News

Cruse welcomes recommended changes to the Covid inquiry terms of reference

We are relieved that the Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has recommended adding support for bereaved people to its remit.

May 12, 2022

The Covid-19 Inquiry Chair has made recommendations for changes to the terms of reference, following a consultation which had more than 20,000 responses.

We are pleased and relieved that Baroness Hallet has recommended the terms of reference are expanded to include the mental health and wellbeing of the UK population. Crucially this includes access to bereavement support for those bereaved during the pandemic. Studies of people bereaved during the Covid pandemic have found that difficulties getting help following bereavement have been common. She also recommends that the terms of reference put possible inequalities at the forefront so that investigation into the unequal impacts of the pandemic runs through the whole Inquiry.

We urge the Prime Minister to accept her changes, recognising the input of everybody who participated. Many thanks to everyone who added your voices to ours in calling for these changes. You can read the full recommendations at www.covid19.public-inquiry.uk.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been bereaved during the pandemic. Many of them have needed specialist support to cope with their loss – a fact that was frustratingly ignored by this draft of Terms for the Covid-19 Inquiry. It is crucial that Inquiry investigates the support to bereaved people over the last two years and the role of Government in funding that support.

Steven Wibberley, Cruse Chief Executive

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