Covid-19 Inquiry : 'From what I am watching - I think we were let down badly'

Margaret Williams says it's a "significant week" for the Covid inquiry. She lost her 95-year-old mother, Peggy Patrick, to Covid in April 2020, she had dementia and had been living at a care home.

She is seeking answers and says her family is just one of many across Wales wanting to know what happened during the pandemic.

Margaret has been watching former Health Minister Vaughan Gething's evidence session and said:

"I am glad they are having to swear an oath and tell the truth. The whole truth, because I have no idea what happened and I am just one of many in a Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru group that haven't had any answers."

Margaret is hoping those in power have "set their minds to being prepared, having the supplies, just doing their job."

She continued: "All of these people get paid an awful lot of money to safeguard us, as Welsh people. I expect them to look after me and my family.

"I realise the pandemic was like nothing we have never experienced here, but the signs were already there. It was a matter of time, that something like this should come to Britain.

"I just feel there was no preparedness at all. From what I am watching it is damning, I think we were let down badly."

The Welsh government has rejected calls for a Wales-specific inquiry, but Margaret "definitely" wants one to take place. She said:

"We are excluded by distance - the very fact (the inquiry) it is all taking place in London means I can't go.

"Myself and many others feel we need to be included," she added.

She does not want anyone else to experience what her family has been through. She describes the 'trauma' as horrendous and says it's been a 'cruel' few years for those who have lost loved ones to Covid.

Last Saturday would have been Peggy's ninety-ninth birthday. She says her mother was strong, feisty, caring and very family-oriented before dementia took hold. She says it's the lack of answers that causes her the most pain.

"I don't know who was with my mum, I don't know what happened that night, was she in pain? Was she being comforted? I don't know.

She added: "I am sorry to be so emotional, I try to hold it in as much as I can. I feel I haven't grieved for my mum because in my mind she is still there, because I could not get to say goodbye.

"I couldn't be with my mum. No one rang me up to says 'can you come in?' I would have worn anything to be there."

Margaret was an only child and very close to her mother. It breaks her heart to think that she might have thought she was "abandoned."

She said: "I did not see my mum from March, I didn't really have much update from the care home because all of this took place in a week. On the Monday they phoned to say she was not well and she died in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"I've never really had any information from the care home as to the details of that month leading to my mum dying.

"I empathise that it was difficult for them at that time. I don't know how many cases there were in the care home but there wasn't enough detailed communication at any point. There still hasn't been to this day."

Looking at a photograph of her mum, Margaret saying "She deserved so much more. Dementia was enough" and feels those in power could have done much more at an "earlier stage" to help those in care homes. She said.

"I was really angry. I know from the television that care homes didn't even come into a conversation for months. There wasn't any thought given to all of those poor people, vulnerable in a care home, who couldn't even get away.

"They were in there. It was only some months later that it was a consideration because initially, they were, the powers that be, were trying to empty beds in the hospitals to free up spaces for all the people with Covid."

Margaret believes the buck should stop with the "many different organisations who from what I've seen this week at the public inquiry were totally unprepared for this pandemic."

She added: "I am glad to see they are forensically being examined by Baroness Hallett and the legal team.

"But I am disturbed by what is being revealed. At the same time I am not surprised because nobody knew what to do and there was no leadership. It was just stay in."

Margaret feels there was a lack of leadership at both a UK and Welsh Government level. She said:

"Obviously my main concern is what happened in Wales because health is devolved to Wales. In theory we make our own decisions but I think there was a lot of following the lead of England at that time."

Margaret says there is no excuse for the "lack of preparedness'" because "we knew what was coming."

"We watched the outbreak in Italy. We watched the start of the pandemic in Wuhan. We sat, we watched, the impact on a town in Italy where so many people died, she added.

And continued: "We are not in power, those in power must have at some point wondered how soon it would come to us. But everyone just carried on as normal."