Commenting on the publication of the Covid Inquiry report into the NHS response to the pandemic today (Thursday), UNISON Covid lead and the union’s head of health during the pandemic Sara Gorton said:
“Years of catastrophic underfunding and cuts put the NHS in a state of crisis long before Covid hit.
“That left the health service a whisker away from catastrophe. It was only the extraordinary courage and dedication of the NHS workforce that brought the system back from the brink.
“Austerity heightened every problem as the UK went into the pandemic. The NHS had been left critically undermined.
“Healthcare staff, who repeatedly put themselves in harm’s way, were not the high priority they should have been. Systemic failures meant the most vulnerable workers were out of sight and out of mind.
“The shameful story of Covid is an NHS that had been left ill-prepared, leaders who failed to act and a misspending scandal that allowed Tory friends and cronies to hoover up cash and fail to deliver at the nation’s hour of need.
“All this at a time when staff were giving everything, in some cases their lives, to deliver the care needed. Shamefully, they were all but forgotten, burnt out and exposed to the virus, without even basic safety equipment.
“This report can give no clearer sign that proper funding and full staffing are vital to ensure public safety.”
Notes to editors:
– Sara Gorton, who is now UNISON London regional secretary, gave evidence to the third module of the Covid-19 inquiry hearings in September 2024 on behalf of the TUC.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Dan Ashley M: 07508 080349 E: d.ashley@unison.co.uk
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