MENTAL health campaigners today accused Covid-19 inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett of a “U-turn” over the mental health impact of the pandemic.

Baroness Hallet has ruled that “Module 3 cannot include the issue of the impact of the pandemic on adult mental health services within its broad provisional outline of scope and the hearing time available.”

Mind and Rethink Mental Illness joined forces with the Centre for Mental Health and the Association of Mental Health Providers to urge Baroness Hallett to rethink how the Covid Inquiry will deal with the issue.

They say the lack of focus on mental health “risks failing” millions of people with pre-existing illnesses, alongside those who sought help during the pandemic but were “turned away.”

The inquiry’s terms of reference said that it would look at “the impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the population, including but not limited to those who were harmed significantly by the pandemic” and “the impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the bereaved.”

Mind’s submission to Baroness Hallett said that Module 3 “should consider the impact of the pandemic on wider mental health services” and not just look at inpatient psychiatric care for children, as planned.

Baroness Hallett had said she would consider this and which area or module of the inquiry’s work was best placed to examine it but has since said she will ensure the impact on mental health is covered by other modules and through the inquiry’s wider listening exercise.

In an open letter calling for Baroness Hallett to rethink this, the mental health charities and campaign groups said: “The Covid-19 Inquiry’s refusal to examine the mental health consequences of the pandemic risks failing the people with pre-existing mental health conditions who died at five times the rate of the general population.

“It risks failing the 8 million people who sought help with their mental health and were turned away.

“And it risks failing future generations by not allowing a proper examination of what can be done better in the event of another pandemic.

“Despite positive indications from the last Module 3 hearing that mental health would now be fully considered by the inquiry, we are deeply disappointed by this U-turn.”