Group which advised downgrading of coronavirus lacks transparency

Left Foot Forward

Their minutes haven't been published since 2016.

NHS

The Advisory Commitee on Dangerous Pathogens has long been obscure but is now at heart of the scandal over the government’s handling of personal protective equipment.

In mid-March, the government made the decision to downgrade it’s categorisation of the risk of coronavirus. They stopped regarding it as a “high consequence infectious disease”.

This meant, they no longer had a legal obligation to provide NHS workers with full face visors, respirator face masks and gowns. They could now get away with inferior plastic aprons and surgical masks.

The government claimed that this decision was not a response to the lack of PPE but was made on the basis of science. To back this up, they cited the support of the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens.

But, according to Panorama, sources inside the committee said the decision was (in part) a pragmatic decision based on the availibilty of PPE.

The Panorama team also say that this huge decision was foisted on the committee at the last minute. The item was added to the ‘any other business’ section of their meeting on 13 March.

Unfortunately, investigative journalists have to rely on anonymous sources for this because the minutes of this meeting are not available.

The minutes are supposed to be published on the ACDP’s section of the government website. But the minutes have not been published since November 2016. So the minutes of the last ten meetings are not available.

The website lists the ACDP’s secretariat as Public Health England’s National Infection Service. A number is listed but when Left Foot Forward called it the person who answered sounded suprised to be contacted. He said that the phone number was for clinical advice and there was nobody in the office who could help.

This seems to typify the government’s slapdash attitude to pandemic planning.

Joe Lo is a co-editor of Left Foot Forward

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