The Unequal Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Learning the Lessons – The Unequal Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Voices of People and Communities captures the findings from an engagement exercise held earlier this year, by National Voices about how communities and groups were affected differently by both the COVID-19 virus itself and the measures to control it.  

The report paints a grim picture of the ways in which the pandemic response exacerbated existing, deep-rooted inequalities across the UK, and compounded the disadvantages experienced by people from minoritised communities, by disabled people and by people living with long term conditions. 

We commend the lessons learned through this work to the Covid-19 Inquiry and hope they will recommend the actions we have identified. We have already met with the team to support them in their work to engage meaningfully with people and communities most impacted by the pandemic and stand ready to constructively help to take this important work forward. 

Two blogs have also been published today, alongside the report. 

“Will the Covid Inquiry give communities the sense of closure we all need?” written by National Voices’ Chief Executive Jacob Lant, examines the findings from National Voices’ report and considers this alongside the processes taken by the Inquiry. 

“UK Covid-19 Inquiry: how can my organisation share our members’ experiences of the pandemic?” is written by Ben Connah, the Secretary to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. His blog offers further detail on the processes of sharing information with the Inquiry, and why this is important for National Voices’ members. 

Jacob Lant, Chief Executive of National Voices says: 

Our new report explores how communities and groups were affected differently by COVID-19 itself, and by the measures brought in to control it. For many people and communities, the pandemic is not over, and its impacts continue to be felt deeply.    

With the Covid-19 Inquiry underway, it is crucial that we learn lessons from the pandemic so that we can do better in current and future crises. Those at the sharpest end of the pandemic include people with learning disabilities, for whom Do Not Resuscitate order (DNRs) were disproportionately applied, and those who are immunocompromised, who were asked to go into isolation for huge periods of time. Many people are still struggling with the physical and mental health impacts of these policies. 

Our report offers a series of recommendations that we hope the Inquiry team will take forward in their important work. We at National Voices stand ready to help.