Plans existed to address a major pandemic in Scotland but the duration of the Covid-19 outbreak was not anticipated, an inquiry has heard.
asserted
inquiry → exist → outbreak
He said emergency and resiliency planning in Scotland “broadly anticipated” a potential pandemic of the size and scale of coronavirus, but the duration of it – just over three years – was a “variation”.
asserted
duration → say → it
He told the inquiry: “That’s the bit that we hadn’t added in there.”
asserted
we → tell → that
Mr Campbell gave evidence alongside two other representatives from resilience partnerships.
asserted
Campbell → give → partnerships
The inquiry heard resilience partnerships were urged to prepare for a national pandemic years before Covid emerged.
asserted
Covid → hear → pandemic
A document from October 2017 stated pandemic influenza was the “highest rated risk” in a UK national risk assessment.
asserted
influenza → state → assessment
Through resilience partnerships, organisations – such as Police Scotland, local authorities and NHS boards – were told to prepare for increased demand for services, high levels of staff absence across all sectors, the potential need to manage a number of excess deaths, and school closures.
asserted
organisations → tell → deaths
Mr Campbell said: “We certainly had pandemic plans, and they had been extensively discussed between boards and local resilience partnerships.
asserted
they → say → boards
“We also had high consequence infectious disease plans.
asserted
We → have → plans
The reality is that Covid sat between the two of those – that’s where the challenge came.
asserted
challenge → sit → those
“The plans existed, but I certainly never anticipated the duration.
asserted
I → exist → duration
So prior to it, I didn’t raise concerns to say our plans are not adequate to last just over three years.
asserted
plans → raise → years
“In hindsight looking back, there were mistakes, but that’s with the benefit of hindsight.
asserted
that → look → hindsight
Coming up to it, I didn’t see that.”
asserted
I → come → that
Faryma Bahrami, junior counsel to the inquiry, said many of the emergency preparations were “still in the pipeline” in 2020 when Covid emerged and had “not been completed”.
asserted
Covid → say → 2020
She asked the panel to share their thoughts on why preparedness work was not completed and if that was brought to the attention of the Scottish Government.
asserted
that → ask → Government
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams, who also appeared on the panel in relation to his time as the former chairman of the West of Scotland Regional Resilience Partnership and as a former member of the Lothian and Borders and City of Edinburgh Local Resilience Partnerships, said plans had been progressing.
asserted
plans → appear → Partnerships
“There was no shortage of desire or enthusiasm to continue that work, but nevertheless it was a priority, and it was a priority being progressed,” he said.
asserted
he → be → work
He said plans may not have reached the desired final stage in all areas that organisations would have liked, but he emphasised that there was a framework.
uncertain
he → say → that
He also stated that from a police perspective, pandemic preparedness is “not the only thing we are dealing with”.
asserted
we → state → perspective
Amid business-as-usual pressures, Mr Williams said Police Scotland are “also attempting to plan for dozens of risks we face”.
asserted
we → say → risks
Throughout the period leading up to the pandemic, he said Police Scotland and other agencies were also preparing for the consequences and variables associated with Brexit.
asserted
Scotland → lead → Brexit
“That didn’t stand in the way, but it was a reality of balancing a lot of priorities at the same time and protecting the public in so many other ways,” he told the inquiry.
asserted
he → stand → inquiry
The implementation hearings, before inquiry chairman Lord Brailsford, continue.
asserted
hearings → continue → Brailsford
The Aporia
