The healthcare system was on the brink of collapse and the NHS “only just coped” during the Covid-19 pandemic, a crucial report has found.
The third report of the UK Covid-19 inquiry, published on Thursday, found that the UK entered Covid pandemic ill-prepared, with healthcare systems “already in a precarious state”.
Baroness Heather Hallett, who chaired the inquiry, said the NHS had already been in a “parlous state”, with severe workforce shortages, an ageing hospital estate, low numbers of hospital beds and high bed-occupancy rates.
“It is unsurprising therefore that the impact on the healthcare systems of the four nations was devastating,” she added.
Collapse was narrowly avoided thanks to the efforts of NHS staff, she said.
The report also found the government’s “Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives” message could also have confused people needing urgent treatment.
Sharing the findings of the inquiry, the report found some people did not seek treatment for “life-threatening” conditions.
The report says: “This suggests that the public messaging of Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives may have, inadvertently, sent the message that healthcare was closed.”
Covid-19 inquiry report
- ‘Stay home, protect the NHS, Save Lives’ message may have deterred people from accessing care
- UK healthcare systems ‘came close to collapse’ during pandemic, inquiry finds
- UK entered Covid pandemic “ill-prepared” with healthcare systems “in a precarious state”
- Inquiry rejects ministers claim healthcare system was not overwhelmed during pandemic
- NHS can’t cope with another pandemic, top doctors warn
Meningitis outbreak shows NHS needs to be strengthened, Covid bereaved say
15:50 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe meningitis outbreak in Kent highlights that the NHS needs to be strengthened before another pandemic, families bereaved by coronavirus have said.
It comes after the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry published a new report on Thursday on how the healthcare system in Britain coped in the face of the virus.
Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett found the health service “came close to collapse” and “coped but only just”.
Speaking to reporters after the latest report dropped, James Telfer, from Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said: “This is not only about past failure.
“Our health service is now in a worse position to cope with another pandemic than it was six years ago and the current meningitis outbreak underlines why restoring resilience and capacity to our health system should be a matter of priority for those in power.
“It shouldn’t take the deaths of our loved ones from Covid or the tragic death of young people at university to put public health back on the political agenda.”
'Mental health cannot be an afterthought,' charity warns after report
15:40 , Nicole Wootton-CaneA leading mental health charity has warned that mental wellbeing “cannot be an afterthought” following revelations many did not seek vital healthcare during the pandemic.
Jemima Olchawski, Interim Executive Director of Social Change at Mind, said:
“Today’s report lays bare the lack of consideration of children and young people’s mental health inpatient treatment during the pandemic.
“As the pandemic progressed, demand for inpatient care rose and young people presented with more severe needs, driven partly by the lack of access early to support. Those who did receive care often found their individual needs overlooked as services moved online. And staff shortages meant some young people were discharged before their treatment was complete, increasing the risk of relapse or readmission.
“Mental health cannot be an afterthought. The UK Government must learn from this report and ensure high‑quality mental health care is built into future emergency planning, backed by investment that shifts care from hospitals to communities, so children and young people get the right support, at the right time.”
Mencap condemns 'discrimination' of no-resuscitation notices
15:25 , Jane DaltonLearning disability charity Mencap has slammed the “shocking discrimination” of “do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation” notices being imposed on some groups of people such as those with learning disabilities or older people during the pandemic.
Baroness Heather Hallett said in her latest report it should not have happened.
Jackie O'Sullivan, of Mencap, said: "Looking back at what the inquiry has uncovered, it's impossible not to feel furious.
"People with a learning disability were given DNACPR decisions without their agreement and in some cases were told they wouldn't be resuscitated simply because of their disability.
"It was shocking discrimination then and it remains shocking discrimination now.
"No-one should ever have their life written off in this way and this must never be allowed to happen again."
Some NHS problems even worse now than in 2019, says expert
15:00 , Jane DaltonA body representing NHS trusts and services has warned the government that some of the challenges that faced the health system at the start of the pandemic are even worse now, and urged ministers to act.
Dr Layla McCay, director of policy of the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, said: "The report notes that the extraordinary efforts of NHS staff meant the system 'coped but only just', despite unprecedented pressures and harrowing frontline conditions.
"The profound impact on staff, patients and families must not be overlooked, including people who experienced severe distress due to visiting restrictions and delays to their treatment.
