Recommendation 21

Government published a large amount of guidance during the early stages of the pandemic. The NAO found that effective communication and public engagement are crucial to ensuring that COVID-19 response programmes succeed. Some departments, such as HM Revenue & Customs, developed clear and consistent communications and engagement plans for initiatives such as the employment support schemes.45 Communications from government in other areas, however, were not always clear of timely. Guidance on PPE changed 30 times up to 31 July 2020 and social care representatives had found the frequency of changes confusing. The Department for Education published 148 new guidance documents and updates to existing material between 16 March and 1 May 2020. This guidance was often issued late on a Friday evening, putting teachers, schools and governors under great pressure, especially when guidance was for immediate implementation. When the guidance was updated, schools were not always clear what changes had been made.46 We asked witnesses about their approach to communication, including the example in mid-December 2020 when Government announced that mass testing of pupils would take place from the first day of the new year, giving schools only a few weeks to prepare for this change and causing criticism from school staff. The Cabinet Office accepted that there had been a lot of information put out before the end of the year but told us that it had improved its approach “quite rapidly” and as the information picture concerning the pandemic had become more stable, guidance had been issued less frequently. It also explained that learning about the timeliness of communication had informed the spring strategy, which stated that decisions on easing restrictions should be communicated to the public at least one week before they enter into force.47