Covid Inquiry Uncovers Near-Collapse of UK Hospitals

Prof Kevin Fong, a 53-year-old consultant anaesthetist in London who also works for the air ambulance service and specializes in space medicine, shed tears five times during his testimony to the Covid inquiry in a nondescript hearing room in West London. In 2020, as Covid spread globally, Professor Fong was seconded to NHS England and deployed to the most severely affected regions to assist other medical personnel. It has long been communicated that hospitals faced immense difficulties during the pandemic. In January 2021, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson cautioned that the NHS was “under unprecedented pressure”. However, numerous hours of evidence presented to the Covid inquiry this autumn are now providing the clearest understanding yet of the true situation at the height of the pandemic. The inquiry is set to resume its live hearings this week, featuring testimony from doctors and patient groups. Health ministers and senior NHS managers are also anticipated to appear before the year’s end. This reporter was present at the inquiry on the day Professor Fong calmly detailed over 40 visits he led to intensive care units, his voice occasionally faltering. Professor Fong stated that his observations in the hospitals he visited were not reflected in the official NHS data or the primary evening news bulletins of the time. He remarked, “It really was like nothing else I’ve ever seen.” He further elaborated, “These people were used to seeing death but not on that scale, and not like that