Responding to the Kings Fund’s calls for a public inquiry into the pandemic, Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said:

“While there are lessons to be learned from pandemic, the most immediate threat we are facing is hospitals and emergency departments being under-prepared and under-resourced as we potentially face a further wave of covid late in the summer and another possible gruelling winter with seasonal flu.

“The health service is facing challenges on many fronts: an exhausted and depleted workforce; a growing number of elective care waiting lists; and growing demand for urgent and emergency care.

“In order to meet these challenges, we need urgent action, and a rapid review would provide quick, insightful information and help us to learn and prepare the health system ahead of winter and any prospective subsequent waves.

“The College has set out its campaign Summer to Recover where we lay out some of the possible actions that Governments, NHS Health Trusts and Boards and ED Leadership Teams can take in order to ready their departments for the next phase of major challenges.”