Published by Sarah Yeoman at 8:45am 28th July 2020.

A group of NHS campaigners in Cornwall are calling for an urgent Covid pandemic review, so lessons can be learnt if a second wave of coronavirus hits.

Save our NHS Cornwall is made up of recently retired doctors, nurses, consultants and patient representatives. The group is an intelligence gathering and campaigning body set up to promote a public a properly funded NHS.

Now they have called upon Cornwall's health scrutiny body to hold an urgent and quick inquiry to learn lessons so the local health community is better prepared if or when a further wave of the pandemic hits the area.

Its chair, Andrew George, has written to the Chair of Cornwall Council's Healthand Social Care Scrutiny Committee, Cllr Armand Toms, to urge the Committee to hold an inquiry as soon as possible.

"The UK has one of the worst pandemic death rates in the world. Before we're hit with another wave it's vital we learn lessons from the first.

"From what we can see it's clear our frontline NHS and care staff demonstrated their dedication and professionalism.

"But they appear to have been let down by Ministers who appear not to have fully understood the risks, failed to prepare, were slow to take the necessary action with testing, tracing, ensuring there was sufficient PPE and set a poor example to the public.

"We need to know more and to learn where and why so many people have died and continue to die?

"As the PM has said he doesn't want an Inquiry now, it's up to Cornwall to organise it's own and to call on the Government to respond to its call for evidence.

"After all how will we know if plans to combat Covid next time will be the right ones if we haven't learnt whether our last plans worked or not?"

Andrew George, Save Our NHS Cornwall

Mr George added that the local NHS has made clear that it is 'willing and keen to contribute' to such an inquiry.