Terminology and references

¶A1.31. The nature of the subject matter means that the evidence considered by the Inquiry

contains technical and specialist language, which the Inquiry has tried to minimise in this Report. A number of witnesses and documents also used a range of abbreviations and acronyms. To avoid any confusion and to assist the reader, the Inquiry has set out names and other key phrases in full in this Report.

¶A1.32. Some terminology that is particularly key to understanding this Report is listed below for ease of reference.

Key terminology

¶A1.33. The virus that causes the coronavirus disease known as Covid-19 is SARS-CoV-2.

However, where this specificity is not necessary, in accordance with the practice of the World Health Organization, the Inquiry uses 'Covid-19' to refer to both the virus and the disease.

¶A1.34. Although the first Covid-19 patients in the UK were announced on 31 January 2020

and the outbreak was not characterised by the World Health Organization as a pandemic until 11 March 2020, for clarity, this Report refers to the time period beginning with the arrival of Covid-19 in the UK as the 'Covid-19 pandemic'.

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¶A1.35. The Covid-19 pandemic required action by both the UK government and devolved administrations. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have a legislature and executive elected by their own electorates (referred to in this Report as the 'devolved administrations'). Although each devolution settlement is different, each administration is responsible for a range of topics, including health, education and transport. England has no legislature of its own – instead, the UK Parliament legislates on both UK-wide, 'reserved' (ie not devolved) issues such as defence and foreign affairs and legislates for England on issues devolved to other nations. The UK Parliament also, at times, legislates for other groupings – for example, in England and Wales on issues of justice.

¶A1.36. The UK government is responsible for all aspects of government policy in England. At the time of the pandemic, the Department of Health and Social Care was responsible for policy on health and adult social care matters in England (and on a UK-wide basis for a few elements of the same matters that are not otherwise devolved). Prior to January 2018, the Department of Health and Social Care was known as the Department of Health – for clarity, the department is referred to throughout this Report using its current name.

¶A1.37. The 'NHS' is the term used to refer collectively to the publicly funded healthcare systems in England, Scotland and Wales, comprising NHS England, NHS Scotland and the NHS in Wales (also known as 'NHS Wales'). In Northern Ireland, the publicly funded healthcare system is Health and Social Care (Northern Ireland), with health and social care integrated under a single framework.

¶A1.38. Prior to the pandemic, responsibility for responding to public health challenges in Scotland was divided between a number of different bodies. As part of the Public Health Reform programme, Public Health Scotland was launched on 1 April 2020. It brought together three legacy bodies: NHS Health Scotland, Health Protection Scotland (formerly part of NHS National Services Scotland) and Information Services Division (also formerly part of NHS National Services Scotland). As a result, at an early stage of the pandemic, all staff and functions of those legacy bodies transferred to Public Health Scotland, with limited exceptions (the Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection function and a number of corporate services staff from NHS Health Scotland that remained within NHS National Services Scotland). Accordingly, questions relating to the public health response in Scotland were directed to both Public Health Scotland and NHS National Services Scotland.

¶A1.39. References to 'R' in public health communications during the Covid-19 pandemic – and references to 'R' in this Report – are generally references to Rt: the average number of people that a single infected person passes a virus on to at a particular time point, taking into account current levels of immunity and the extent of social mixing.³⁴³⁴ INQ000252450_0013 para 2.15

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¶A1.40. The most complex civil emergencies have many potential impacts and so engage the 'whole system' of government or even the 'whole of society'. Where this Report makes findings and recommendations concerning complex civil emergencies, the Inquiry refers to 'whole-system civil emergencies', which require a cross-departmental approach by government to preparedness and response. Some whole‑system civil emergencies relate only to pandemics.

Criticisms

¶A1.41. Rule 13(3) of the Inquiry Rules 2006 prevents the inclusion of any "explicit or significant criticism of a person" in this Report unless a warning letter has been sent and the relevant person has been given a reasonable opportunity to respond.³⁵³⁵ Inquiry Rules 2006, Rule 13(3) (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/1838/article/13/made) Warning letters were issued to persons identified in accordance with rule 13 and also with the Inquiry's Protocol on Warning Letters.³⁶³⁶ 'Inquiry Protocol on Warning Letters', UK Covid-19 Inquiry, 21 February 2025 (https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/documents/inquiry-protocol-on-warning-letters) The Chair considered the responses to those letters before finalising this Report.

References

¶A1.42. References such as 'Mark Drakeford 13 March 2024 57/14-25' or 'INQ000001196_0026 para 12.5' in the footnotes of this Report relate to material that is available on the Inquiry's website.³⁷³⁷ 'What is the UK Covid-19 Inquiry?', UK Covid-19 Inquiry (https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk)

¶A1.43. The transcripts of the Inquiry's hearings are referenced by person, hearing date, and internal page and line numbers. For example, 'Mark Drakeford 13 March 2024 57/14- 25' refers to the evidence of The Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS on 13 March 2024, page 57, lines 14–25.

¶A1.44. Documentary evidence is referenced by the document's number and, where relevant, page and paragraph numbers. For example, 'INQ000001196_0026 para 12.5' refers to document INQ000001196, page 26, paragraph 12.5.

¶A1.45. Publicly available documents are listed in the footnotes with both their wider internet and Inquiry website links. For example:

¶'CMO for England announces 12 new cases of novel coronavirus: 01 March 2020',

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