"While the NHS is making progress in reducing the backlog and applying lessons from the pandemic, we urge the Government to act swiftly on the inquiry's recommendations, especially as many of the challenges facing the NHS in 2019 still persist today, and some are even more severe.
"It is vital that these lessons translate into meaningful action, strengthened preparedness and a more resilient health and care system for the future."
The NHS waiting list in England hit a record high in September 2023, with 7.77 million treatments waiting to be carried out for 6.5 million patients.
The latest data show the waiting list has fallen for the third month in a row, with an estimated 7.25 million treatments waiting to be carried out at the end of January, relating to 6.13 million patients.
Delayed surgery devastated many, says Baroness Hallett
14:40 , Jane DaltonMillions of people had non-urgent operations cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic as the NHS came close to collapse, the inquiry has concluded.
"Healthcare staff had to be redeployed to the front line, leaving other aspects of care at risk. Staff-to-patient ratios were diluted, the supply of medical equipment was a significant concern and some patients were not admitted to intensive care units despite their serious condition," Baroness Hallett said.
She highlighted how "fragility" in the NHS had "profound consequences" including the suspension of elective (non-urgent) treatment in spring 2020.
"Across the UK, millions of people had non-urgent operations cancelled," she said.
"For many, it was devastating to learn that their long-awaited operation was going to be further delayed - to give one example: people waiting for hip replacements had to live in constant pain with decreased mobility.
"For some, their condition deteriorated to such an extent that surgery was no longer an option."
Blanket resuscitation orders 'should not have happened'
14:19 , Jane DaltonBlanket Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) should not have happened, the chairwoman of the Covid-19 inquiry has said.
In the early days of the pandemic there were reports of blanket DNACPR notices being imposed on some groups of people such as those with learning disabilities or older people.
"This should not have happened," Baroness Heather Hallett said as she published the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry into how the NHS coped during the crisis.
"These decisions were not as a result of any change in policy and were positively discouraged by the respective government health departments.
"The message does not seem to have got through to everyone."
Her report says it was "clear that some patients, families and carers felt that 'blanket' decisions had been taking place" despite the health regulator, the Care Quality Commission, saying it was unaware of DNACPR decisions being applied to groups of people.
She called for better planning for these decisions, adding: "Discussions about DNACPR notices and advance care planning more generally are necessarily sensitive and personal matters.
"They are best discussed before someone enters end-of-life care and before a pandemic strikes."
Government stay-at-home message 'may have cost thousands of lives'
13:59 , Jane Dalton
‘Stay at home’ messaging may have cost thousands of lives, Covid inquiry finds
Some people 'not admitted to hospital when they should have been', report finds
13:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBaroness Hallett said some people were not admitted to hospital when they should have been during the pandemic.
“Some people were not admitted to hospital when they should have been,” she said.
“Those taken to hospital in an ambulance often waited hours to be admitted, putting them and the ambulance crews at risk.
“Healthcare staff had to be redeployed to the front line, leaving other aspects of care at risk, staff-to-patient ratios were diluted, the supply of medical equipment was a significant concern, and some patients were not admitted to intensive care units despite their serious condition.
Visits for dying patients 'should be facilitated as far as possible', report says
13:20 , Nicole Wootton-CaneVisits for dying patients should be “facilitated as far as possible”, a new report from the coronavirus inquiry has found as it laid bare the “devastating impact” of restrictions which led to many dying alone.
Visiting restrictions became some of the “most contentious” measures taken to reduce the spread of the virus and led to “deeply distressing” experiences for patients, family and friends, the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry said in its latest report.
The probe found that while restrictions “may be unavoidable” in a pandemic, visits for dying patients should be suspended “for the shortest time possible” and that alternative ways of making contact should be provided.
Baroness Heather Hallett, chairwoman of the probe, said: “Given the potentially devastating impact on both staff and loved ones, as well as on patients themselves, it is vital that in-person, end-of-life visits are facilitated as far as possible.”
The inquiry also determined that healthcare workers “carried the burden of caring for the sick in unprecedented numbers”, but despite those efforts some patients “did not get the level of care they would usually receive”.
Problems uncovered by the Covid-19 inquiry have been known for years
13:10 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s health editor Rebecca Thomas reports:
The issues uncovered by Module 3 of the Covid-19 inquiry have been “hiding in plain sight in the NHS for years,” the health think tank, the Nuffield Trust, has warned.
These problems include: outdated buildings, poor workforce planning, low morale among staff, overcrowded hospitals, and problems in discharging patients into their homes, the Nuffield Trust.
