GOV.UK blogs

UK NSC reports on its year of screening recommendations

We have published the latest annual report of the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendations on whether to screen for conditions based on reviews of the best quality evidence.

Guidance on informed choice in screening

The final, UK NSC branded guidance on personal informed choice has been published.

Defence in the media: Saturday 11 August 2018

Today’s defence-related news includes coverage of compensation claims from the Cyprus Emergency. Cyprus claims The Daily Express has published a story about a veteran who served in Cyprus in the 1950s and 60s, at the time of the Cyprus emergency, where …

Defence in the media: Friday 10 August 2018

Today’s defence-related news includes coverage of a significant increase in British sales of defence equipment around the world. British defence sales The Daily Telegraph reports that British sales of defence equipment to foreign customers has increased by 53% in the …

Reading together – book groups in Cambridgeshire Libraries

Cambridgeshire Libraries' Nikki Cooper writes about how their provision for reading groups has evolved.

A positive and inclusive vision for our country?

The Commission reflects on events over the previous two weeks

Education in the Media: Friday 10 August 2018

Today’s Education in the media blog focuses on the number of girls taking physics and other STEM subjects.

Purposeful companies: SoFab Sports

Our second blog features a community interest company helping young people with physical and learning difficulties find employment.

What I learnt from trialling a ‘speed dating’ approach to user testing

DWP often works with other organisations and companies who help us deliver some of the services we provide. I’m a senior user researcher working on a new service that will help these third parties carry out their work delivering DWP …

World Lion Day - 10 August 2018

On today's blog we look at World Lion Day and the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.

Moving towards Continuous Delivery at DDaT

Matthew Skelton, Engineering Lead for Immigration Technology, tells how the adoption of Continuous Delivery at the Home Office was boosted by a visit from industry expert Dave Farley.

Home Office in the media: 10 August 2018

  Today’s Home Office related stories include widespread coverage of a report by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) on the future immigration system and terrorist content on Facebook.

Peak of the Perseids

Between the 11th and 13th of August the Perseid meteor shower will take a shine to the sky.  The meteor shower takes place annually and is one of the most looked forward to events in the astronomy calendar, requiring nothing …

Education in the Media: Thursday 9 August 2018

Today’s Education in the media blog responds to Save the Children’s analysis of early years teaching staff and the NEU’s survey about exam stress.

Making a difference to young people

Cabinet Office's Jake McClure, currently on a secondment with City & Guilds Group, extols the value of volunteering as an enterprise adviser supporting young people into a career.

4 things the GOV.UK PaaS team built during their firebreak

At GDS we work in quarterly missions. At the end of each cycle, teams have a firebreak to experiment and develop new ideas. Here’s what the GOV.UK Platform as a Service (PaaS) team worked on during its April firebreak.

The ART of flying

Summer is upon us and I know many of you are looking forward, or have been on your summer holiday abroad (lucky you). Modern planes are super-efficient, hence you can fly around the world so cheaply and sometimes cheaper than …

From Academy Delegate to Award Winner

Previous Academy delegate Diane Reddell from DWP talks about her recent opportunity presenting at Civil Service Live in Newcastle.

Celebrating votes for women: 1950s and 1960s

Our August instalment of the celebrating votes for women series introduces some of the agency's women scientists in the 1950s and 1960s and how their work in the fields of bacteriology and virology, in particular, contributed to a new understanding of many diseases of economic, zoonotic and political importance.

GDS STEM ambassadors bring coding to life with fireflies and micro:bits

We recently held a workshop at the British Computing Society Software in Practice Conference where we shared our knowledge and inspired people to look at coding from a different perspective.

Defence in the media: Thursday 9 August 2018

Today’s Defence related news includes the marking of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Amiens and the Royal Navy escorting Russian ships. Amiens100 Following yesterdays extensive broadcast coverage of the commemoration of the Battle of Amiens, The Times highlights …

Francesca Beckett, 21 chose an HR Apprenticeship over going to university. Here, she explains why...

