Every story matters - UK COVID-19 public inquiry

[bennevisplace]

The pandemic affected every single person in the UK and, in many cases, continues to have a lasting impact on lives. Every one of our experiences is unique and this is your opportunity to share the impact it had on you, and your life, with the Inquiry.

Every story shared with us will be used to shape the Inquiry’s investigations and help us to learn lessons for the future. Stories will be collated, analysed and turned into themed reports, which will be submitted into each relevant investigation as evidence. The reports will be anonymised.

All the information you need about taking part, including two introductory videos, is here covid19.public-inquiry.uk/e...

[mrsjsmith]

Sadly looking at the timescale it will be spring 2025 at the earliest that personal statements will be looked at. I lost count of the modules involved. We do love a lengthy enquiry in this country, unlike Sweden that has already had theirs. Sorry to sound so negative.

Colette

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to mrsjsmith]

I agree Colette and whilst we have important lessons to learn, I fear the length of time involved will dilute the impact for those for whom the experience was shattering and possibly life changing. I hope it’s cathartic for many because there’s so much unresolved grief and long term suffering out there. I lost a deeply valued friend from Covid but it’s something I hold as a private grief because I’m not sure anything I could say would help.

Newdawn

[mrsjsmith in reply to Newdawn]

Totally agree, and I think the Grenfell enquiry concluded that those deaths could have been avoided. It just ends up as a blame game. We need to learn from past mistakes and why some institutions were better prepared than others. I am across two hospital trusts and one was very quick in settling up vaccine hubs and booking appointments and silence from the other one for months before they cleared out a store cupboard.

Colette

[bennevisplace in reply to mrsjsmith]

I am across two hospital trusts and one was very quick in settling up vaccine hubs and booking appointments and silence from the other one for months before they cleared out a store cupboard

Shocking! Tell the inquiry!

[bennevisplace in reply to mrsjsmith]

Yes to a simplified investigative procedure, as long as it's unbiased, has dug deep enough, and is completely transparent.

Our public inquiries do go on a bit, varying in length between months and 13 years (average 2 years). This one promises to be more complex than most, so by the time the report comes out the chief protagonists will have ridden off into the sunset.

That should not deter you from making your voice heard. "Every story" should influence the way UK authorities conduct the next pandemic and address the needs of a diverse population, including the immunocompromised.

[mrsjsmith in reply to bennevisplace]

Totally agree but as you say by the time the enquiry will have concluded most of the main players will have been forgotten about.

Colette

[bennevisplace in reply to mrsjsmith]

Let's make sure we're not forgotten about!

[mrsjsmith in reply to bennevisplace]

I think we already have been, don’t forget it’s just like flu now.

[Dawson21]

Agree. Too late, too expensive and too long. We all know that we could have been better prepared and learn. Can't we just do that instead of the all too common blame game?

[bennevisplace in reply to Dawson21]

An inquiry needs to establish what happened and why, so that - to use that hackneyed phrase - lessons will be learned, and things can be done better in future. "What happened" is the sum of everyone's experience.

During the pandemic there were countless complaints by UK members of this group, about being overlooked, left unprotected, forgotten, while the vaccinated majority got on with their lives.

How does that translate into your story? What's it like to spend 3 years shielding, as some have? How did it affect your family relationships? Your job? Your mental health?

If you don't tell your story, don't expect others to do it for you, and don't expect any changes in the future.

[veteranoak]

I agree. I suspect the blame game though would come along regardless of the speed or shortness of the enquiry. If you read enquiry reports they are usually balanced, dispassionate and appropriate. It seems to me to be a section of the 'popular' press and some politicians that turn it into a very irritating blame game to their own advantage and everyone else's disadvantage.

'Blame', or at the very least some retribution, can also be very appropriate. How often do the people who've been fabulously recompensed and should have ultimate responsibility for their - what turn out to be knowingly murderous - decisions and actions end up in prison?

It's glaringly obvious that some 'sections' have been too good at kicking things into the long grass. Revealing and acknowledging the extent of what happened is at least of some value though, however late and without really meaningful long-term change. One day.....?

[J1015]

As I live in the U.S., I cannot participate in this project but this subject has me curious about how things are in the UK now. I will be traveling to London, Cambridge and Berwick Upon Tweed in early August. Is there anything I need to know? For all practical purposes, people in the US act like the threat is over.

[bennevisplace in reply to J1015]

Hi, public attitudes are generally the same here. In reality the threat persists at much lower levels than a year ago and still trends downwards. Since early Spring there is much less monitoring and publishing of stats. The number of Covid hospitalisations and deaths in England are probably a reliable indicator, see coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

Bring evidence of your CLL status with you, and some LF test kits, in order to access antivirals were you to be diagnosed with Covid.

[J1015 in reply to bennevisplace]

Great advice! Thank you.

[JigFettler Volunteer in reply to bennevisplace]

Do you know where this data is coming from? Certainly the regular public are not self reporting if they contract Covid. Local cases are out and about with active Covid I note!

🤢

Jig

[bennevisplace in reply to JigFettler]

I agree that the true case totals are highly uncertain, and the official number testing positive isn't reliable. Hospitalisations and deaths should be easy enough to count though?