The Covid Inquiry published its first report on 18 July 2024, which focused on pandemic resilience and preparedness. The report made 10 recommendations, summarised below:
The Covid Inquiry also states that between now and 2026 further reports will cover:
- Decision-making and political governance in Westminster, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- The impact on healthcare systems across the UK
- Vaccines, therapeutics and antiviral treatment
- Government procurement and PPE
- The care sectors
- Test-and-trace
- The impact on children and young people
- The government’s business and financial responses
Future strands will consider:
- Health inequalities
- The impact on other public services
Undoubtedly, the care sector was one of the worst affected during the covid pandemic and many of the impacts are already documented. During the two peak periods of COVID-19: April-September 2020 and October-March 2021, the Care Quality Commission recorded 39,350 deaths in care homes, due to the pandemic. There is no reliable data on how many care workers died because of the pandemic. Further, it is challenging to accurately capture the human cost on the physical, mental and emotional health of those care workers who struggled to maintain services amid the chaos.
The Covid Inquiry promises a deeper interrogation of the failures that cost many lives and this first report has already set the tone for revelations of catastrophic government failures. Recommendations focus primarily on adopting “whole-system” approaches, but how a failing care sector will feature as a key component in such arrangements remains to be seen. Without specific attention, it is highly likely that the care sector and many of those who rely on it, will once again fall through the cracks if faced with another pandemic. We wait to see whether this Inquiry will increase pressure for the comprehensive reforms and investments that this sector needs or simply reveal what those in the sector already know.
This is an opportunity to get involved and share your story through the Inquiry’s Every Story Matters, external project.