UK Covid Inquiry Report Government ‘failed its citizens’

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The newly published UK Covid inquiry Part 1 has sharply criticized former UK health secretaries Jeremy Hunt and Matt Hancock for their inadequate preparation for the pandemic, which resulted in over 230,000 deaths in the UK. Lady Hallett, chair of the inquiry, emphasized the need for a significant overhaul in the government's approach to civil emergency planning.

 

Jeremy Hunt, health secretary from 2012 to 2018, and Matt Hancock, who served until 2021, were singled out for not addressing critical flaws in the UK’s contingency planning. The government's focus was primarily on the threat of an influenza outbreak, neglecting the potential for another coronavirus pandemic, despite previous outbreaks in Asia and the Middle East. Lady Hallett described this oversight as a "fundamental error" and stated, "It was not a black swan event."

 

The report, which spans 240 pages, asserts that the UK's civil contingency structures failed its citizens, leading to unnecessary deaths and suffering. Hallett's recommendations include having the leader or deputy leader of each of the four nations chair a Cabinet-level committee on civil emergency preparedness and conducting a UK-wide pandemic response exercise every three years. She also suggested the establishment of an independent statutory body to advise the government and consult with voluntary groups on emergency preparedness.

 

This report is the first from the statutory inquiry into Covid-19, based on extensive hearings and thousands of documents. It was published in London, where families who lost loved ones gathered to acknowledge this significant milestone. Many bereaved families had long campaigned for a public inquiry, finally announced by Boris Johnson in May 2021. More reports are expected over the next few years as various sectors continue to deal with the pandemic's aftermath.

 

Hallett highlighted that preparations for a no-deal Brexit had interrupted pandemic preparedness efforts. She noted that in the years before Covid-19, health improvements slowed, and health inequalities widened, with public services operating beyond their capacities. Hallett stressed, "If the reforms I recommend are implemented, the nation will be more resilient and better able to avoid the terrible losses and costs to society that the Covid-19 pandemic brought." She expects all recommendations to be acted upon and intends to monitor progress closely.

 

The report implicitly criticizes former Chancellor George Osborne for the Treasury's lack of planning for non-economic shocks. Hallett stated that early identification of major economic policy options could have mitigated some of the pandemic's impacts. Osborne acknowledged that the UK Treasury had not planned for a scenario requiring the entire population to stay home for extended periods.

 

Hallett pointed out that, with better preparation, the UK could have avoided some of the pandemic's human and financial toll. Before Covid-19, there was no ministerial leadership within the UK government to develop strategy and resilience for civil emergencies. Key preparedness flaws included the UK focusing on the wrong pandemic, influenza, and relying on outdated strategies. The 2011 pandemic plan was inadequate and lacked adaptability for new threats.

 

The report criticized a lack of consideration for the pandemic's impact on ethnic minorities and vulnerable populations. There was also a "damaging absence of focus" on scalable systems like testing and tracing. Hallett found that ministers lacked training in civil contingencies and failed to challenge scientific advice, which often suffered from "groupthink."

 

Regarding lockdowns, Hallett noted Hancock's testimony that the existing strategy was to manage the effects of a pandemic rather than prevent it. She urged future consideration of legally mandated lockdowns and preventive measures for novel infectious diseases. Hallett held all health secretaries adhering to the outdated strategy, including Hunt, accountable for not addressing these issues sooner. Hancock admitted believing the UK was well-prepared, citing WHO rankings, but the inquiry found that many ministers could have done more by questioning existing plans.

 

The inquiry's first module examined the UK's resilience and preparedness, featuring testimonies from former government ministers, including David Cameron, George Osborne, and Jeremy Hunt, along with those in office during the pandemic, such as Hancock and Michael Gove.

 

Credit: The Guardian 2024-07-19

 

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