A DOCTOR at the fourth session of the People’s Covid Inquiry condemned the government’s “complete dereliction of duty” during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The inquiry, organised by Keep Our NHS Public, on Wednesday evening examined why the impact on disabled people and those in social care was so significant.
Palliative care medicine consultant Rachel Clarke said: “Care homes had a completely different supply chain and hospices were categorised as care homes. We were only issued with a two-day supply of masks … there was a really widespread, really invisible problem of a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) in non-hospital areas.
With more people dying each year and many spending their final days in institutions, researchers argue that wider access to palliative care could offer a more humane and cost-effective alternative, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Evidence to peers from medical leaders, patient safety officials and the children’s commissioner has intensified fears that the Bill’s safeguards are inadequate, writes ADAM JAMES POLLOCK
While ordinary Americans were suffering in the wake of 2005’s deadly hurricane, the Bush administration was more concerned with maintaining its anti-Cuba stance than with saving lives, writes MANOLO DE LOS SANTOS


