The UK Covid-19 Inquiry Newsletter dated November 2024.
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Message from Samantha Edwards, Director of Communications and Engagement
Welcome to our November newsletter. I am pleased to say that over 50,000 stories have now been shared with the Inquiry through Every Story Matters. Two years ago we launched our Every Story Matters website as a way for everyone who wishes to contribute to the Inquiry to do so. I am so grateful to each and every one of you who has taken the time to tell us about the impact of the pandemic on you and your loved ones, whether at home or in-person at one of our Every Story Matters events. This is such an important part of the Inquiry and is key to helping Baroness Hallett ensure that her recommendations are informed by the human impact of the pandemic. Every Story Matters is still open so I encourage those of you who haven’t taken part yet to please consider sharing your stories with us.
This week marks the concluding days of the public hearings for our Module 3 investigation into the impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems across the UK. Module 3 has been a substantial investigation, with 10 weeks of public hearings taking place this autumn. Baroness Hallett will now consider all of the evidence given in this investigation, including the Every Story Matters record of experiences in relation to healthcare when producing her findings and recommendations.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a distressing and traumatic experience for many people and often that distress continues today. From the outset of the Inquiry, Baroness Hallett has wanted her investigations to be grounded in the many and varied stories of the pandemic’s human impact. Our approach to doing this has developed over the course of the Inquiry, from artwork and a commemorative tapestry to photography and films preceding the hearings for each of our modules, featuring people affected by the topics under investigation.
We have listened to those who lost loved ones about how best to commemorate the impact of the pandemic. Building on what we’ve heard from bereaved people, we have created a dedicated space on our website, where you can find an archive of all the Inquiry’s impact films, commemorative photography and our tapestry artwork. I encourage you to visit the page, although please note that some of the material may be upsetting.
Thank you for your interest in the Inquiry and I look forward to seeing some of you at our hearing centre for our Module 4 (Vaccines and Therapeutics) public hearings from January and at our next Every Story Matters events in February.
Inquiry commemorates those most impacted by the pandemic on website
This month, the Inquiry has published a new section of the website dedicated to our commemoration activity. It features each of our seven impact films produced so far, artwork and photography displayed at our hearings and our digital tapestry, These Days.
New impact films will be added to the website as they are released during each set of hearings. Impact films feature a number of people who have spoken to us about how the pandemic has affected their lives and their loved ones. The films are played at the start of public hearings for each of our investigations, ensuring that proceedings are grounded in the human impact of the pandemic. Please note that the films contain upsetting material.
We are very grateful to all those who have contributed to our impact films, photography or tapestry. The Inquiry’s work in this area is one of a number of initiatives to commemorate the pandemic across the UK.
Above: commemorative photography on display at our hearing centre, Dorland House, as represented on the website
Listening to the pandemic experiences of children and young people
In 2025, the Inquiry will hear evidence about the impact of the pandemic on children and young people. In advance of this, we are encouraging 18-25 year olds, parents/carers, teachers and others who worked with children during the pandemic to share their stories with us through Every Story Matters.
We have partnered with organisations such as the Sutton Trust to raise awareness of this opportunity. Yasmin, who was in Year 10 at the start of the pandemic, has shared her experiences in a blog post on the COSMO Study website – please do take a look and share the link to Every Story Matters with anyone you know who can help us to understand how the pandemic affected children and young people.
For more information about sharing experiences in relation to the impact of the pandemic on children and young people, please see the information page on our website.
Every Story Matters is open to those aged 18 and over. The Inquiry has a separate project, Children and Young People’s Voices, that will listen to 9-22 year olds from a range of backgrounds across the UK about their experiences of the pandemic. Both this project and Every Story Matters will contribute evidence to our investigation into the impact of the pandemic on children and young people. More information about this project can be found on our website.
Above: images from our Every Story Matters campaign to encourage young people, parents/carers and adults who worked with children during the pandemic to share their stories
Upcoming hearing dates
Our next public hearings will run from Tuesday 14 January to Friday 31 January 2025, for our Module 4 investigation into Vaccines, therapeutics and anti-viral treatment across the UK.
We will share information about attending these hearings in person or watching remotely in the next newsletter.
Bereaved forum
Did you lose a loved one during the pandemic? Do you want to get more involved in the Inquiry’s work?
The Inquiry hosts a ‘bereaved forum’ – which is a group of people who lost loved ones during the pandemic, who are consulted on aspects of our work. Forum participants provide their advice based on their personal experiences to inform the Inquiry’s approach to aspects of its work, for example its support and safeguarding strategy, its online presence, Every Story Matters and commemoration.
The bereaved forum is open to anyone who lost a loved one during the pandemic between 2020 and 2022.
Those on the bereaved forum will receive regular emails detailing opportunities to provide the Inquiry with advice on relevant work.
If you are interested in joining the forum, please email engagement@covid19.public-inquiry.uk.
If you need to talk to someone about losing a loved one then you can contact our emotional support provider, Hestia, by calling 0800 2465617 or emailing covid19inquiry.support@hestia.org. More information is available on our website.