The UK Covid-19 public inquiry began today with a solemn vow people who lost loved ones during the pandemic and all those who have suffered will be at its 'heart'.
Former Court of Appeal judge Baroness Heather Hallett opened the independent inquiry in London, saying she would conduct a 'thorough' and 'fair' hearing.
Baroness Hallett said the inquiry would likely 'analyse our state of readiness for the pandemic and the response to it and determine whether that level of loss was inevitable, or whether things could have been done better'. The Government's response, and its impact on patients, NHS and social care staff and the public, is also set to be examined.
Just before a minute's silence was held in memory of all the lives lost, Baroness Hallett said: "There's one word that sums up the pandemic for so many, and that is the word loss.
"Although there were positive aspects of the pandemic, for example, the way in which communities banded together to help each other and the vulnerable, millions of people suffered loss, including the loss of friends and family members; the loss of good health – both mental and physical; economic loss; the loss of educational opportunities and the loss of social interaction.
"Those who are bereaved lost the most. They lost loved ones and the ability to mourn properly."
Families have expressed fears they could be side-lined in the inquiry if they are only able to share their experiences through a Listening Project, which was established so members of the public could take part without formally giving evidence or attending a hearing.
This is due to begin later this year, with the inquiry expected to hold the first evidence hearings for its first module in late spring 2023. In previous public inquiries, such as those concerning the Grenfell Tower fire and Manchester Arena bombing, family and friends provided 'pen portraits' of victims at the start of the formal hearings.
According to its terms of reference, the Covid-19 inquiry will “listen to and consider carefully” the experiences of bereaved families and others affected by the pandemic.
It 'will not consider in detail individual cases of harm or death', but 'listening to these accounts will inform its understanding'. Baroness Hallett said she was 'determined' the public inquiry 'would not drag on for decades'.
"The inquiry will analyse our state of readiness for the pandemic and the response to it and determine whether that level of loss was inevitable, or whether things could have been done better," she said.
"My principal aim is to produce reports and recommendations before another disaster strikes the Four Nations of the United Kingdom and if it is possible, to reduce the number of deaths, suffering and the hardship. I have a duty to the public to conduct a thorough, fair and independent inquiry for the whole of the United Kingdom and I intend to do so.
"I am acutely conscious that different parts of the United Kingdom, different communities and different groups of people suffered in different ways. And the inquiry team and I will ensure that we listen to them and learn from them.
"Throughout the inquiry, which will have an impact on them at the forefront of our minds. I am also determined that this inquiry will not drag on for decades, producing reports when it is too late for them to do any good.
"I should point out that the standard of care given to those suffering from Covid, including the triage system, and the use of DNR notices, is very much an issue that I intend to explore and about which I shall receive evidence in a later module."
She said that people who have not been designated a “core participant” in the first module of the inquiry may wish to apply for core participant status at a later stage, and that there were other ways people could contribute.
On “listening exercises” she added: “Our intentions is that everyone across the UK who wishes to contribute to the inquiry can do so in a less formal setting.
"People will not have to wait for the module in which they have an interest to be heard, and they will not have to give evidence at the public hearings. But their contributions will inform the inquiry, it will provide valuable evidence to the inquiry about the impact of the pandemic."
Baroness Hallett went on: "I promised the bereaved, during the consultation process on the terms of reference, that those who have suffered will be at the heart of the inquiry. And I intend to keep that promise."
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