Thea Stein chief executive for the Nuffield Trust said: “As we have previously documented, the NHS went into the pandemic on the back foot, and has been slower to recover than many other comparable countries. Staff have, as this report shows, borne extreme and unrelenting pressure. Our waiting lists remain unacceptably high, and the health service has struggled to regain ground lost during the pandemic when some services were put on hold or even cancelled.
“The big question posed by the inquiry is whether or not today’s NHS is in a better place as a result of changes made since 2021 than it was before the pandemic.“The jury, it seems, is out.”
She said while there have been recent improvements, many of the same problems faced in 2019 are still present today.
“The backlog for repairing and maintaining buildings remains high, last week’s NHS staff survey revealed how sickness and unhappiness at work are affecting too many healthcare workers,” Ms Stein said.
Summary of key findings from third Covid-19 inquiry report
13:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneOther findings from the new UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry report include:
– Thousands of patients died in hospitals alone and grieving families were deprived of the opportunity to say goodbye”;
– Many patients with Covid-19 “did not get the quality of treatment they needed”;
– Patients who did not have Covid-19 had their diagnosis and treatment delayed “to the point where their conditions became untreatable”;
– Initial guidance on preventing the infection from spreading was “flawed” because it “failed properly to consider the extent to which the virus was also spread by aerosol transmission”, initially focusing on spread through contact;
– Visiting restrictions “may be unavoidable” in a pandemic, but should be “facilitated as far as possible”;
– Communications with millions of people shielding during the crisis “were not always appropriately handled”, with some incorrectly told to shield while others were not given the instruction when they should have;
– Decisions made in the early stage of the crisis – including discharging patients from hospitals to care homes – should have been planned for sooner and not in the “turbulent early stages of the pandemic”;
– She said there also needs to be better planning for end-of-life care, highlighting reports of blanket do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR);
– Access to healthcare for long Covid “has been and remains variable” across the UK;
– The government prioritised hospital capacity for Covid-19 and emergency patients, and so paused elective (non-urgent) treatment in spring 2020 but once elective care resumed there was “significant variation in the speed with which the backlog was addressed, thereby adding to the already long waiting lists”;
– Pausing cancer screening in some nations – such as pausing the bowel cancer screening programme in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland led to a “steep drop in diagnosis” in 2020. Missed and late diagnosis coupled with longer waits for treatment.
Report outlines ‘devastating impact’ of visiting restrictions for dying patients
12:55 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
One aspect highlighted in Baroness Heather Hallett’s report today is the “devastating impact” visiting restrictions had on bereaved families during and since the pandemic.
The report concluded that visits for dying patients should be “facilitated as far as possible” during future pandemics, after many were forced to say final goodbye to loved ones remotely or not at all.
Lady Hallett said: “Given the potentially devastating impact on both staff and loved ones, as well as on patients themselves, it is vital that in-person, end-of-life visits are facilitated as far as possible.”
Staff forced to get PPE from 'screw fix', as women and ethnic minorities left less protected
12:50 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s health editor Rebecca Thomas reports:
In a hefty section on the supply and plans for personal protective equipment for healthcare staff, the Covid-19 inquiry said women and ethnic minority healthcare workers were more likely to be left inadequately protected.
“In the early stages of the pandemic, suitable PPE was not available for all healthcare workers in the NHS. In particular, there needed to be a broader range of face masks to fit the diversity of face shapes among healthcare workers,” the inquiry said.
In a wider look at the effective supply of PPE, especially during the first wave, the inquiry highlighted staff experiences.
One told the inquiry: “In the first wave, PPE was a real issue, it was shocking. We had to go to Screwfix to get visors; we ran out of [theatre] scrubs to wear. We went round the private hospitals asking them to donate theirs to us … there was one Sunday night when we had nothing, no scrubs, and we had to go around in underwear and [patient] gowns.”
Do Not Resuscitate orders imposed “inappropriately” during pandemic
12:41 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
Do Not Resuscitate orders were imposed “inappropriately” during the pandemic, the chair of the UK’s Covid-19 inquiry has found.
In her statement following the publication of the third report of the inquiry, Former Court of Appeal judge Heather Hallett highlighted reports of inappropriate and blanket Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) notices being imposed on groups of people, such as people with learning disabilities or older people.
She said: “This should not have happened. These decisions were not as a result of any change in policy and were positively discouraged by the respective government health departments. The message does not seem to have got through to everyone.”
