THE Irish Government will carry out a “comprehensive evaluation” of the nation’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Professor Anne Scott, who has held leading clinical and academic positions at institutions across Ireland and the UK, has been appointed to oversee the process.
Professor Scott, who is Professor Emerita University of Galway, will lead the review to evaluate how the country managed Covid-19, with the aim of learning lessons from the pandemic experience.
Speaking about the initiative, Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “It’s important we look back at what went well during the Covid pandemic, and also learn lessons in terms of what can go better in terms of preparedness for future pandemics, and lessons from that very, very difficult period of time in our country.”
The focus of the evaluation will be on the “whole-of-government response to the pandemic and how we might do better and be in a stronger position if another pandemic or other similar type event were to occur” a spokesperson for the Department of the Taoiseach confirmed.
It will include consideration of the health service response covering hospitals, the community and nursing homes, along with the wider economic and social response, including the impact on education and businesses.
The evaluation will be undertaken by a multi-disciplinary panel, chaired by Professor Scott.
While setting out its terms of reference last night, the Government confirmed that there “will be an opportunity for submissions from individuals, cohorts or their representatives”.
It is also intended to have a public consultation element of the evaluation, to “hear the lived experiences of all society”, however the panel will not examine decisions made by individual clinicians during the pandemic.
“Clinical decisions made by individual clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the care of individuals or the implementation of measures in specific locations/settings (save in the module on nursing homes); the specific epidemiology of the Covid-19 virus and its variants; and vaccine efficacy and adverse outcomes are not covered by the scope of the review,” they confirmed.
