Much to praise, but mistakes made too

WALES can be proud of its efforts to manage and contain the spread of coronavirus in so many ways.

On a personal level, our adherence to the lockdown measures has greatly helped to reduce infection rates and ease the burden on our NHS. By staying at home, only travelling when necessary and maintaining good hand hygiene, the number of people catching the virus and being admitted to hospital is now on the decline.

And our NHS staff, carers and critical care workers also deserve huge credit for their response to the pandemic. Within weeks, hospital intensive care units were expanded and additional workers brought in so those most severely unwell with Covid-19 could be cared for.

A staggering 19 field hospitals have been built in rugby stadiums, holiday parks and even TV studios to boost capacity. According to latest figures, 368 beds have been created in these field hospitals, with a further 4,666 available if needed.

And some 17,500 volunteers have been drafted in to support frontline services either directly or indirectly, demonstrating our commitment as a nation to helping those in greatest need.

Similarly, the Welsh Government can be praised for supporting local businesses, offering additional help to the most vulnerable and boosting the healthcare system budget by half a billion pounds.

Stopping non-urgent procedures and appointments early on also allowed hospital staff to get on with training and preparation for the anticipated onslaught of coronavirus patients.

But there are others areas in which, over time, Welsh Government ministers may wish they acted more swiftly and with greater efficiency. For example, for weeks, there were concerns many frontline workers – in care homes in particular – were not receiving the PPE items they needed to protect themselves.

And there have also been broken promises when it comes to testing, with capacity nowhere near what it should have been at this stage. And while all symptomatic members of the public can now get access to a home coronavirus test, it has come far too late for many.

So the fact First Minister Mark Drakeford has offered his support to the setting up of a public inquiry into the coronavirus crisis is an important step towards accountability. Properly done, it should provide valuable insight into how the pandemic was handled across Wales and what lessons must be learnt.