Report makes 10 key recommendations
12:40 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe report makes 10 recommendations “to prevent healthcare systems being overwhelmed in the next pandemic”.
These include increasing capacity in urgent and emergency care; strengthening the body responsible for infection prevention and control guidance and better advance care planning.
Lady Hallett added: “We cannot know when, but there will be another pandemic. My recommendations, taken as a whole, should mean that the UK is better prepared for that pandemic.
“In doing so, we shall avoid some of the terrible human cost of Covid-19.”
Inquiry rejects ministers claim healthcare system was not overwhelmed during pandemic
12:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
A crucial report into how the UK’s healthcare system coped with the Covid pandemic has rejected government ministers’ assertions that it was not overwhelmed.
The report found that though the commonly used term “overwhelm” was never officially defined, health ministers including former health secretary Matthew Hancock “maintained that the UK never reached that state”.
However, it concluded that, “there was clearly overwhelm” and found: “While the Inquiry may not be using the word ‘overwhelm’ in the same way that politicians did, lower levels of care were provided to patients and patients did not always get the care they needed, notwithstanding the efforts of healthcare workers. This caused often unbearable stress and distress to patients, their loved ones and the healthcare workers looking after them.”
UK entered Covid pandemic “ill-prepared” with healthcare systems “already in a precarious state”
12:20 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
The UK’s healthcare system entered the Covid pandemic “ill prepared” and “already in a precarious state”, a new report has found.
The third report of the UK Covid-19 inquiry found that the country entered the pandemic with “low numbers of beds” and high numbers of staff vacancies, meaning the added pressures of Covid-19 almost pushed it “to collapse”.
The report said numerous factors meant that “the healthcare systems of the four nations were in a precarious position, given the projected numbers of people likely to be hospitalised and in particular to need critical care”.
The chair of the inquiry, former Court of Appeal judge Heather Hallett, said: “The UK entered the Covid-19 pandemic ill-prepared and with its healthcare systems in a parlous state, with severe workforce shortages, an ageing hospital estate, low numbers of hospital beds and high bed occupancy rates.
“It is unsurprising therefore that the impact on the healthcare systems of the four nations was devastating.”
Covid delays saw patients’ conditions become ‘untreatable’ and ‘cost lives’, inquiry finds
12:13 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
Delays prompted by the outbreak of Covid-19 rendered some patient’s health conditions “untreatable” and “cost lives”, a report has found.
The third report of the UK Covid-19 inquiry, which measured how the healthcare system coped during the pandemic, considered how patients who did not have the virus were impacted.It found that due to screenings and non-emergency surgeries being cancelled to cope with the strain of the pandemic, some found their conditions “became untreatable”.
The report found: ‘It is clear that, during the pandemic, worsening delays in diagnosis and treatment led to increased ill-health and suffering and, in some cases, cost lives. Some patients waited so long that they were no longer suitable for surgery and have been left with permanent loss of mobility.”
Pharmacies teetered on brink during pandemic, pharmacists say
12:10 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe head of a major pharmacy association has called on the government to act on recommendations made by the Covid-19 inquiry “immediately”.
Henry Gregg, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said the healthcare system was left “teetering on the brink” during the pandemic.
“The current meningitis outbreak shows that deadly disease can strike our communities at any time, which is why it’s imperative that government should act immediately on the recommendations from the Covid inquiry to ensure that the pharmacy network and the wider health service is strong and prepared for a health crisis whenever it happens,” he said.
“Today’s report makes harrowing reading, and shows clearly that the health system teetered on the brink during the pandemic. The inquiry chair is right to say that supporting the pharmacy network is a necessity to cope with any future health crisis - that process must start right now to reverse a decade of underfunding that is leaving too many pharmacies in a perilous position.
“The testimony of NPA members and others in this report shows that pharmacies played a heroic role against the odds to maintain medicine supply and expand vaccination services during the pandemic, and need support and funding so they are always there to serve in the future.
"As this report notes, it is unacceptable that pharmacies were not supported in the same way as other health professionals, despite their heroic efforts when much of the rest of the primary care system shut down.
“At a time when people are rightly concerned about the current meningitis outbreak we need to heed the lessons of the pandemic and provide proper support for our pharmacy network which does much to protect our communities, during Covid and today.”
