Commissioner responds to announcement on independent Covid-19 review for Wales
Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Rhian Bowen-Davies, said:
“I welcome the announcement from the Welsh Government that it plans to hold an independent Wales Covid-19 review, which would provide important opportunities to take account of the specific action and decisions taken in Wales in response to the pandemic, and the impact these had on older people’s lives.
“Key decisions about the health service, social care, other key services and the restrictions placed on our daily lives were made by Welsh Ministers and it is therefore critical that there is accountability for these.
“Holding a Wales-specific review would also provide opportunities to further examine whether older people’s rights were sufficiently protected, particularly within health and social care settings, and considered when taking action and decisions.
“Given the amount of time that has passed since the pandemic began, it is crucial that the Welsh Government undertakes this review at pace, and I look forward to scrutinising further details – including proposed scope and timescales – when these are published in November. The Welsh Government must also provide assurance that this review will not impact on its response to the UK Covid Inquiry, which published its latest report this week, or taking forward the actions recommended to date.
“Translating lessons learnt during the pandemic into meaningful change and improvements to better protect older people is essential – not only in terms of responding to a future pandemic, but also more widely in responding to current and emerging issues – alongside delivering the greater transparency and accountability that older people and their loved ones deserve.”
