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Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry publishes first Let’s Be Heard report

  • Area of Work: Policy and Research
  • Type: News Item
  • Published: 1st December 2023
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The first report explores the impact and people's experiences of the pandemic, as well as lessons to be learned in Scotland.

The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry have published their first report in the Let’s Be Heard series. The report focuses on participants’ responses to Let’s Be Heard’s three questions, which ask people to share their experiences, the resulting impacts, and the lessons they believe should be learned. The report serves as a call to action and identifies who Let’s Be Heard needs to hear from in order to ensure all voices across Scotland are heard ahead of the deadline for their national engagement period on 20th December 2023. 

The report is a summary of information that was gathered over the past six months. It is not a final report but rather sets out what the COVID-19 Inquiry has learned to date.

Some key findings from the report include:

  • Experiences shared with Let’s Be Heard described difficulty and isolation in not being able to see loved ones, especially those in care or nearing the end of their lives.
  • Experiences differed across the country, nevertheless people experienced similar impacts. These include impacts on trust, mental health, life events, and financial security.
  • Several suggestions were made by respondents to ensure Scotland can more efficiently and effectively respond to future pandemics.

This report also highlights communities and groups that the Inquiry would like to hear more from, some of which include minority ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ people, minority religious communities, and men. They want to ensure that the Inquiry hears from minority and disadvantaged groups and from people living right across Scotland, including in rural and island communities.

However, everyone’s experience of the pandemic is important to the Inquiry, and it does not have to be particularly positive or negative. You also do not need to have had COVID-19 to participate.

If you want to share your experience of the pandemic and have your voice recognised, visit: Let’s Be Heard | Sharing Scotland’s COVID experience (covid19inquiry.scot)

Find a full PDF copy of the report attached below.

Resources:

Let’s Be Heard: First Report November 2023 - Sharing Respondents’ Pandemic Experiences, Impacts, and Lessons to be Learned in Scotland
Download PDF Document (2 MB)

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