Blog Stay at home. Save lives. Protect the NHS. by Clare Chambers The UK Government’s public information campaign starkly tells us what we are to do – stay at home – and why – to save lives, and to protect the NHS. It’s fairly clear what it is to save a life, although it is not easy to measure how many lives will have been saved. But what is it to protect the NHS? 07 Apr 2020 0
Blog Viral information overload: persuading people to act during a pandemic requires a better understanding of human motivations by Melanie Challenger 02 Apr 2020 2
Blog Liberty, solidarity and the biopolitics of COVID-19 by Peter Mills Two weeks ago, I came down with a respiratory infection that produced a high fever and a persistent, dry cough. Following the current official guidance, I went into isolation and my family entered quarantine... 01 Apr 2020 0
News Ethics in the research response to COVID-19 - a Nuffield Council on Bioethics webinar Join us and experts from the UK, US and Brazil for a discussion on how research can be undertaken ethically during the emergency response to COVID-19. 31 Mar 2020
Blog Hard choices at the frontline by Dave Archard At some point in this terrible pandemic doctors will have to make some unbelievably difficult life and death decisions. It is the point at which the demand for the intensive life saving resources outstrips their supply. At that point doctors will have to decide who receives care and who does not. No one should have to make such decisions, and yet they will have to be made. 27 Mar 2020 10
Blog Beyond liberty: social values and public health ethics in responses to COVID-19 by John Coggon Legal and policy responses to COVID-19 rest on and express the balance of different basic values and principles. Earlier and current regulatory approaches bring into sharp relief how liberty must be understood and weighed against other values. This is for the sake of liberty itself, but crucially too for other compelling aspects of social justice. 26 Mar 2020 1
News New briefing: Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic - ethical considerations The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has published a new policy briefing. It setting out the key ethical considerations relevant to public health measures being introduced to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. 17 Mar 2020
News COVID-19: adapting our working environment During this time, we are continuing with our programme of work as much as we’re able, while recognising that we may need to adapt as the situation changes. 17 Mar 2020
Blog COVID-19: public health, public trust and public support by Hugh Whittall A brief analysis of what the Government is doing now to contain COVID-19, the possible restrictive measures that they might take to prevent and control the spread, why these might be justified, and why it is important that the Government sets out publicly – and early - the case for implementing such restrictive approaches. 27 Feb 2020 2
Blog COVID-19 and the ethical imperative of preparedness by Katharine Wright So what relevance has our report to the enormous challenges being posed to health systems and governments the world over by COVID-19? Unsurprisingly, quite a lot. 24 Feb 2020 1
News Guide to the ethics of surveillance and quarantine for novel coronavirus We have put together a short guide to some of the main ethical questions around surveillance and quarantine for infectious diseases, based on the findings of our 2007 inquiry 'public health: ethical issues'. 10 Feb 2020
Current Project Read current project Downloads Rapid policy briefing: Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic - ethical considerations Guide to the ethics of surveillance and quarantine for novel coronavirus Ongoing series of activities COVID-19 Access our resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Report Read report Downloads Download the report Download the short report Download the overview of the report in English Download the overview of the report for ethics committees Download the overview of the report for journals Download the overview of the report for health researchers and research institutions Download the overview of the report for research funders Download the joint workshop note on community engagement 28 Jan 2020 Research in global health emergencies Our latest report explores how research may be conducted ethically in global health emergencies.
Report Read report Downloads Download the report Download the guide to the report 13 Nov 2007 Public health: ethical issues This report considers what the Government, industry and individuals should do to enable people to lead a healthy life.
