A legacy of bad policy choices in health and care undermined the UK’s COVID-19 response
Responding to the UK COVID-19 inquiry Modules 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, Report, Dr Jennifer Dixon DBE, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, said:
‘Today, the COVID Inquiry laid bare how a series of delays, inaction and failures in the pandemic response worsened the impact for individuals, communities, and health and care services.
‘The response to the pandemic was shaped and constrained by policy choices made years earlier. Health and care services were ill-prepared to respond to a pandemic in 2020: persistent underinvestment in capital infrastructure left the NHS woefully exposed to surges in capacity; underfunded and understaffed social care services struggled to manage rising demand, and health data systems, vital to managing infectious health threats, weren’t ready for the demands of a pandemic. And some key wider determinants of health – such as incomes and local infrastructure – were deteriorating, affecting people’s health and increasing vulnerability to COVID-19.
'In 2020, health in the UK was notably poor. Life expectancy was stalling, preventable health risks were widespread, and significant health inequalities persisted. These inequalities contributed to COVID-19 disproportionately affecting some groups – such as disabled people, some ethnic minority communities, and care home residents.
‘More than five years on from the first cases of COVID-19, many of these shortcomings in health and care have not been addressed. If the UK is to be more resilient in the face of future national health emergencies, long-term policy action is needed across multiple fronts. As well as improving Whitehall’s readiness to manage crises, action is needed to strengthen the capacity and infrastructure of health and care services; fundamentally reform adult social care services; and implement a cross-government strategy to improve health and reduce inequalities.’
Media contact
Jessica Clinkett
jessica.clinkett@health.org.uk
020 7664 4647