Matt Hancock defended the government’s handling of the NHS during the pandemic, claiming the system was ‘not overwhelmed.’ 

The statement was challenged during the COVID-19 hearings as critics highlighted the unprecedented strain on healthcare workers and resources 

When asked about the state of the NHS at the height of the pandemic, Hancock said: “whilst individual parts were under pressure the overall point is we did not have a collapse in the system”. 

Hancock acknowledged that “[the system] had to cope with more than it had to cope with at any other time in modern history”. 

The former Health Secretary was interviewed about several elements of the COVID-19 pandemic and specifically the government’s response as a part of the Covid hearing module 3.  

Hancock’s testimony in module 3 of the COVID-19 hearings examined critical decisions made during the pandemic. 

Per the official website, the Covid hearing module 3 is concerned with ‘the governmental and societal response to Covid-19 as well as dissecting the impact that the pandemic had on healthcare systems, patients and health care workers.’ 

Hancock stated that in the face of crisis he felt that it was his “duty that the public felt that the NHS was there for them.” 

Discussing the strain on ICU (Intensive Unit Care) nurses, Hancock revealed that he had wanted to push the ratio of one ICU to care for six patients further.  

On the the topic of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment), Hancock admitted that there were serious shortages, explaining that during April and May 2020 the NHS came “extremely close” to “small numbers of items on a regular basis.” 

Hancock told the inquiry that the NHS was “within 6-7 hours” of running out of gowns on 13 April 2020, about a month into the pandemic.  

The lack of PPE led to official guidance recommending that nurses should re-use masks, in spite of expert research showing that this rendered the protective equipment less effective.  

Despite no national shortage of PPE, Hancock admitted that individual hospitals experienced scarcity but insisted that his responsibility was for the system as a whole. 

Hancock was observed by some members of the public who had lost family members to the virus.  

Several had to be asked to leave the hearing, due to emotional outbursts, including shouting “liar” at the former health secretary. 

Other key figures who have provided evidence in the module 3 hearing include Humza Yousaf, first minister of Scotland, Robin Swann, former Minister of Health for Northern Ireland and Baroness Elund Morgan, current first minister of Wales.  

Yousaf gave evidence on Tuesday, November 19 2024. 

Yousaf took accountability for the Covid situation in Scotland, saying “In my role as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, health boards across Scotland were ultimately accountable to me.” 

Yousaf also revealed that there were delays in communications between the four nations.  

“Scottish Ministers would at times only learn of UK Government decisions at the last minute or through the media, which resulted in frustration and, more importantly, a lack of ability for the Scottish Government, and those responsible for healthcare systems in Scotland, to respond as effectively as possible to the virus.” 

Hancock touched on the fact that former first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, specifically cause “all sorts of difficulties” in communication across the four nations.  

The hearing for module 3 will end on November 28 2024.  

As the inquiry draws to a close, questions are left over what the consequences of the findings will be, potentially coinciding with Labour’s plans for the NHS, to usher in a new era of public health.