NHS critical care services ‘barely survived’ during the pandemic, say ICU doctors
12:05 , Nicole Wootton-CaneResponding to the publication of the Covid-19 Module 3 report, the Intensive Care Society warns the UK lacks the capacity to face another crisis, whether it be another global pandemic or major conflict, writes health editor, Rebecca Thomas.
The ICS has called for the appointment of a National Critical Care Consultant to work with the government, for investment in a real-time intensive care dashboard for bed occupancy, staffing levels and patient outcomes and protection for the most vulnerable staff members.
It said: “These actions are vital to avoiding the level of crisis and the enormous human cost of the Covid years. Intensive care did not cope; it barely survived.”
Professor Shondipon Laha, President of the Intensive Care Society, says: “I know from direct personal experience what it took for intensive care units to handle the Covid pandemic. It almost broke us. Six years on since the start of the first national lockdown, intensive care staff are still living with the consequences of what they experienced – the mental and physical exhaustion, the sense of helplessness from our lack of PPE, the fear of coming home and bringing the virus to our loved ones. For days, weeks and months. This is not coping; this is barely making it through, at an enormous human cost.
“We cannot let any future crisis – be it another pandemic or a major conflict – be faced by our critical care services under similar conditions. It is dangerous and inhumane.”
Government warned it may not have workforce ‘able or willing’ to work through next pandemic
12:03 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
The government has been warned it may not have a healthcare workforce “able or willing” to work through a future pandemic, a crucial report has found.
The third report of the UK Covid-19 inquiry, published on Thursday, stressed the severity of the pandemic on healthcare staff, with some now facing PTSD.
During a series of hearings, the chair of the inquiry, former Court of Appeal judge Heather Hallett, heard evidence from senior medics and former government ministers about how Britain’s healthcare system coped in the face of the virus.
“There are many lessons to be learned from the experiences of the UK’s healthcare systems during the Covid-19 pandemic and many areas for improvement,” she said in the introduction of the report.
“I urge the governments of the UK to implement my recommendations and to do so as a matter of urgency. When the next pandemic strikes, there may not be a workforce in the healthcare systems able or willing to work under the conditions that arose during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
UK healthcare systems ‘came close to collapse’ during pandemic, inquiry finds
12:01 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
The UK’s healthcare systems “teetered on the brink of collapse” during the Covid-19 pandemic, a crucial report has found.
The third report of the UK Covid-19 inquiry, published on Thursday, found that though the NHS ultimately coped with the strains of the pandemic, this was “only just”.
During a series of hearings, the chair of the inquiry, former Court of Appeal judge Heather Hallett, heard evidence from senior medics and former government ministers about how Britain’s healthcare system coped in the face of the virus.
The report found that despite health minsters maintaining the UK never reached a state of overwhelm, this “clearly” was the case.
It also found the UK entered the Covid-19 pandemic “ill-prepared” and with its healthcare system in a “parlous state”, thanks to severe workforce shortages, an ageing hospital estate and a shortage of hospital beds.
In her introduction to the report, Ms Hallett said: “The healthcare systems coped with the pandemic, but only just. On a number of occasions, they teetered on the brink of collapse and only coped thanks to the almost superhuman efforts of healthcare workers and all the staff who support them.”
‘Stay home, protect the NHS, Save Lives’ message may have deterred people from accessing vital healthcare
12:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
The government’s hallmark message during the pandemic could have deterred patients from accessing vital treatment, a crucial report has found.
The third report of the UK Covid-19 inquiry found that the government’s “Stay home, protect the NHS, Save Lives’ message” could have confused some people in need of urgent treatment.
The report, published on Thursday, found many people were deterred from accessing healthcare during the pandemic, with one reason being the “public messaging that was intended to keep them safe”.
The report says: “There was a decline in attendances at emergency departments and other healthcare settings for non-Covid-19 conditions, even for life-threatening medical emergencies such as heart attacks. This suggests that the public messaging of Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives may have, inadvertently, sent the message that healthcare was closed.”
Evidence heard by the inquiry also said the messaging may have led to people to feel they must “avoid burdening the NHS”.
Report set to be published at midday
11:51 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBaroness Heather Hallett’s third report is set to be published at midday.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest in this blog.
Key areas expected to be covered by the Covid-19 inquiry healthcare report
11:35 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s health editor Rebecca Thomas reports:
Module 3 of the Covid-19 inquiry will report on the impact the pandemic had on the UK healthcare system and patients.Key areas expected to be covered in the report include:
- How the NHS coped with the pandemic?
