As the Covid inquiry published its first report, a Powys campaigner who contributed to the investigation has called the findings “damning”.
Catherine Griffiths from Machynlleth, a core member of the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, has commented on the first report from the inquiry.
Baroness Hallett, who is chairing the public inquiry on the government’s response to and impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, set out her findings on July 18.
On the findings, Ms Griffiths said: “The report was incredibly damning of the UK government, as well as the devolved governments, showing that Wales hadn’t planned and wasn’t prepared. It did not come as a surprise, but the report’s words were clearly damning.
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“The UK Government didn’t prepare for the right pandemic. They were expecting a flu pandemic, but still weren't prepared for that, despite the warnings of scientists that one in the form of a novel airborne virus was a possibility. It’s a vascular disease, not a cold or flu.
“No information was given to care homes in anticipation of an airborne pandemic. For all the scientific advice, none of it was put in place until the height of the crisis. Lives could have been saved.”
Ms Griffiths became involved in campaign after losing her father, RAF Group Captain Harry Griffiths, to Covid-19 in November 2020. He passed away at the age of 86 in a care home.
Ms Griffiths recounted her story in the opening of the hearing as part of a video depicting several accounts of people losing loved ones to the pandemic.
(Image: Catherine Griffiths)
She added: “The report found our system of communication was so complicated and labyrinthine that it was not fit for purpose.
“It made recommendations on how to simplify the system and plan for the next pandemic. But so far, no changes seem to have been made in Wales. For example, we don’t even have a risk register. There also needs to be an openness about the process and development of that change.
“A government's greatest duty is to look after its people, and this report says ours fundamentally failed to do so.
“Covid hasn’t gone away. We may not be at the height of a pandemic but we still need to be aware. We remain engaged with the issue. We’re four years down the line with seemingly no change. There’s this horrible complacency with all that happened, even though vulnerable people remain vulnerable.
“It’s important not just to recognise the mistakes made during the Covid pandemic, but to ensure those mistakes aren’t repeated when another arrives, as scientists have forecast.
“It comes as no consolation to learn that lives which could have been saved. It was a relief to see that formally and publicly recognised, but where is the change that’s so desperately needed?
“The leaders responsible for the response to the pandemic in Wales have taken no accountability or responsibility for their mistakes, event when given the opportunity to do so.
“I understand that mistakes would have been made in the heat of the moment, but had there been preparation and better communication, lives would have been saved, that came loud and clear from Baroness Hallett herself.”
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