Responding to the official start of the UK COVID-19 Public Inquiry by chair Baroness Hallett, the interim deputy chief executive and director of policy and strategy of NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

"We welcome the start of the public inquiry into the UK's preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The pandemic has had a deep and lasting impact on the health and care sector. The NHS went above and beyond during the pandemic, but it also faced many challenges at different points in the pandemic such as infection prevention and control, access to personal protective equipment, testing and robust epidemiological modelling. There is now a need to tackle significant care backlogs and staff burnout exacerbated by the pandemic.

"It is important that actionable lessons can be learned from the process as they emerge, and we are therefore pleased to see Baroness Hallett confirm that the inquiry will produce regular reports and recommendations. This will help ensure the inquiry can play a key role in preparing the UK to respond to future pressures in a timely manner.

"We look forward to supporting trusts appropriately as this inquiry progresses."