The UK government "failed" its citizens through inadequate processes, planning, and policies ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a public inquiry.
Over 235,000 COVID-19-related deaths occurred in the UK by the end of 2023. A newly published report suggests that some of the "financial and human costs may have been avoided" if the country had been better prepared for the 2020 outbreak. This is the first of nine reports by the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, focusing on the nation's preparedness and response structures for a pandemic.
The 83,000-word document identifies "several significant flaws," including the preparation for "the wrong pandemic." Baroness Heather Hallett, the inquiry chair, is advocating for "radical reform" and makes ten recommendations, including a comprehensive overhaul of how the UK government prepares for civil emergencies.
"Never again can a disease be allowed to lead to so many deaths and so much suffering," Lady Hallett writes in the introduction. Following the report's release, she stated: "I have no hesitation in concluding the processes, planning, and policy of the civil contingency structures across the UK failed the citizens of all four nations. There were serious errors on the part of the state and serious flaws in our emergency systems. This cannot be allowed to happen again."
Key recommendations include radically simplifying systems, conducting a UK-wide pandemic response exercise at least every three years, and creating a single, independent statutory body responsible for the preparedness and response of the entire system.
Dr Saleyha Ahsan is a British physician, presenter and journalist who lost her father during the Covid-19 pandemic. Reacting to the outcomes of the report, she said, “What’s crucial now is addressing the issues Baroness Hallett identified in her report and it is imperative that the government urgently finds solutions to these problems and acts quickly.”
She also highlighted the disparities faced by the ethnic minority communities stating, “Indian and Pakistani patients experienced some of the highest death rates and inequality in healthcare was a major factor, which Baroness Hallett initially hesitated to address but was ultimately persuaded to include in her findings.
“The report reveals substantial healthcare disparities that led to higher death rates and worse outcomes for Asian patients. Additionally, many of the doctors who died were of Asian descent.”
Gurch Randhawa, Professor of Diversity in Public Health & Director of the Institute for Health Research at the University of Bedfordshire also highlighted this disparity sharing, “During the covid19 pandemic, Public Health England (PHE) published a report on disparities in risk and outcomes from COVID-19 identified that men from black ethnic groups were over three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people of white ethnic groups, even when accounting for age, sex, deprivation, and region. People from Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, other Asian, Caribbean, and other black ethnic backgrounds had between 10% and 50% higher risk of death when compared with the white British population.
“It is vital that there is a systemic approach to building trust and awareness among communities to ensure those suffering from long-covid-19 are supported to access appropriate services.”
Dr Ahsan also talked about the failure of the Conservative government in the handling of the pandemic. She said, “It was disgusting to know that while my dad and other patients were fighting for their lives, parties were being held at 10 Downing Street.
“When it became clear through exercises and training that we were not prepared to respond to a pandemic, action should have been taken. Under the previous Chief Medical Officer, these issues should have been addressed. Proper planning and preparedness were essential, and it was clear that these were lacking.
“The lack of adequate PPE and the delay in implementing lockdowns were critical failures. The lockdowns were delayed, including the second one, which is when my dad contracted Covid. We needed to address the failures that have accumulated over the past decade. These issues had serious consequences, and the response should have been much more effective.”
Jeremy Hunt has apologised for the failures in the UK's pandemic preparations highlighted by the Covid inquiry. Hunt, who served as health secretary from 2012 to 2018, admitted to being part of a "groupthink" that over-prepared for pandemic flu and neglected other types of pandemics.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg program, he said: “I apologise unreservedly to the families. What happened to this country during Covid was the most terrible tragedy.” Hunt also urged the new government to adopt the recommendations from Baroness Heather Hallett’s 217-page report.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said, "The report confirms what many have always believed - that the UK was under-prepared for COVID-19, and that process, planning, and policy across all four nations failed UK citizens. The safety and security of the country should always be the first priority, and this government is committed to learning the lessons from the inquiry and putting better measures in place to protect and prepare us for the impact of any future pandemic."
The inquiry reviewed 103,000 documents, gathered 213 witness statements, and heard from 68 witnesses during the first module in June and July of last year. Hearings for later phases are expected to continue until 2026.