- Whether the NHS was adequately prepared for a pandemic, and the decisions made by system leaders?
- The adequacy of plans and the provision of protective equipment for NHS staff
- The impact of the pandemic on doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff, including the recording of deaths of healthcare workers
- Decisions and advice to the public, including vulnerable patients who were shielding
Hearings from Module 3 ran for 10 weeks from September 2024 to November 2025, and evidence was heard from organisations including NHS England, UK Health Security Agency, The British Medical Association, The Royal College of Nursing, Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, and The Department for Health and Social Care.
Nurses suffered PTSD over ‘almost unimaginable scale of death and anguish’
11:20 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Royal College of Nursing highlighted the mental health impact of the pandemic on staff in its evidence to the Covid-19 inquiry, writes health editor Rebecca Thomas.
Nurses on the frontline of the pandemic were at heightened risk of burnout, the RCN told the inquiry, with reports of nurses suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ("PTSD") during the second wave of Covid.
The RCN told the inquiry: ‘‘Despite trying to give patients the best care, they faced an almost unimaginable scale of death and anguish in a health and care system which was completely overwhelmed in all care settings.”
During one evidence session, a nurse, Patricia Temple, described watching a man with learning disabilities on the phone to his mother, “he was dying, and you could hear him speaking on the phone to his mum and asking her to come, and that was devastating for all of us.”
The union has called for the inquiry to recommend “proper management and support for the health and well-being of nursing staff at all times, but particularly at times of national response to incidents.”
The extraordinary Covid WhatsApp messages that reveal the ‘chaos’ inside Boris Johnson’s government
11:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneA series of scathing WhatsApp messages sent between Boris Johnson’s top team accused the former prime minister of making it “impossible” to tackle Covid, as he created chaos and changed direction “every day”.
The WhatsApp messages and diary entries, shown to Mr Johnson’s former principal private secretary Martin Reynolds at the official Covid inquiry, laid bare the chaos behind Downing Street’s response to Covid.
You can read the extraordinary exchanges below:
The extraordinary Covid WhatsApps that reveal ‘chaos’ of Boris Johnson’s government
NHS can’t cope with another pandemic, top doctors warn as harrowing impact of Covid-19 to be laid bare
10:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe NHS is in a “perilous” state and would struggle to cope with a second pandemic as overcrowded hospitals buckle under even day-to-day demands, top doctors have warned.
Health leaders said overrun emergency departments, an explosion of corridor care and soaring waiting lists meant hospitals are in a much worse position to take on extra pressures such as those that came with a sudden influx of patients seen during the height of the Covid-19 crisis.
And they warned that they had seen “little evidence” of adequate planning for future pandemics, claiming lessons have not been learned.
It comes as Baroness Heather Hallett is due to publish the third report in the Covid inquiry on Thursday.
The Independent’s health editor Rebecca Thomas has this exclusive:
NHS would be in ‘perilous’ state if new pandemic hit, top doctors warn
‘There were no good choices’ during the pandemic, NHS leaders said
10:18 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe Independent’s health editor Rebecca Thomas reports:
In a 53 page summary, NHS England, the body responsible for the NHS, defended its choices in relation to the healthcare system’s response to the pandemic.
When the pandemic hit is was such that it had not been seen for a hundred years, NHS England said. Responding to it meant providing as much care as possible to patients by stretching the resources the body said, but admitted there were "no good choices" to be made during the pandemic.
Pointing to the sheer scale of the demand on the NHS during the pandemic, NHS England said there were more than 1.6 million patient contacts a day and 318 million GP appointments between.In March 2020, there were 2.5 million NHS 111 calls - up from 1.5 million that January.
Meanwhile, NHS England said of critical care beds that even when the number of beds was surged to the possible limit of 7,000, compared to 3,000 in normal times, this was expected to be exceeded “many times over” in the early months.
The inquiry is expected to reflect on whether NHS services, such as the ICU, were rationed to manage capacity. NHS England argued that it “worked tirelessly to ensure that there was no need for systematic rationing guidance” to trusts.
Comment: How Boris Johnson failed a generation of children
10:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Toxic No 10 culture, unnecessary deaths and failed children: Key takeaways from the Covid inquiry report
09:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBoris Johnson presided over a “toxic and chaotic culture” at No 10 while poor decision-making and delays in introducing a lockdown contributed to the deaths of more than 20,000 people during the pandemic, a previous report into the Covid-19 pandemic found.
