Stay at home' Covid message faces scrutiny as public inquiry continues

England's chief medical officer is to be quizzed on the impact the pandemic had on the NHS.

Professor Sir Chris Whitty is to face questions when he appears before the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Thursday. Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett is examining the impact of the crisis on NHS workers, patients and the delivery of healthcare.

Module three of the inquiry is looking at the governmental and societal response to Covid-19 by assessing the impact of the pandemic on how NHS services were delivered. This will include how managers led the pandemic response, the role of primary care and GPs, NHS backlogs, and how the vaccine programme was integrated.

READ MORE: Manchester Piccadilly and other UK stations targeted with terrorism message in Wi-Fi 'cyber security incident'

The diagnosis of long Covid and the support offered to those affected will also be examined.

Sir Chris, who became a well-known figure during the crisis due to his regular appearances at Downing Street press conferences, is likely to be asked about the "Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives" messaging deployed at the start of the pandemic.

Former chief nursing officer for England Dame Ruth May was asked about the messaging when she appeared before the inquiry earlier in the month.

Asked if the message "got the balance wrong", she replied: "In hindsight I wish it was, 'stay at home but not if you're pregnant'... in hindsight, yes."

It comes as a charity said the Government "missed opportunities" to support the nation's mental health during the pandemic.

A report from the Centre for Mental Health said the pandemic caused "collective trauma" from the effects of isolation, bereavement and fear, and longer term trauma of health care workers and the