The Welsh Government has announced an independent, expert-led review of Wales’s pandemic response, chaired by Professor Daniel Wincott of Cardiff University.
Expected completion
March 2029
Focused review of health, adult social care and future emergency preparedness
The review will examine whether lessons from Covid-19 have been implemented and whether Wales is better prepared for another pandemic or national emergency. It will draw on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s evidence, investigate gaps and report publicly.
Why it matters: Wales made its own decisions about pandemic restrictions, healthcare and social care. The review could provide additional scrutiny of how those decisions affected services and whether shortcomings have been addressed.
Important distinction: This is a non-statutory review, not a full Wales-specific public inquiry. During yesterday’s Senedd debate, Conservative MS Natasha Asghar challenged the Government over the difference between the review and Plaid Cymru’s earlier commitment to a full inquiry. Ministers defended the narrower approach as complementary to the existing UK inquiry.
