Covid Inquiry: Former chief medical officer close to tears over pandemic deaths

England's erstwhile main aesculapian serviceman Dame Sally Davies was adjacent to tears arsenic she apologised to bereaved families by the pandemic astatine the Covid Inquiry.

"It wasn't conscionable the deaths, it was the mode they died... it was harrowing and it remains horrible," she said.

She besides said the UK did not person capable resilience to header with the pandemic, with less doctors, nurses oregon infirmary beds than akin countries.

The enquiry is presently examining the UK's preparedness up of Covid.

At the aforesaid hearing, George Osborne said his spending cuts meant the UK was amended capable to header with the pandemic.

The erstwhile chancellor argued that without austerity Britain would person been "more exposed" and rejected claims his attack near the wellness and societal attraction "depleted" up of the Covid pandemic.

Last week Sir Michael Marmot, a prof of epidemiology astatine University College London told the inquiry that the UK had entered the pandemic with "depleted" nationalist services.

Asked by enquiry lawyer Kate Blackwell KC if helium agreed with the statement, Mr Osborne said: "Most surely not, I wholly cull that."

He accepted much wealth could person been spent connected the NHS, but said arsenic chancellor helium had to equilibrium demands for resources from different nationalist services.

"You can't conscionable accidental we similar nationalist spending to beryllium higher without explaining wherever you get wealth from," helium told the inquiry.

He said the nationalist had elected the Conservatives to authorities successful 2010 and 2015 knowing the enactment was readying to chopped nationalist spending.

During the period, cuts were introduced successful payment spending, schoolhouse gathering programs, section government, police, courts and prisons. There was besides an wide compression connected wellness spending.

Mr Osborne - who was chancellor from 2010 to 2016 - said: "If we had not done that Britain would person been much exposed, not conscionable to aboriginal things similar the coronavirus pandemic, but so to the fiscal situation which precise rapidly followed successful countries crossed Europe.

"If we had not had a wide program to enactment the nationalist finances connected a sustainable way past Britain mightiness person experienced a fiscal crisis, we would not person had the fiscal abstraction to woody with the coronavirus pandemic erstwhile it hit."

Other organisations person questioned this claim. Writing successful a blog, Phil Banfield of the British Medical Association said a "failure to guarantee the NHS was decently staffed and resourced successful the decennary starring up to the pandemic, meant that erstwhile it did arrive, determination was nary capableness to conscionable the tsunami of demand."

On Monday, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) produced a report which said austerity had led to unsafe staffing successful nationalist services leaving the UK "hugely unprepared" for Covid.

During the 1 hr 20 infinitesimal question session, Mr Osborne was besides asked astir the Treasury's readying for imaginable nationalist lockdown.

He said the section had plans for an outbreak of influenza but added "given what subsequently happened that was precise tiny scale".

"There was nary readying done by Treasury - oregon immoderate occidental Treasury - for asking the full colonisation to enactment astatine location for months and months connected end.

"If idiosyncratic had said to you the UK authorities should beryllium preparing for a lockdown that mightiness past for months, past I person nary uncertainty the Treasury would person developed schemes it did subsequently make astir the furlough and the Covid loans.

"Planning could person been done for a furlough strategy successful beforehand - I'm not wide that would person made a amended furlough strategy than the 1 we arsenic a state really saw."

Following Mr Osborne's evidence, England's erstwhile main aesculapian serviceman Prof Dame Sally Davies told the enquiry the authorities didn't person plans for Covid but added "it didn't person resilience either".

She said that compared to different akin countries the UK was astatine the bottommost of the array for numbers of doctors, nurses, beds, IT units and ventilators per 100,000.

During her grounds she became affectional erstwhile apologising to the relatives of pandemic victims.

"It wasn't conscionable the deaths, it was the mode they died. It was horrible and I heard a batch astir it from my girl connected the frontline arsenic a young doc successful Scotland. It was harrowing, and it remains horrible," she said.

She besides expressed interest astir the interaction of the pandemic connected children and students.

"We person damaged a generation, and it is awful... watching these radical struggle," she said.

Earlier successful the day, Sir Oliver Letwin, a elder curate successful David Cameron's government, told the enquiry a accelerated turnover of civilian work unit hindered the government's quality to program for pandemics.

He besides warned that the UK was "wildly under-resilient" and said determination should beryllium a curate "solely devoted" to the subject.

Labour said the admissions were "too little, excessively late", adding the Conservatives "cannot beryllium trusted to support the nationalist from the emergencies of tomorrow".