Austerity and the pandemic: How cuts damaged four vital pillars of pandemic resilience

Austerity and the pandemic: How cuts damaged four vital pillars of pandemic resilience Real terms cuts and underinvestment in public services from 2010 to 2020 undermined the UK’s ability to provide an effective and coherent response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This briefing looks at four pillars of pandemic preparedness:

1. Safe staffing levels in health and social care
2. Public service capacity and resources
3. A strong safety net - social security system
4. Robust health and safety

For each pillar we summarise the history of austerity, it impacts on the UK’s resilience and preparedness in the years before the pandemic, and the consequences for the UK’s pandemic response. And we suggest the lessons that must be learned before the next pandemic happens. The TUC

See also:

• Cameron-Osborne austerity years cost UK dearly when Covid struck, says TUC The Guardian
• Cameron-Osborne austerity left UK ‘hugely unprepared’ for Covid, says report The Independent
• Years of austerity left UK 'hugely unprepared' for COVID pandemic, report says Sky News