A key finding will centre on whether it was reasonable for the government to have focused planning for an influenza, rather than coronavirus, pandemic.
Another will be on how little planning was given to the need for, and consequences of, lockdowns.
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group is calling for urgent reforms from the Labour government, including the appointment of a secretary of state for resilience and civil emergencies, a standing scientific committee on pandemics, crisis training for ministers and officials and the establishment of a “red team” to challenge pandemic preparations.
A spokesperson said:
Plans for a pandemic were fatally inadequate; they were outdated, poorly communicated across the government, disregarded the impact of inequalities and were primarily concerned with pandemic flu.
Such pandemic planning as there was did not address inequalities, and nothing was done to mitigate vulnerabilities caused by structural discrimination, institutional racism or health inequalities. Our loved ones, colleagues and communities paid the price for that failure.
Professor Smeeth also said that a pandemic treaty with other countries was “essential”.
He added:
We should find ways to collectively defend our whole planet and commit to sharing data, know-how and resources – such as surveillance tools, protective equipment and vaccines – on a global scale while we can.
We don’t know what the next dangerous outbreak will be, what we do know is that it’s going to happen. We need to seize the moment to agree new ways of working, and deeper collaboration so that we are better prepared for the next global disease threat when it arrives.
Academics have said it is a question of “when not if” another pandemic will hit, so it is hoped that recommendations, if implemented, could put the UK in a better starting place to face a new and unknown disease – known by many as Disease X.
One leading expert said that officials should adopt counter terrorism-like approaches to prepare for future pandemic threats.
Professor Liam Smeeth, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), told the PA news agency:
The key lesson from the first UK Covid Inquiry report is that if the UK waits for the next pandemic to emerge, it will be too late.
The fight against pandemics is like counter-terrorism, we must use similar approaches such as gathering and sharing the best intelligence on global disease threats and joining forces to confront outbreaks before they become pandemics.
Like terrorists, lethal viruses take no notice of national borders and can strike anywhere at any time.
We have to work with global partners to combat this global threat: this means not just improving our planning, surveillance, and ability to respond in the UK, but supporting those on the front line fighting outbreaks around the world.
Brenda Doherty, a spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, a group representing nearly 7,000 bereaved people, said the report – the first of at least 10 planned in the next two to three years – would be “a huge milestone for bereaved families like mine”.
Doherty’s mother, Ruth Burke, 82, died from Covid acquired in hospital while awaiting discharge in March 2020 in Northern Ireland.
She said:
The years leading up to [this] have been draining. We know, however, that the inquiry’s recommendations have the potential to save lives in the future, if lessons have been learned from the loss of our loved ones.
The report is expected to highlight the UK’s focus on preparing for a flu pandemic instead of a coronavirus pandemic.
Lady Hallett may highlight how austerity measures led to public health cut backs, PA reported. She could potentially also comment on preparations surrounding personal protective equipment (PPE) and a government focused on Brexit.
Key politicians, scientists and health experts appeared as witnesses during the first module of the inquiry – which is titled Resilience and Preparedness.
Former health secretaries Matt Hancock and Jeremy Hunt were put under the spotlight during oral evidence sessions, alongside former prime minister Lord Cameron and former levelling up secretary Michael Gove.
Good morning and welcome to our live blog following the release of the first report from the long-running UK Covid inquiry.
It will be released at noon BST and will deliver an eagerly-awaited verdict on how Brexit and austerity affected the country’s readiness for the pandemic in which more than 200,000 people died in the UK.
Politicians including David Cameron, George Osborne and Matt Hancock are braced to face criticism about their decision-making and priorities in the run-up to the outbreak of the disease in early 2020.
I’m Tom Ambrose and will be following all the news and reaction. In the meantime you can read our excellent preview article from my colleague, Robert Booth.