating the role of ferrets and COVID-19.

Care Home Open Week: the poetry of personalised care

Often, when people think about moving into a care home, they might picture bingo at 3pm, lounges filled with old people watching endless re-runs of Corrie and early bedtimes. At Maycroft Manor in Brighton, they pride themselves on doing things differently. Care Home Open Week was no exception.

Parents, pupils, teachers and students. Find out what step 4 of the covid roadmap means for you.

On 19 July the country is expected to move on to Step 4 of the Government’s roadmap and further restrictions will be lifted. As the Prime Minister set out, this means that from that point most of the restrictions we …

Facts about the Borders Bill

The Nationality and Borders Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on Tuesday 6 July 2021. It’s the first step in putting our New Plan for Immigration into law. First published in March 2021, the plan is based on three fair …

Digital land registration – a vision for the future of digital conveyancing

The pace of digital change is accelerating. At HM Land Registry we are investing in more digital, intuitive services that help our customers to complete and submit applications that are right the first time.

Trend Deck – evidence of future change for UK policy makers

The Government Office for Science Futures team provides a suite of futures resources to help UK government officials and others develop policies and strategies that create long-term benefits for society. Informed by the UK cross-government horizon scanning community, Trend Deck …

Breaking through the grade barrier: how can you get promoted in the Civil Service?

Colleagues share their tips for career progression and promotion

Making all forms on GOV.UK accessible, easy to use and quick to process

The Collecting Information From Users team explains how their project will help to tackle the long tail of PDF forms on GOV.UK, and how you can get involved.

Smoking attributable deaths in England: When the information changes

New estimates on the deaths and hospital admissions caused by smoking are around 15% lower than previously published but what does this tell us about smoking in England?

Spotlight on APHA’s zoonotic disease research

The 6th of July marks World Zoonoses Day - an opportunity to raise awareness of those diseases that affect both humans and animals. The origin of diseases has been on everyone’s mind over the past 18 months, particularly those that cause epidemics. Here Dr. Nick Johnson of the newly formed Vector-Borne Diseases group within APHA’s Virology Department discusses what a zoonosis is and what APHAs role is in responding to them.

Are you a part time member of staff in the North West of England?

We will be launching our next Reach programme on 21 September 2021. The CS Local North West Reach programmes are for AA, AO, EO or HEO part time and/or term time workers and are designed to help encourage staff to reach their full potential.

Securing loads and maintaining safe roads

Guidance for drivers and operators on load security.

B-SEN Speaker Series: Making the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine

Find out more about the next B-SEN Speakers Series discussing the development of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine in the early days of 2020. The event is on the 14th July, 15:00 - 16:00.

Podcast: Powering decisions with data

In the latest episode of our podcast hear how we're harnessing the power of data to improve our services.

Our Growing Community

As the Going Forward into Employment community continues to grow, we meet some of those people who have set up schemes over the last year. Glenda Devonald launched a life chances scheme in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial …