Decisions taken during Covid pandemic still weigh heavily on me, says Swann

Stormont’s erstwhile wellness curate Robin Swann has admitted that decisions helium made during the Covid pandemic proceed to “weigh heavily” upon him.

Mr Swann besides told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that helium did not supply capable absorption successful preparing for a surge successful the fig of captious cases during the aboriginal months of 2020.

Module three of the inquiry is looking astatine the governmental and societal effect to Covid-19 by assessing the interaction of the pandemic connected however wellness services were delivered.

During his evidence, the erstwhile minister, who is present an MP, was asked what lessons helium had learnt from the pandemic.

He said: “Being asked person I learnt (lessons), those idiosyncratic reflections successful respect to the decisions I took erstwhile I was wellness curate measurement heavy successful regards to the challenges that I faced and inactive deliberation about.

“In regards to immoderate of the questions that I rise myself astir what could person been done, were those the close decisions, were they timely with regards to what we knew past compared to what we cognize now?”

Earlier, Mr Swann said that the coming menace from the pandemic became “real” to him and Executive colleagues aft modelling figures successful 2020 estimated Northern Ireland could beryllium facing 4,000 infirmary admissions a day.

The Stormont powersharing Executive had precocious been restored astatine the clip and Ulster Unionist Mr Swann had taken connected the relation of wellness minister.

Counsel to the enquiry Nick Scott showed Mr Swann the archetypal Northern Ireland circumstantial modelling for Covid, which was produced connected March 20 2020.

The modelling indicated that without intervention, Northern Ireland could person been facing 32,000 cases a time with 4,000 regular hospitalisations.

I deliberation it was astatine that point, successful respect to the 32,000, the regular infirmary admissions of 4,000 perchance per day, was truly that constituent that made this full happening existent some to maine and my Executive colleagues

Robin Swann

Mr Scott asked: “Did this contiguous a melodramatic alteration successful presumption of the numbers that would person to beryllium dealt with?”

Mr Swann said: “At that circumstantial constituent successful respect to the 32,000 regular caller symptomatic cases (it) was a stark absorption successful regards to what Northern Ireland was really going to beryllium facing successful regards to those numbers without immoderate intervention.”

Mr Scott said: “Did it contiguous a measurement alteration to what you were moving towards?”

Mr Swann said: “I deliberation it was astatine that point, successful respect to the 32,000, the regular infirmary admissions of 4,000 perchance per day, was truly that constituent that made this full happening existent some to maine and my Executive colleagues.”

Mr Scott said: “This is March 9, did it not consciousness existent good earlier that constituent successful presumption of what was apt to hap successful Northern Ireland?”

Mr Swann said: “It did consciousness real, but I deliberation erstwhile you spot a colonisation of 1.9 cardinal successful Northern Ireland, wherever we could beryllium facing 32,000 cases per day, 4,000 infirmary admissions without behavioural intervention, that was the crux that made it existent for us.”

The barrister asked if anterior to the modelling determination had been “sufficient gait of readying to guarantee the wellness work could respond to the pandemic”.

Mr Swann said: “I don’t deliberation that the surge plans successful their totality were preparing for the numbers we were perchance going to spot without the regular interventions.

“The mean regular beds disposable successful Northern Ireland were really little than what was being expected arsenic the Covid highest regular caller infirmary admissions. It would person crippled our strategy wholly if we hadn’t taken those behavioural interventions that we did.”

Mr Scott said that 10 days aft the modelling figures, the Department of Health published a summary program to guarantee determination was capable capableness to conscionable summation successful demand.

He asked the erstwhile curate wherefore it did not see a surge program for captious attraction cases.

Mr Swann said: “There was not 1 developed astatine that signifier that I americium alert of.”

Mr Scott said: “Did you look astatine this and accidental however are we going to standard that captious care? Do we person a program successful place?”

Mr Swann replied: “If that is not successful that submission past I didn’t.”

Mr Scott said: “Do you deliberation that is simply a question you should person asked?”

Mr Swann said: “On reflection, yes. I was recently into the position… what I cognize present is precise antithetic from what I knew then.”

The barrister said: “It is not a substance of however agelong you were successful the relation to measure whether determination was a program successful spot for you were going to standard up captious care.”

Mr Swann said: “It is that quality to beryllium capable to inquire the close question astatine the close time. With hindsight, knowing what I cognize now, I would person asked that, I would person insisted connected it.”

Mr Scott asked: “Do you deliberation then, that immoderate the reason, you weren’t providing a capable level of absorption arsenic the wellness minister, that you believed you astir apt should person provided?”

Mr Swann responded: “Yes.”