The Covid inquiry in Wales is set to begin, with accountability topping the list of demands from families who lost loved ones and individuals tasked with protecting vulnerable citizens. The inquiry will focus on actions taken by the Welsh government during the pandemic, including lockdown timings and rationale, and will run for three weeks. For many, it will provide an opportunity to hear justifications for policies that left them feeling unsupported and alone.
Ann Richards, who lost her husband Eirwyn to hospital-acquired Covid in January 2021, wonders if non-urgent healthcare had been fully operational, her husband may have been discharged earlier. A delay in obtaining a purpose-built wheelchair, due to additional virus control measures, held up his discharge from the hospital. Ann drove to Rhondda Cynon Taf from her home in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, to collect the chair herself. Her son, who lived on the Welsh border, was also expected to work for his Bristol employer despite rules in Wales preventing that type of travel.
As the manager of two care homes in Wrexham, Gaynor Jones felt her sector was “thrown under a bus by the government” due to the unworkable advice preventing care for vulnerable residents. Instead, her care homes formed their own bubble, with staff not leaving for six weeks, and nine volunteers joining each home. The decision ensured there were no Covid-related deaths during the first wave.
While officials, advisors, and ministers provide evidence to the inquiry regarding the decision-making during that time, Jones would like someone “culpable and accountable” for the lack of support and confusion. She said, “You are responsible and culpable for the people in your care. That can only be achieved with multi-disciplinary health professionals on board.” Doctor visits to care homes stopped, leaving those in such homes without the previously available support.
Over the next three weeks, the Covid inquiry in Wales will scrutinize decisions made, public messaging, understanding of the virus in the early days, scientific models used, and the proportionality of new rules
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