Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 76
76
Accepted
The veil of ignorance through which the UK viewed the initial weeks of the pandemic...
Recommendation
The veil of ignorance through which the UK viewed the initial weeks of the pandemic was partly self-inflicted. As we examine in depth in Chapter 4, the UK failed to turn an early lead in developing a test for covid in January 2020 into a testing operation that was adequate for the needs of the country—depriving scientists and policymakers of crucial granular data. Our Committees heard that the UK did not take enough advantage of the learning and experience being generated in other countries, notably in East Asia.98 The approach the UK took was particular, and in some respects exceptional.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepted the recommendation, stating that Public Health England, its successors, ministers, and scientific advisers should be more willing to study and emulate practices from other countries, and a culture of proactive collaboration should be established.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
Public Health England and its successor bodies, as well as Ministers and their scientific advisers, should be more willing to study and emulate the practice of other countries with urgency and agility, especially during a crisis. A culture must be established that looks proactively to collaborate with other organisations, rather than to reject assistance.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