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Covid inquiry wants to ensure 'public are heard'

Andy Howard
BBC News, Bristol
BBC A large poster depicting an older woman touching a younger woman through glass while both a wearing face masks hangs in a window. The Covid inquiry branding is visible on a panel in the background. BBC
The Covid inquiry is visiting Bristol this week

The next pandemic is a question of "when not if", a spokesperson for the Covid-19 inquiry has warned.

The national inquiry team is currently in Bristol to gather people's experiences of the impact of coronavirus and successive lockdowns.

It is one of a series of Every Story Matters community events being held nationwide.

Lizzie Kumaria, head of public engagement for the enquiry, said: "We know the next pandemic is 'when not if' so we need to be better prepared."

The Covid inquiry held its first public hearings in June 2023, with subsequent hearings being held in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

It has heard from health experts, politicians, civil servants, but the Every Story Matters arm of inquiry is focused on gathering testimony from the public.

More than 50,000 people have shared their stories online, while in-person events are being held in 15 different cities.

Speaking to BBC Bristol, Ms Kumaria said: "The point of it is that we want to ensure that the voice of the public is part of the UK inquiry.

A woman with dyed purple curly hair, glasses and a black jacket looks directly into the camera.
Nurse Sally Quigley worked in Southmead Hospital's night team during the pandemic

Sally Quigley, a nurse at Southmead Hospital, came to the inquiry to raise the issue of the university fees student nurses were charged while working as front line hospital staff.

"I think it's really wrong. I don't think any of the student nurses that worked as part of the work force during Covid should have accrued course fees for that," she said.

For her, the hardest part of the job was caring for very ill and dying people when their loved ones were not permitted to visit.

She and her colleagues read them every single card and letter they received.

"We we did our best and really felt the pain of every single patient whose family couldn't be with them," she said.

A woman with long curly hair looks at the camera, she is wearing a UK Covid-19 inquiry tee-shirt. Signs with the inquiry's branding is visible in the background.
Lizzie Kumaria says the public's voice is a vital strand of evidence for the enquiry

Ms Kumaria said: "We've heard a huge range of different stories, a lot of them are very sad - tales of loss, and people who have suffered severe health impacts in some cases.

"We have also had people come in talking about the impact on children, the impact on their family and work lives and disruption to education and relationships."

But she added that there had also been some heart warming stories of communities coming together and support one another.

The inquiry team hosted the event at the Galleries in the city centre on Tuesday, and will be back again on Wednesday between 10:30 GMT and 17:30 GMT.

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