The Welsh Government is to establish an independent Wales-specific Covid-19 review, following years of campaigning by bereaved families and a manifesto commitment from Plaid Cymru.
The decision comes after Plaid Cymru promised in its manifesto to examine the Labour administration's handling of the pandemic if it won the Senedd election. The previous Labour-run Welsh Government had repeatedly rejected calls for a Wales-specific inquiry.
Review to be Led by Minister
In a decision notice issued on October 21, the Welsh Government confirmed that Dafydd Trystan Davies MS, effectiveness and constitution minister, will establish the review. Further details are expected to be announced by Mr Davies in the Senedd next month.
Natasha Asghar MS, the Welsh Conservatives' health spokesperson, welcomed the decision. "For years, Labour refused to set up an independent inquiry into Covid-19, preventing the Welsh Government learning the lessons from the pandemic," she said.
Key Questions to Address
Ms Asghar highlighted difficult questions that need addressing, including "why the virus was allowed to spread in care homes and why the Welsh Government took a more draconian approach to lockdowns compared to other parts of the UK."
"Welsh Conservatives have consistently called for an independent inquiry to help ensure that Wales is better prepared for any future pandemic," she added.
UK Inquiry Findings on Care Sector
The announcement follows the UK Covid-19 Inquiry's conclusion that the care sector was treated as "an afterthought" during the pandemic, leading to thousands of deaths as the virus was allowed to "spread like wildfire".
Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett stated that claims made by then-health secretary Matt Hancock in May 2020 regarding a "protective ring" around care homes were "unfounded", remarking that "quite the opposite was true".
The inquiry revealed that vulnerable residents were left with "insufficient protection" after hospital patients were routinely discharged into care homes without being tested for the virus. The report found that the mantra of protecting the NHS "sometimes came at the expense of the users and providers of care", with care homes "becoming prisons" for some amid visiting bans and many residents feeling "abandoned".
