The UK covid-19 Inquiry

Secured by bereaved families.

What is the Covid Inquiry?

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is an ongoing, independent investigation into the UK’s response to and impact of the pandemic, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett.

Announced in May 2021 and launched in spring 2022, it began public hearings in June 2023 and is organised into ten modules covering areas such as preparedness, lockdowns, health and social care, procurement, and financial support.

It examines events up to the Inquiry’s establishment on 28 June 2022, across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Its aim is to uncover the truth, learn lessons, and make recommendations so the UK is better prepared for future crises.

Our Role in the Inquiry

We campaigned tirelessly for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and won. We are a core participant, which means we can see evidence as it is disclosed, put questions to witnesses through our lawyers, and make sure bereaved families’ voices are at the centre of this process.

We also work to ensure that the media and decision makers, like Members of Parliament, are kept updated and aware of the inquiry and the shocking evidence it continues to cover.

Our LEgal Representation

We are represented by Broudie Jackson Canter, a leading law firm with a long history of supporting bereaved families in public inquiries.

Our counsel is Pete Weatherby KC, a barrister who has represented Hillsborough families, Grenfell bereaved families, and others in major public inquiries. Pete is an expert in the law around the right to life and in using inquiries to deliver real change.

Our legal representatives:

  • Give strategic advice on how to make the most of our role in the inquiry

  • Represent us in inquiry hearings and behind the scenes

  • Request additional evidence through Rule 9 applications

  • Draft and deliver questions for witnesses

  • Work with us to co-produce closing submissions and recommendations

How our members help shape the Inquiry

  • Share powerful evidence and personal testimonies that shine a light on what went wrong, the impact of failures,  and how to prevent future deaths. 

  • Join specialist subgroups on health and social care, care homes, frontline workers, and Black and minority ethnic communities

  • Give oral or written evidence directly to the Inquiry

  • Speak to the media, both inside and outside the hearings, to highlight key issues

  • Attend hearings in person to support one another and raise public awareness

  • Work with our legal team to ask vital questions to key witnesses

  • Help shape Inquiry modules, pushing for the most important witnesses to be called and the issues that matter most to bereaved families to be investigated

Inquiry Progress

Module 1: Preparedness and resilience
Completed
Examines the UK's preparedness and resilience for a pandemic, including risk assessment, planning, and how lessons from previous events were applied.
Module 2: Decision making and governance
Report pending
Looks at political and administrative decision making during the pandemic, including the roles of key bodies and ministers, and the advice they received.
Module 3: Impact on healthcare
Report pending
Investigates how the pandemic affected healthcare systems, including capacity, workforce, and the provision of non COVID services.
Module 4: Vaccines and therapeutics
Report pending
Covers the development, procurement, and distribution of vaccines and treatments, including public communication and uptake.
Module 5: Procurement
Report pending
Considers the procurement of goods and services during the pandemic, such as PPE, and the awarding of contracts.
Module 6: Care sector
Report pending
Examines the impact of the pandemic on adult social care, including care homes, and the decision making affecting the sector.
Module 7: Test, trace and isolate
Report pending
Reviews the test, trace and isolate system, including its design, effectiveness, and public compliance.
Module 8: Children and young people
Upcoming
Will investigate the impact of the pandemic on children and young people, including education, wellbeing, and safeguarding.
Module 9: Economic response
Upcoming
Will assess the economic response to the pandemic, including support for businesses, workers, and the self employed.
Module 10: Wider societal impact
Upcoming
Will explore the broader social impacts of the pandemic, including mental health, inequality, and community cohesion.

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Act Now, Save Lives: Preparing for the Next Pandemic - Report
Act Now, Save Lives: Preparing for the Next Pandemic - Report