David Finlay, former National Audit Office (NAO) Director and author of Coronadiary: 100 days that changed our lives and three skills government had been told to improve, has spoken out following the latest COVID Inquiry evidence.
Finlay’s research found Ministers had not been trained in the skills required to make complex decisions during the pandemic, and the recent Inquiry evidence has exposed the consequences.
Commenting on the evidence, Finlay stated: “The recent COVID Inquiry evidence has shown the consequences of the lack of professional training in how to make complex decisions. Sir Patrick Vallance’s diary comments of Prime Minister Boris Johnson being “clearly bamboozled” by statistics and “chaos as usual” in Downing Street as the government “flip-flopped” between alternative courses of action during frantic WhatsApp messaging all indicate a lack of a disciplined approach to making complex decisions.”
He continued: “Ministers were not simply rubber stamping clear scientific advice, “following the science” as they often said. Very often Ministers were dealing with significant uncertainties due to a lack of data or differing opinions, or simply large unknowns. Ultimately, it was Ministers who had to weigh up trade-offs and priorities.”
Finlay’s book argues that the government had been warned before the pandemic to improve its skills in planning, making use of data and managing risks, skills which were central to making appropriate decisions in response to the COVID threat. His research suggests that the lack of training and suitable qualifications for Ministers in such areas led to sub-optimal actions during the pandemic.
The author concluded: “We need to act now to give Ministers appropriate training for the responsibilities they bear.”
The findings of David Finlay’s research are featured in his book, Coronadiary: 100 days that changed our lives and three skills government had been told to improve, ISBN 9781802270792.
