Covid-19 inquiry latest: Harrowing impact of pandemic on NHS and patients to be revealed in new report

The UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry will publish a report into the impact of the virus on patients and staff on Thursday.

This is the third report to be published in the inquiry into how the NHS responded to the crisis.

The report will be published alongside Baroness Heather Hallett’s statement at 12pm.

Former health secretary Matt Hancock told the inquiry that in the early months of the outbreak, hospitals in England were within hours of running out of some supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Mr Hancock also said he reluctantly approved the decision to suspend non-urgent planned maintenance during the pandemic.

The government suspended elective (non-urgent) treatment in spring 2020, prioritizing hospital capacity for Covid-19 and emergency patients.

This led to growing waiting lists and meant thousands of people needing care for non-Covid reasons were forced to wait or were unable to access treatment.

The former MP also defended the Stay Home, Save Lives, Protect the NHS messages implemented during the pandemic.

The UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry is set to publish a report on Module 3 of its investigations examining how the NHS is coping with the spreading coronavirus outbreak.

Baroness Heather Hallett, chair of the inquiry, examined all aspects of the NHS during the crisis.

These included how managers managed the pandemic response, the role of primary care and GPs, the backlog in the NHS and how the vaccine program was integrated.