“THE Welsh government listened to what I had to say, but did not always follow advice diligently”, that’s the response of Sir Frank Atherton, chief medical officer to the government during the pandemic.

Sir Atherton was grilled today, July 3, in the latest round of inquiries into how the Covid pandemic was handled, along with Dr Andrew Goodall, chief executive of NHS Wales when the pandemic began.

Under the all-seeing eye of former judge and crossbench peer Baroness Hallett, the inquiry's counsel, Hugo Keith, questioned some of the most significant figures in the fight against Covid around the critical time of the lockdowns of 2021.

Today’s hearing focussed on “Resilience and Preparedness” and how Wales prepared for the pandemic.

It was here Sir Atherton admitted that while at the time of the pandemic he gave his advice “freely and impartially” there were times this was not followed “diligently”.

The inquiry also addressed central government causing a 'roadblock' by not updating their emergency strategy, stopping the regions from updating theirs.

Operation Yellowhammer saw resources moved to other areas as central goverment made preparations for a no-deal Brexit.

And the inquiry said the government was not adequately prepared for high- testing NHS frontline staff with the system described as 'fragile', although the Welsh Government did try and put resources in.

“The government listened to what I had to say, but did not always follow advice diligently,” says medical chief

Sir Atherton also said that while there was a lot going on around preparedness at official level, this was not “elevated at ministrial level”.

However, Sir Atherton denied there was “insufficient focus and attention” on preparedness for the pandemic.

In his testimony, Mr Atherton said: “There was a lot going on around preparedness. Could more have been done? That is a valid question. This (preparedness) was not elevated to ministers, but at official level there was action going on.”

South Wales Argus: Sir Frank Atherton, chief medical officer to Wales during the pandemic, said his advice was not followed diligentlySir Frank Atherton, chief medical officer to Wales during the pandemic, said his advice was not followed diligently (Image: BBC)

When Dr Andrew Goodall, chief executive of NHS Wales when the pandemic began, came to the stand, Mr Keith put to him, “For an administration that prides itself on movement are there not a plethora of bodies in this labyrinth system?”

The comment came as the Inquiry showed the “pandemic preparedness and response structure”, a diagram with dozens of committees, subcommittees and officials all accountable to one another in a complex hierarchical system.

South Wales Argus: The complex structure of the Welsh Government's response to the Covid pandemicThe complex structure of the Welsh Government's response to the Covid pandemic (Image: BBC)

South Wales Argus: Inquiry's counsel Hugo Keith described the structure as a labyrinthInquiry's counsel Hugo Keith described the structure as a labyrinth (Image: BBC)

South Wales Argus: Dr Andrew Goodall, chief executive of the Welsh NHS when the pandemic began, said departments were duplicating rolesDr Andrew Goodall, chief executive of the Welsh NHS when the pandemic began, said departments were duplicating roles (Image: BBC)

Dr Goodall admitted that inter-relationships between the likes of Pandemic Health and Social Services and the ‘infectious disease plan’ needed to be made clear.

“Some of them (the bodies) would feel they were duplicating tasks and activities,” admitted Dr Goodall.

“I think the inter-relationships between the likes of Pandemic Health and Social Services alongside the ‘infectious disease plan’ needed to be made clear about what parts of those were working at what times.

“Looking forward, we need to make sure it (the plan to fight pandemics) is explicitly set out and efficient.”   

First Minister Mark Drakeford and the then-health minister Vaughan Gething are due before the inquiry on Tuesday.