During a series of hearings, the chair of the inquiry, Heather Hallett, a former Court of Appeal judge, heard wide-ranging criticisms of Mr Johnson and his team, with WhatsApp messages and emails detailing disagreements disclosed to the inquiry.
Here are the key takeaways from the second Covid report:
Unnecessary deaths and failed children: Key takeaways from the Covid inquiry report
‘Devastating’ events of pandemic destined to be repeated, inquiry warned
09:24 , Nicole Wootton-CaneEvidence to the Covid-19 inquiry will lay bare the gaps and lack of capacity in the UK healthcare system, writes health editor Rebecca Thomas.
Over the last two years, frontline staff, healthcare leaders, and unions have given evidence to the Covid-19 inquiry on the impact of the pandemic on the NHS and its staff.
In its summary of evidence to inquiry, doctors' union the British Medical Association (BMA) said there was “overwhelming evidence” of shortages in staff, hospital beds, and equipment ahead of the pandemic.
The BMA told the inquiry in 2024, “there is a continued lack of capacity across all healthcare settings to cope with day-to-day care, let alone a pandemic or other health emergency.”
A major theme expected to come up in the report is the difficulties staff had in getting adequate protective equipment, and the BMA pointed to evidence of staffing being forced to wear “makeshift items out of bin bags, ski-masks, swimming goggles or cagoules” while others purchased PPE from DIY stores.
Watch: Boris Johnson apologises to victims during Covid inquiry
09:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneWhat will the report examine?
08:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThursday’s report will be the third published as part of a sweeping inquiry into the way the UK government and NHS handled the Covid-19 pandemic.
Titled ‘The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare systems of the United Kingdom’ the report will look at:
• The impact of Covid-19 on people’s experience of healthcare
• Core decision-making and leadership within healthcare systems during the pandemic
• Staffing levels and critical care capacity, the establishment and use of Nightingale hospitals and the use of private hospitals
• 111, 999, and ambulance services, GP surgeries and hospitals and co-operation between services
• Healthcare provision and treatment for patients with Covid-19, healthcare systems’ response to clinical trials and research during the pandemic
• Decision-making about the nature of healthcare to be provided for patients with Covid-19
• The impact of the pandemic on doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff
• Preventing the spread of Covid-19 within healthcare settings
• Communication with patients about Covid-19 and their loved ones about patients’ condition and treatment
• Deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, in terms of the numbers, classification, and recording of deaths
• Shielding and the impact on the clinically vulnerable
• Characterisations and identifications of post-Covid conditions
Covid deaths caused by ‘government incompetence, chaos and callousness’, bereaved families say
08:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBereaved families have vowed to continue their fight for justice as the UK Covid-19 Inquiry heard its final witness testimony earlier this month.
The Covid Bereaved Families for Justice (CBFFJ) campaign group highlighted the crucial role of “thousands bereaved by Covid across the country who came together and refused to be silent” in reaching this stage.
You can read the full report below:
Covid deaths caused by ‘incompetence, chaos and callousness’, bereaved families say
What can we expect from the Covid-19 inquiry today?
07:25 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry will publish a report on the impact of the virus on patients and staff on Thursday.
It is the third report to be published in the inquiry, which examines how the NHS responded to the crisis.
The report will be published alongside a statement from Baroness Heather Hallett at 12pm.
Hancock defended suspending non-urgent care
00:05 , Jane DaltonFormer health secretary Matt Hancock told the inquiry that England's hospitals were within hours of running out of some items of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the early months of the pandemic.
Mr Hancock also said he reluctantly approved of the decision to put non-urgent planned care on hold during the pandemic.
The Government prioritised hospital capacity for Covid-19 and emergency patients, and so suspended elective (non-urgent) treatment in spring 2020.
This led to growing waiting lists and meant thousands of people who needed care for non-Covid reasons had to wait or could not access treatment.
The former MP also defended the Stay Home, Save Lives, Protect the NHS messaging implemented during the pandemic.
Report set to reveal coronavirus effects on NHS
00:01 , Jane DaltonThe UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry is set to publish a report on Module 3 of its investigations, looking at how the NHS coped in the face of the spreading coronavirus pandemic.
Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett examined all aspects of the NHS during the crisis.
This included how managers led the pandemic response, the role of primary care and GPs, NHS backlogs and how the vaccine programme was integrated.
