The UK COVID-19 Inquiry has been set up to examine the UK’s response to and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and learn lessons for the future.

Baroness Heather Hallett leads the Inquiry and will review the actions taken by the UK Government, the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and other public bodies.

We pledged in 2020, when we began collecting patients’ experience of care during the pandemic, that if a public inquiry were to be established to look at what happened we would share any information we collected. 

We are Core Participants to Module 3 and Module 6 of the Inquiry. 

Core Participants

A Core Participant is a person, institution or organisation with a specific interest in the work of the Inquiry. Core Participants have special rights in the Inquiry process. These include receiving information, being represented and making legal submissions, suggesting questions and receiving advance notice of the Inquiry’s report.

The Inquiry has designated the Patients Association, John's Campaign and Care Rights UK as Core Participants. 

We are supported by Leigh Day Solicitors in this role.

Module 3: Healthcare Systems

Module 3 of the Inquiry is investigating the impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems across the UK and how healthcare systems responded to the pandemic, the challenges they faced, and the decisions made by governments, public bodies, and healthcare providers.

Module 6: Adult Social Care

Module 6 is focused on the adult social care sector, including care homes, home care services, and the impact on unpaid carers. The Inquiry is investigating how the pandemic affected the provision of social care, the challenges faced by the sector, and the decisions made by governments and public bodies. 

Share your experience

The Inquiry has invited individuals to share their experiences of the pandemic with it. Every Story Matters is a way for people to share with the Inquiry the impact the pandemic had on them, their lives, and the other people around them.

The inquiry hopes people’s individual stories will help it develop recommendations that could help future generations to come.

Visit the Inquiry website for more information about the Inquiry and Every Story Matters. There are Easy Read versions online.

The Inquiry published its first report, Module 1 - Resilience and preparedness in July 2024. It examines the state of the UK’s central structures and procedures for pandemic emergency preparedness, resilience and response.

Photo credit: Edmond Terakopian