Francesca, had you always been planning to take up apprenticeship when you left school? No - I didn't know much about apprenticeships. My sixth form college was very ‘university oriented’. Why did you end up choosing an apprenticeship over university? I’m not against …

Alleged illegal exporting of recycling waste, the new animal welfare code published for laying hens and a decision is yet to be made on lynx reintroduction - Thursday 9 August

On today's blog we look at the alleged illegal exporting of recycling waste, the new animal welfare code published for laying hens and a decision is yet to be made on lynx reintroduction.

Charlotte Hutton

Research Officer, Environment Agency Years in Public Service: 15 My grandmothers/mother were… My paternal grandmother, Ganna, was born in 1921, and was forced to leave school at 15 years old to help on the family farm, working on a milk round …

SleepEast CIC - a sleep counselling programme to move towards a good night’s sleep for the whole family!

Joy Bishop is the Lead Sleep Counsellor and Founder of Sleep East Community Interest Company. She has worked with families of children with special and educational needs (SEND) for over 20 years.

What we learned doing user research with people who have access needs

The challenges and discoveries user researchers Katie John and Leon Hubert experienced when recruiting people with disabilities for their latest work.

Sun, sea, fake free

Changing perceptions and attitudes to buying fake goods is difficult.

It’s getting hot in here, so….design your buildings with the future climate in mind

So it turns out it isn’t just the UK winter that fills me with dread (see my previous blog), so does catching a peak hour tube in London during a heat wave!

Direct entrance to courts and tribunals buildings

A blog post from Susan Acland-Hood, confirming HMCTS will begin the ‘Professional Entry Scheme’ pilot intending to ease queues to get into court buildings and allow easier and swifter court access for legal professionals.

Flying high with RAF science

Simon Kippin, GSE Champion in Air Command of the Ministry of Defence, talks about showcasing the importance of STEM in the Royal Air Force.

Home Office in the media: 09 August 2018

Health Matters: Addressing health inequalities in the East Midlands

Health inequalities are a social justice issue, and the challenge of addressing them is core to public health practice.

Attracting mammographers back into screening

PHE Screening is supporting a national campaign to bring out-of-practice radiographers back into their profession as mammographers in the NHS Breast Screening Programme.

The Responsible Person named on the WDA- Part 3: Expectations for the engagement of consultants as contract RPs

This is the final of three posts centered around the Responsible Person named on a Wholesale Distribution Authorisation (WDA) and covers the engagement of a contract RP

Help us transform

Help us change from a caterpillar into a butterfly. Find out more about our transformation programme.

Working with our users to design the 'Send data to DfE' service

What do we do I’m Juliet and I work in the ‘Send data to DfE’ project. It used to be known as Data Exchange. DfE collects all different kinds of information that’s then used to influence education policy and delivery. …

Universities as a facilitator for place-based Industrial Strategies

Earlier this year, YU’s Board of Vice-Chancellors agreed that YU should seek to widen and deepen the collective role of universities in place-based development and the Industrial Strategy.

Recently, YU held a roundtable in Leeds with Universities UK (UUK), which brought together universities, local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), combined authorities, government and national research funding agencies.

Building an international nuclear family

Our mission is part of an international effort to deal with the legacy from the earliest days of the nuclear industry, so working with other countries is essential in sharing vital knowledge that helps us all reach our shared goal. The NDA’s Head of International Relations, John Mathieson, explains how bilateral agreements and visits from overseas experts, as well as exchange visits, support this global drive.

Charities and non-charities: why the difference matters

Today (8 August) we published the results of a recent consultation which will inform new guidance for publication later this year. The topic is a broad one - setting out the principles that trustees should follow when their charity works …

Nuclear Sector Deal heralds exciting time for innovation

NDA's Head of Technology Melanie Brownridge welcomes the government's recently published Nuclear Sector Deal and the benefits it will bring for innovation in nuclear decommissioning.