Jim Reed

Alice Figueiredo: We quit our jobs, sold our home twice and spent 10 years fighting the NHS A NHS trust and hospital manager have been found guilty of health and safety failings over the death of Alice Figueiredo.

If you read one thing today, read this on failures in acute mental health care and how small things - like understanding need to keep plastic bin liners out of reach - can be so important. By James Melley and Alison Holt who’ve been at trial every day. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

BBC Sounds - The Covid Inquiry Podcast - Available Episodes Listen to the latest episodes of The Covid Inquiry Podcast on BBC Sounds.

This latest part of #covidinquiry is over after hearing from 41 witnesses on test and trace. Interesting last week with evidence from head of programme in England, Dido Harding. Here’s 30 min version of our report which ran on Today Programme this morning. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand...

Cash to self-isolate would have saved lives, Covid inquiry told Baroness Dido Harding tells Covid inquiry Rishi Sunak blocked higher support payments.

Dido Harding was, as expected, pretty strong today at #covidinquiry on the need for more support for people to self isolate in the pandemic. Said she was frustrated by Rishi Sunak who rejected that argument at “every opportunity” www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Covid Inquiry Podcast - 48. 'We suggested more carrot, but they always want to go for stick' - BBC Sounds The Inquiry hears more about testing & whether the UK is prepared for another pandemic

I’d say this last week was one of more interesting of #covidinquiry so far. Thoughtful testimony from Hancock, Drakeford & Vallance about what went right/wrong with test and trace and what should change. Here’s extended version of Today Programme report. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...?

Boris Johnson wanted authoritarian Covid rules, inquiry hears In his diaries, Lord Vallance wrote that ex-PM thought rules were not ruthless enough.

I just didn't have the time to post about Matt Hancock, Lord Bethell and Lord Vallance yesterday at #covidinquiry as was doing other BBC stuff. But here's what wrote for the website. Will pack a lot more in podcast for the weekend. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

He said that "probably one of the most important lessons from the pandemic" was that Northern Ireland (along with other nations and countries) had insufficient tests and could not scale up testing quickly enough. Something that, he says, needs to change in the future.

That point was also made by Northern Ireland's chief medical officer Brian McBride who said tests needed to be prioritised for those who needed medical care or kept back for those who might fall seriously ill.

"Just because you say it, doesn’t mean tests will appear, reagents will appear, swabs will appear. Or the machines in the labs would suddenly materialise," he said. Instead tests had to be "redirected" to health facilities where they could be the most use.

In the afternoon we heard from Robin Swann, the Ulster Unionist MP and health minister at time. He said "test, test, test" was an "easy soundbite" but reality was that Northern Ireland simply didn't have enough capacity to continue widespread community testing at that point.

Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill, the current first minister but deputy at the time, was more outspoken, as you might imagine. In the 16/3 meeting she argued NI should not just be "blindly following" England and should be listening to WHO advice to "test, test, test".

Foster said the decision was the wrong one, given the low number of confirmed cases in Northern Ireland at the time, and "I do think we should have continued it [community testing] for a while".

Instead Foster said she was only made aware of this at a meeting of the Northern Ireland executive on 16/3/20 - some four days later - when she was told about it by her health minister Robin Swann. By then it had already been implemented.

Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill were both dialled into that meeting and told about the decision. But both said it was not clear that meant that all community testing would ALSO be stopped in Northern Ireland where there had only been 20 confirmed Covid cases at the time.

This all started with a Cobra meeting, chaired by Boris Johnson, on 12/3/20 where was made clear UK government was moving from 'contain' to 'delay' part of its strategy. Meant early community test & trace efforts would be paused and tests used in hospitals and care homes instead.

That meeting was repeatedly described by multiple witnesses as fraught and tense which - in diplomatic inquiry terms means SERIOUS ARGUMENT. Today we heard evidence from four people there - including then first minister Arlene Foster, and deputy FM at the time Michelle O'Neill.

Quick summary of what happened today at #covidinquiry where it's all been about test and trace in Northern Ireland. And all focus was on what sounds like a right barney of a meeting on 16 March 2020 - a week before lockdown - about a decision to scrap community testing for Covid.

In questioning from bereaved families, it was put to him that Wales was often slower with measures than England. He said that often UK ministers liked to "announce" something and then start later whereas in Wales would announce when ready to go, which explained the difference.

Cited a 2021 paper that found most benefit is from isolating index (first) case in cluster and benefit from contacting their close contacts is "marginal". Said: "Were there other things could do? We never did ask ourselves that question because so invested in making system work."

Was interesting bit at end where he became the first witness to suggest the whole concept of contact tracing MIGHT have been misguided. "Thinking back, I do wonder whether with industrial scale of contact tracing... did we get adequate return in terms of health protection?"

He was again asked about (apparently) lower uptake of the NHS App in Wales and was very sceptical about the data. But did suggest could be older population so digital exclusion and said Wales didn't rely on app in same way as had "more successful" contact tracing operation.

He was asked about decision by Wales to develop own test and trace programme rather than use English one. He said one reason was language & cultural issues - "would someone in Billericay (Essex) know names of Welsh towns & villages?" Poss 1st Gavin & Stacey reference at inquiry!

He said that evidence around asymptomatic transmission only accumulated slowly and that even Sir Chris Whitty was still saying in August 2020 that the evidence was "not conclusive" on the subject.

Like Gething (see earlier thread) he was asked about asymptomatic transmission of the virus and why it took until early 2021 for the Welsh government to bring in weekly testing of NHS workers without symptoms.

And finally we heard about 90 mins worth of testimony from Wales's former first minister Mark Drakeford, making his third appearance at #covidinquiry. Again he was asked about Welsh government policies to do with test and trace.

Finally Gething spoke again about his frustration dealing with counterparts in London in Covid saying the sharing of information - or lack of it - with UK government put Welsh ministers in a "really poor position" and is something the "public should be concerned about".

NB: The head of the National Police Chiefs Counsel Martin Hewitt gave evidence last week saying some of this difference could be explained by fact some communities were less likely to have access to outside space, parks etc so more likely to receive fixed penalty notices.

Added that it was "not surprising" that a disproportionate number of fines went to black/Asian groups as was "an example of unconscious bias" in the police that cannot be explained by "different levels of criminality or income".

Wales, like England, also brought in criminal sanctions including fines for those who ignored instructions to self-isolate. Gething said the rules had put some in "invidious" position of trying to feed families or keep a roof over their head, while trying to do the right thing.

Like other witnesses he was asked about the - apparently - low uptake of NHS Covid app in Wales (although was no lower than some parts of England to be honest). He said was "proximity app", not a "contact tracing app" and he "couldn't honestly say" why rates were lower in Wales.

Gething said would not have been "practicable" to adopt more precautionary approach as "our understanding was still developing" and advice he received at time did not advise asymptomatic testing. Would have moved resources away from other priorities - given capacity was limited.