The third module of the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry focuses on how the NHS coped during the spread of the coronavirus, examining leadership, the role of primary care and GPs, NHS backlogs, and the integration of the vaccine programme, with findings due to be reported later this week.

Bereaved families, who allege the NHS was underfunded and unprepared, criticize the inquiry for not yet delivering concrete recommendations, even as important evidence is revealed.

The inquiry’s chair is assessing NHS management, primary care roles, backlogs, and vaccine integration as part of the overarching inquiry into the crisis response.

Care minister Stephen Kinnock says the changes aim to protect patients and residents, give families a stronger voice, and ensure visiting rights are not an indicator of failure in care.

Former health secretary Matt Hancock defended pausing non-urgent planned care to free capacity, noting hospitals were close to exhausting some PPE supplies in the early months.

The crisis led to increased nurse workloads in critical care and a government focus on Covid-19 at the expense of elective procedures, contributing to longer waiting lists for non-Covid patients.

Public voices argue that inaction would cost more than fixing the system, underscoring the urgency to protect lives going forward.

Families say the inquiry has produced important evidence but calls for concrete recommendations and systemic reforms to prevent similar failures in future crises.

Bereaved families describe the experience as deeply personal and devastating, highlighting that many felt abandoned when loved ones contracted Covid-19 early in the pandemic.

Kinnock emphasizes that family contact should be a basic component of good care, with policies designed to make visitation rights clearer, more compassionate, and open.

Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty admits officials did not communicate clearly that people should still seek hospital care for serious non-Covid conditions, describing the miscommunication as catastrophic without lockdowns.

The inquiry has faced scrutiny over messaging, with officials acknowledging insufficient guidance on seeking care for serious illnesses outside COVID, which affected help-seeking behavior.