Pandemic inquiry should start "as soon as possible" says South West infection expert
Doctor Bharat Pankhania says he's been left "angry" and "upset" by a parliamentary report calling the government's Covid response the worst public health failure ever
Last updated 13th Oct 2021
Serious lessons must be learnt after a report called the government's response to coronavirus the UK's worst public health failure ever.
That's according to infection control expert Doctor Bharat Pankhania from the University of Exeter, who lives in Bath.
The study, from the cross-party Science and Technology Committee and the Health and Social Care Committee, said the UK's preparation for a pandemic was far too focused on flu, while errors on testing, care homes and the timing of the first lockdown cost lives.
You can read more about the report here.
In response we have spoken to Doctor Pankhania who has been vocal throughout the pandemic about how the government should respond.
He told us he is both "angry" and "upset" at the failings the report details.
"I felt a lot of grief and anger because the issues highlighted in the executive summary for example, are all the issues ordinary people like myself, knowledgeable, experienced, expert, from the University of Exeter, have been asking for, were mentioning, were pleading for at the beginning of the pandemic," he said.
"To have those things mentioned as failings in the parliamentary report is extremely disappointing."
Politicians or advisors: Who is to blame?
"It's on both," Dr Pankhania says.
"To begin with people like myself...we were feeling 'why are these decisions being made considering I, if I were in that position, would not be making those decisions?'
"So we were perplexed, unsure, almost feeling, 'do I not know my science?
"Then we learnt that SAGE (the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) consisted of mathematical modellers, behavioural scientists and academics.
"None of the grassroots, coal face infectious disease doctors were present, so the committee that made the decisions which then led to groupthink was also incorrectly formulated.
"As a result we got all these delayed, hesitant, not extensive actions from the government."
Is Boris Johnson's position tenable?
"I feel not in a position to advise on what should we do with the people who made these decisions," he said.
"But I do feel that there has been a big loss to the nation, loss of lives to the nation, loss of economic power to the nation...all of this rests fair and square on the politicians shoulders."
Dr Pankhania added that politicians found culpable should face more than just sacking or resignation.
"There should be accountability, there should be scrutiny of how and why all these contracts were given to the private sector to set up the Test and Trace service, for example.
"All these contracts that Matt Hancock is alleged to have given to his friends with respect to procuring PPE (personal protective equipment)...
"The chief executive of PHE (Public Health England) was hardly seen or heard of in the biggest pandemic ever, and we need to know why?
"If we do not address all these issues we will make the same mistakes again."
Public inquiry should start "as soon as possible"
An inquiry examining the decisions made during the pandemic is due to start next year but there have been calls for it to start sooner and Dr Pankhania says it should start "as soon as possible".
"It's remit should also be extensive, with sanctions," he said.
"We know what the Leveson Inquiry (into phone hacking and the culture of the British press) did.
"It took forever to report and by the time it reported it was water under the bridge.
"Therefore the people who made those erroneous, wrong decisions, don't really get held to account.
"This isn't a case of revenge or anything.
"This is more the case of, we want our elected officers to be accountable so they do not make the same mistakes again, because lives have been lost and lives will continue to be lost..."
Things better now?
Despite having been dealing with the pandemic now for well over a year, according to Dr Pankhania the government has still not learnt its lessons.
"We still have the idea of 'it will be alright at the end of the day,' he said.
"Therefore our schools programme is nuts! It's absolutely nuts!
"We immunised our children belatedly. Our infection control measures in the schools right now as I speak is abysmal.
"We are not really doing any infection control in schools right now.
"We have got cases, cases on the rise all over the place, in all the schools all over the country and we are doing very little about it.
Government response
At the time of writing Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains on holiday but speaking on the government's behalf cabinet minister Stephen Barclay has refused to apologise for number 10's handling of coronavirus.
"We moved quickly in response to the vaccine," he said speaking to Sky News.
"Obviously this report has just come out so we want to look at it and consider it. That's why we've also got an inquiry to ensure that where there are lessons to learn we do so, but we followed throughout, the scientific advice."
Asked specifically if the government would apologise, he replied "no".
"We followed the scientific advice, we protected the NHS, we took the decisions based on the evidence before us, but of course we've always said with something so unprecedented as the pandemic there will be lessons to learn.
"We're keen to learn them, that's why we've committed to an inquiry and that will be the opportunity to look at what could be done differently and what lessons we take into the future."