Reeves announces in budget that she will exempt compensation payments for the Infected Blood Scheme from inheritance tax "regardless of the circumstances in which those payments are passed down". www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy...

Baroness Hallett published her 800 page report into the big political decisions made in Covid this week. So we put together a 25 min wrap up with some reaction from the Today programme. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

If you read one thing today, read this on failures in acute mental health care and how small things - like understanding need to keep plastic bin liners out of reach - can be so important. By James Melley and Alison Holt who’ve been at trial every day. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This latest part of #covidinquiry is over after hearing from 41 witnesses on test and trace. Interesting last week with evidence from head of programme in England, Dido Harding. Here’s 30 min version of our report which ran on Today Programme this morning. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand...

Dido Harding was, as expected, pretty strong today at #covidinquiry on the need for more support for people to self isolate in the pandemic. Said she was frustrated by Rishi Sunak who rejected that argument at “every opportunity” www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I’d say this last week was one of more interesting of #covidinquiry so far. Thoughtful testimony from Hancock, Drakeford & Vallance about what went right/wrong with test and trace and what should change. Here’s extended version of Today Programme report. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...?

I just didn't have the time to post about Matt Hancock, Lord Bethell and Lord Vallance yesterday at #covidinquiry as was doing other BBC stuff. But here's what wrote for the website. Will pack a lot more in podcast for the weekend. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Quick summary of what happened today at #covidinquiry where it's all been about test and trace in Northern Ireland. And all focus was on what sounds like a right barney of a meeting on 16 March 2020 - a week before lockdown - about a decision to scrap community testing for Covid.

And finally we heard about 90 mins worth of testimony from Wales's former first minister Mark Drakeford, making his third appearance at #covidinquiry. Again he was asked about Welsh government policies to do with test and trace.

nd in this afternoon's session at #covidinquiry... there was more on the Welsh government response re: test and trace. First up was Wales's health minister through most of the pandemic (and then short-lived first minister) Vaughan Gething.

Then we heard from Jo-Anne Daniels, the official who led the test and trace programme in Wales (called TTP - Test, Trace & Protect). Here she is on the left hand side being sworn in earlier this morning.

Quick summary of what happened this morning at #covidinquiry. We started off with Dan York-Smith, who is director general of tax and welfare at the Treasury. So lots of questions about the amount of money involved in test and trace and support payments for people told to isolate.

Finally this afternoon at #covidinquiry we heard evidence from Dominic Cook, a partner at the consultants Deloitte who were heavily involved in loads of work on the test and trace programme, with contracts worth a meaty £395 million over the course of the pandemic.

Prof Chris Molloy continued giving evidence after lunch. He was interesting on the shoddy state of Covid test samples coming into his labs. Emails showed appeared to arrive in all manner of different bottles and sample tubes including some, erm... "wrapped in Asda shopping bags".

Next up at #covidinquiry was Prof. Chris Molloy who oversaw the setting up of the first four Lighthouse labs in the pandemic. These were the giant sites created by the government to (eventually) process hundreds of thousands of Covid PCR tests each day.

So we're in week #2 of #3 weeks of hearings at the Covid Inquiry on test and trace. First up this morning is Timothy Spector, a professor of epidemiology at Kings College London and the co-founder of the Zoe App which, in the pandemic, was used to track Covid symptoms.

Listen to last week’s #covidinquiry hearings on the failures of test & trace. Highlights incl Paul Nurse. Also some snippets from my evidence. @jimreedbbc.bsky.social @cbffjuk.bsky.social

The Covid inquiry is back with 3 weeks of hearings about test and trace. If you’re interested in what really happened in the pandemic - and the £30bn spent on test and trace - then here’s longer version of our report which ran on Today Programme this AM. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

PSG team bus has just parked up outside the flash Langham hotel (opposite BBC HQ off Regent’s Street). Meant to show balance and all that but come on Arsenal.

The infected blood inquiry, which we thought was done and dusted with its final report last year, has just called cabinet office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds back to special hearing on May 7. All to address concerns that compensation is taking way too long to get off the ground.

If you read the small print looks like there’s an exemption for pharmaceuticals in the Trump tariff announcement. That will please Glaxo and AstraZeneca given the UK exports £9bn of drugs a year to the US. www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...

It’s final week of this part of #covidinquiry. And we heard more about how PPE deals were done in Scotland, Wales and NI (no VIP lane there) and how British army moved 1bn items around UK to “unclog” system. Long version of our Today programme report here.

Strange week at #covidinquiry with whole day of evidence behind closed doors. Still plenty to talk about including Matt Hancock getting upset with questions in spiky session and Lord Agnew describing criticism of VIP lane for PPE deals as "total bollocks". www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Conservative peer Lord Agnew getting punchy at #covidinquiry this pm. At one point calling controversy around the VIP lane (which could fast track PPE offers from firms with political connections) "such bollocks". Here talking to lawyer for bereaved families.

For anyone interested in #covidinquiry here’s our full 30 min recap of last week’s evidence. Michael Gove says whole ‘PPE scandal’ is (mostly) “politically motivated bilge” while ex Tory chair Lord Feldman is asked - in detail - about role in ‘VIP Lane’.

