17. Closing Remarks by Ms Carey, KC

Ms Carey: My Lady, just this, please. You have heard helpful submissions covering a very wide range of topics and both the Inquiry legal team and I know you will want to consider those with great care. In particular, you want to consider the submissions that you heard about the impact of the pandemic on black, Asian and minority ethnic patients and healthcare workers. So I repeat this is a matter very firmly within the contemplation of Module 3.

It is, however, important that anyone listening to today’s hearing understands that an examination of inequalities on patients and those working within healthcare systems undoubtedly includes matters relating to race and ethnicity, but also includes a range of other inequalities such as the impact on disabled people, on blind and deaf people, and that is just by way of two examples.

I just want to reassure Core Participants that Module 3 is committed to examining inequalities throughout the course of this module and I know that the issues raised about the need for expert evidence are matters that you will wish to keep under review and give very real care to. Thank you very much.

Lady Hallett: Thank you very much, Ms Carey.

Well, it has been a long day but, from my point of view, a very worthwhile one. People have come up with some extremely interesting submissions and ideas for me to think about. As I have said throughout, whenever I have made a decision, everything I keep under review. Nothing is closed. My mind is never closed. So I undertake to give very careful consideration to all the submissions that were made today. I am very grateful to everybody who has attended here and stayed with us throughout the day, even those who had to leave early for personal arrangements and I am grateful for those who followed online and those who attended remotely. So that completes our proceedings today and I will, if I have to make a ruling, issue any written ruling as soon as I can, but obviously I would rather take more time to consider the matter and do it more carefully, but I will get it out as soon as I can. So thank you all very much indeed.

(5.02 pm)

(The Inquiry adjourned)