Sixth Report - Coronavirus: lessons learned to date

The government proposes that arrangements should be established and tested to allow immediate data flows between relevant bodies during an emergency, including a mechanism for dispute resolution.

The government accepts the recommendation, stating UKHSA will work with partners to improve data sharing agreements, ensuring GDPR compliance and data security.

The government accepts the recommendation and is exploring options for establishing a volunteer reserve database for rapid deployment in future emergencies. NHS England is collaborating with the Royal Voluntary Service and St John Ambulance to develop rapid volunteer deployment methods.

The government accepts the recommendation, stating that NHS England is developing proposals for explicit, monitored surge capacity plans within the NHS, considering staff, beds, and equipment, which will be incorporated into routine planning and funding.

The government accepts the recommendation, stating NHS England is committed to developing and publishing new protocols for infection prevention and control, and will consider maintaining access for patient companions.

The government accepts the recommendation and confirms NHS England is undertaking comprehensive analysis to assess the safety of the NHS's limited latent capacity, which will inform future surge capacity plans.

The government accepts the recommendation, stating NHS England and Health Education England are collaborating to develop proposals for enabling NHS staff to change clinical specialty mid-career and train in sub-specialties.

The government commits to a future policy development approach characterized by greater questioning and challenge of scientific advice. Ministers will be more robust in challenging advice, and the government and SAGE will facilitate strong external and structured challenge, including from international experts and a wider range of disciplines.

The government committed to ensuring future policy development is characterised by greater questioning and challenge, with Ministers taking a robust approach to advice and the government/SAGE facilitating strong external challenge from diverse disciplines and international experts.

The government commits to a future policy development approach characterized by greater questioning and challenge of scientific advice. Ministers will be more robust in challenging advice, and the government and SAGE will facilitate strong external and structured challenge, including from international experts and a wider range of disciplines.

The government commits to ensuring that, in future, policy development includes a more robust approach to challenging scientific advice. This includes facilitating strong external and structured challenge from international experts and a wider range of disciplines, directly addressing the concern about insufficient international perspectives.

The government commits to adopting an approach of greater questioning and challenge in policy development, with Ministers taking a more robust approach to scientific advice, and SAGE facilitating strong external and international expert challenge.

The government accepts the committee's observation, acknowledging that it should have acted faster to introduce measures like social distancing, mask-wearing, and an earlier lockdown in the pandemic's early stages. It commits to learning lessons for future public health emergencies, as reflected in the 'Living with COVID-19' strategy.

The government accepts the recommendation, committing UKHSA to continue building on lessons learned in health communications. This includes ensuring messaging is clear, consistent, accessible, working with trusted messengers, investing in research, and collaborating with local partners to ensure cultural sensitivity and accessible formats.

The government accepts the (implied) recommendation, committing to ensure future health communications from UKHSA are clear, consistent, and accessible, working with trusted messengers and local partners, and investing in research to understand public compliance.

The government accepts the principle of effective communication, committing to UKHSA ensuring clear, consistent, accessible messaging, working with trusted messengers, investing in research on public motivation, and partnering with local authorities to deliver culturally sensitive and accessible information in various formats.

The government commits to UKHSA building on lessons learned to ensure clear, consistent, and accessible messaging, working with trusted messengers and local authorities, and investing in research to understand public compliance.

The government accepts the recommendation, recognizing the importance of accessible communication, including British Sign Language, and commits to continuing to work with stakeholders to ensure all messaging is accessible.

The government commits to UKHSA building on lessons learned to ensure clear, consistent, and accessible messaging, working with trusted messengers and local authorities, and investing in research to understand public compliance.

The government committed to building on the pandemic's legacy by ensuring a resilient and scalable test, trace, and isolate infrastructure is in place, and by working closely with local authorities to support future contact tracing and public health emergency responses.

The government recognises the impact on the social care sector and points to the existing 'Build Back Better' plan from September 2021, which outlines reforms, funding models, and closer working between health and social care.

The government accepts the recommendation, stating the CCS will continue developing capabilities, building relationships, challenging assumptions, and testing plans as part of a new cross-government Resilience Strategy, with updates provided through Cabinet Office reports.

The government accepts the recommendation, committing to continuously improve data sharing arrangements for future emergencies by reviewing and developing new agreements, investing in data infrastructure, and strengthening data governance.

The government accepts the recommendation, stating the NHS is committed to developing new infection prevention and control protocols for pandemics and highlighting existing guidance that emphasizes maintaining access for advocates and birthing partners.

The government fully accepted the recommendation, reiterating its commitment that future policy development will be characterized by greater questioning and challenge, with ministers taking a more robust approach and SAGE facilitating external and structured scientific challenge.

The government accepted the recommendation to advocate for international standards of death reporting via the WHO, noting that the UK already champions mortality surveillance and actively contributes to the development of WHO's International Classification of Diseases standards.

The government accepts the recommendation, committing to building a resilient and scalable infrastructure for future public health threats. This includes working closely with local authorities to ensure their capability for future contact tracing and maintaining strong relationships between UKHSA and local tracing arrangements.

The government accepts the recommendation but states that PHE and its successor, UKHSA, have always strived to learn from and collaborate with other countries and organisations. UKHSA will continue to share and learn best practices globally and maintain strong international relationships.

The government acknowledged the conclusion and stated it has responded to the strain on the social care sector by outlining the 'Build Back Better' plan, which includes reform, funding proposals, and closer integration with health services.

The government acknowledged the impact on the social care sector and highlighted its 'Build Back Better' plan for health and social care, announced in September 2021, which includes a programme of reform, funding proposals, and collaboration with devolved governments.

The government acknowledges pressures on the social care sector and references the existing ‘Build Back Better’ plan from September 2021, which includes a reform programme, proposals for a sustainable funding model, and efforts to integrate health and social care.

The government explicitly accepts the recommendation to enhance social care's prominence, address knowledge gaps, ensure informed policy, and retain Social Care Taskforce expertise for future pandemic planning.

The government explicitly accepted the recommendation to pursue long-term social care reform urgently and create a 10-Year Plan for Social Care, ensuring parity with the health sector.

The government explicitly accepts the recommendation to direct additional resources to social care, endorsing the Health and Social Care Committee's call for increased funding.

The government accepted the recommendation to review infection prevention and control measures in social care, ensure preparedness drills, and guarantee isolation facilities and safe visiting in care homes.

The government accepts the committee's observation that the impact of COVID-19 was uneven across the population, leading to higher illness and deaths in some sections of society.

The government accepts the importance of the concern regarding inappropriate DNACPR notices and details a range of existing and past measures implemented during the pandemic, including GP reviews of DNACPRs, guidance from NHS England, and the commissioning of an acute care toolkit published in April 2022, to protect people with learning disabilities and autistic people.