Disabilities Charities Consortium statement on the Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Systems in the 4 Nations of the UK (Module 3)
Matt Stringer, CEO of RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People), who is giving evidence to the inquiry on behalf of the Disability Charities Consortium, said:
“The health and wellbeing of millions of disabled people was badly hit by both the pandemic and the impact of policies brought in to respond to it. Six in ten people who died during the pandemic were disabled. Yet there is little evidence to suggest this was acted upon with the urgency it required once that became known.
“There was a complete failure to listen to the voices of disabled people throughout, with disabled people having little or no say over the policies and guidance being developed, with their rights too often disregarded and, in the worst cases, their lives treated as less important.
“Never again must decisions affecting all aspects of people’s health and their daily lives be made without involving disabled people from the very start.”
Mark Hodgkinson, CEO at Scope and Co-Chair of the Disability Charities Consortium, said:
“The work of this inquiry is hugely important for disabled people. Disabled people were forgotten in official responses to COVID-19.
“Future emergency preparedness and response must involve proper consultation with disabled people, and the UK Government needs to ensure that the equality impact assessment process is strengthened and enforced with rigour across the public sector.”
Notes to Editor:
The Disability Charities Consortium (DCC) brings together CEOs and policy leads from nine of the UK’s leading not-for-profit disability organisations. We make sure disabled people’s experiences are reflected in UK policy making, by working collaboratively to influence politicians and officials working on disability policy.
DCC members include:
Business Disability Forum (BDF)
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Royal National Institute for Deaf people (RNID)
The DCC is a Core Participant in Module 3 of the Covid Inquiry which is looking at the 'Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Systems in the 4 Nations of the UK.