Covid-19 Inquiry report: Fully funded pharmacy network vital to support pandemic planning, says NPA

Baroness Heather Hallett, Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, urges the new government to promptly implement her 10 key recommendations

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry published its first report following its investigation into the nation’s resilience and preparedness for the pandemic on Thursday 18 July 2024.

Baroness Heather Hallett, the Chair of the Inquiry, has outlined 10 recommendations in the Module 1 report.

Her key recommendations include a radical simplification of civil emergency preparedness and resilience systems, holding a UK-wide pandemic response exercise at least every three years, and the creation of a single, independent statutory body responsible for whole system preparedness and response.

Hallett urged the new UK government and the governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to promptly implement these recommendations.

She said: “My report recommends fundamental reform of the way in which the UK government and the devolved administrations prepare for whole-system civil emergencies.

“If the reforms I recommend are implemented, the nation will be more resilient and better able to avoid the terrible losses and costs to society that the Covid-19 pandemic brought.”

The Inquiry and the Chair will monitor the implementation of these recommendations and hold those in power accountable.

The Covid-19 Inquiry’s investigations are divided into Modules, with hearings for Module 1 taking place in London in June and July 2023. During these hearings, the Chair heard from current and former politicians, key scientists, experts, civil servants, and bereaved family members.

In her findings, the Chair concluded that the UK's pandemic preparedness system suffered from several significant flaws, including a flawed approach to risk assessment, a failure to learn fully from past civil emergency exercises and disease outbreaks, and ministers not receiving a broad enough range of scientific advice and failing to challenge the advice they did get.

Properly funded pharmacy network vital to support pandemic planning

Responding to Hallett's initial report, Nick Kaye, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), emphasised the importance of involving the pharmacy network in pandemic planning.

He said: "It’s absolutely right that we strengthen our pandemic preparedness – a new pandemic is a case of when not if

"A clear lesson from this part of the inquiry is that we need to bring the pharmacy network into planning for any pandemic so it can do what it does best and provide community health care right on people’s doorsteps along with maintaining the core medicine supply and urgent care services.”

Kaye noted that during the Covid pandemic, pharmacies administered millions of Covid jabs, saving countless lives, and remained operational when many parts of the health system were forced to close.

He stressed that a robust and properly funded community pharmacy network is essential for supporting community testing and vaccination efforts.

"We need a health system where pandemic preparations are always on, and a robust, properly funded community pharmacy network is vital to support community testing and vaccination,” he said.

Submitting its evidence to the Covid-19 Inquiry, the NPA highlighted areas of improvement in vaccination programme, notably the early involvement of community pharmacies in planning, operational challenges, and recognising the role of community pharmacy in addressing vaccine hesitancy and inequalities.

The Chair reiterated her aim to complete all public hearings by the summer of 2026 and to release reports with findings and recommendations as the Inquiry progresses.

The Inquiry's next report, which will examine Core UK decision-making and political governance, including in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (Modules 2, 2A, 2B, and 2C), is anticipated to be published in 2025.

Future reports will focus on specific areas, including:

• Module 3: Healthcare systems
• Module 4: Vaccines and therapeutics
• Module 5: Procurement – procurement and distribution of key equipment and supplies
• Module 6: The care sector
• Module 7: Test, trace, and isolate programmes
• Module 8: Children and young people
• Module 9: Economic response to the pandemic

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry began on 28 June 2022 to examine the UK’s response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and learn lessons for the future.