Covid-19 Inquiry chair calls for ‘fundamental reform’

The baroness highlighted a ‘flawed approach to risk assessment, a failure to fully learn from past civil emergency exercises and outbreaks of disease, and ministers not receiving a broad enough range of scientific advice and failing to challenge the advice they did get’.

A key mistake was assuming the next pandemic would be a flu virus. Baroness Hallett made ten recommendations, including holding a response exercise every three years and creating ‘a single, independent statutory body’ responsible for UK pandemic preparation.

Elkan Abrahamson, director, Broudie Jackson Canter, who represents the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, welcomed the report but said it was ‘extremely disappointing that the vulnerable were ignored in the recommendations and there were no proposals for dealing with racial inequality, health inequalities or the effects of austerity. We will be taking this up with the government.’