NHS Blood & Transplant invited load of health journalists to give blood today and promised would post about it. I didn’t do it until last year (bit pathetic re needles) and it really is so easy. Turns out my subtype is R0 so rare and partic useful for sickle cell patients.

Baroness Michelle Mone and husband have lost appeal to Covid Inquiry to be core participants - would have given access to docs and right to apply to question witnesses. Inquiry chair said came 468 days too late and would cause "significant disruption". covid19.public-inquiry.uk/wp-content/u...

The Covid Inquiry has kicked off its next stage - now looking at £15 billion spent on PPE in pandemic. Big focus already on VIP lane which fast-tracked offers from politicians and senior officials. Here's long version of report on @bbcr4today this morning. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

It was final week of hearings looking at vaccines and drugs at #covidinquiry. We heard Kemi Badenoch on misinformation, Dame Emily Lawson on NHS jabs rollout and Dr Clive Dix on how certain government decisions were “devastating” for vaccine industry. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Busy week at #covidinquiry with 15 witnesses over 4 days on vaccines and drugs. If interested then here’s our extended podcast with ex vaccine tsar Dame Kate Bingham (never dull) plus Sir Chris Whitty and Sir JVT plus all the detail on vaccine safety. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0kly04b?part…

Here's witness list for last week of #covidinquiry on vaccines & drugs. Ex-ministers including Kemi Badenoch plus Dr Clive Dix (v involved in Vaccine Task Force), Eddie Gray (ran Antiviral Taskforce) and Sarah Moore (represents those injured by jabs). And UK boss of Moderna.

So #covidinquiry commissioned serious research by academics at Oxford Uni into vaccine safety. Concludes “best evidence” suggests jabs saved millions of lives. And any suggestion they caused excess mortality is “low quality and has been in many cases misinterpreted.” A short 🧵

The Covid inquiry is back for three weeks of busy hearings about vaccines and drugs. Loads to talk about already including attitudes to jabs, take up and safety issues. Here’s extended 30 min version of report which ran on Today programme this morning. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0kkg93g?par…

Next chunk of UK Covid inquiry opens next week. This one looks at vaccines and therapeutic drugs. Hearings last for 3 weeks and list for week 1 is PACKED. Couple of ex ministers including @matthancock + individuals representing bereaved families and those harmed by vaccines.

The UK Health Security Agency has just issued an amber Cold-Health Alert (CHA) for all regions of England from midday today until midday on Wednesday 8 January. All regions had previously been under a yellow CHA.

Was at the o2 yesterday for the last night of Paul McCartney’s tour. Amazing performance including Ringo Starr not just getting cheers from the crowd when turning up to watch but then joining him onstage for the Sargeant Pepper-themed encore.

This is a massive issue for investigative journalism. Even for large newsrooms (ie the BBC) doubling the cost of land registry searches is a huge obstacle, especially when you often don’t know exactly what you’re looking for so need multiple searches.

Cabinet office has just said 10 victims of infected blood scandal should receive first final compensation payments this week worth around £13m. There are still real issues with compensation process but - this still feels like important moment 40 years after many were infected.

Looks like there's going to be a push to recruit more GPs from summer under a 'refreshed' workforce plan. Wes Streeting says the original strategy, published in June 2023, would see hospital consultants ⬆️ 49% by 2036/37 but the number of fully qualified GPs only ⬆️ 4%.

So this year we've hit a new level of epidemic inflation in NHS England. For the first time we're now being warned about a QUAD-DEMIC of flu+covid+RSV+norovirus this winter. That's up from...

👀 www.euronews.com/health/2024/...

That graph for flu is looking a bit… vertical.

Lovely interview this with Dr Katalin Karikó, the woman who won the Nobel prize for medicine for her work which led to mRNA Covid vaccines. Well worth 9 mins of your time. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

This time five years ago, first person with lab confirmed Covid was already feeling sick in Wuhan, China. Symptom onset for patient A was 1 Dec, 2019 with three more patients picked up by 10 Dec. First hospitalisations though were not for another week. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

For all those itching to know a bit more about the new cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald.

Government’s just named Sir Chris Wormald as Simon Case’s replacement as cabinet secretary. Why important? Makes him one of most powerful people in UK, in charge of 500,000 civil servants. He’s now permanent secretary in health so *might* say something about Starmer’s priorities.

Some families told they would receive £100,000 interim compensation after their relatives died in the infected blood scandal have been sent letters saying their applications have been put on hold.

Some families told they would receive £100,000 interim compensation payments in the infected blood scandal before Christmas have now been sent letters saying their applications have been put on hold.

So after ten weeks this third part of the #covidinquiry looking at healthcare is over. It’s longest section with 96 witnesses heard and 17,000 documents submitted. Here’s extended version of what happened in final week. Back to talk vaccines in January. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0k7vd5p?…

The now Sir Sajid Javid was pretty punchy in his last answer to the #covidinquiry this afternoon. Saying there is a "fundamental design flaw" in the NHS as demand for healthcare soars. Supply can't keep up, he adds, because the NHS is funded by general taxation.