What Module 6 covered
Module 6 looked at the publicly and privately funded adult social care sector in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It covered:
- care in residential and nursing homes;
- care given by professional carers in people's own homes; and
- unpaid care by family members and friends.
It examined the decisions each nation's government made, the steps care homes took to stop the virus spreading, and how able the sector was to respond.
The report has been laid before both Houses of Parliament (HC 645). The Inquiry has also published a shorter "In Brief" summary. It is available in English, Welsh and Easy Read, and as a video animation and audio.
What the Inquiry found
The Prime Minister's written statement summarises the Chair's main conclusions. According to the statement, the report:
- says the sector "has been undervalued and under-recognised" for too long, and entered the pandemic with long-standing workforce shortages, financial pressures and limited pandemic planning;
- concludes that protections for people receiving care, and for those supporting them, came too late;
- points to weaknesses in testing, isolation and discharge arrangements, PPE availability, guidance, visiting restrictions and data collection; and
- recognises the great lengths care workers and unpaid carers went to during the pandemic, and the distress and harm caused by visiting restrictions.
What the Inquiry's own summary adds
The Inquiry's "In Brief" summary, published the same day, sets out more detail. In it, the Chair, Baroness Hallett, finds that:
- the initial focus of all four UK governments was on protecting hospitals, at the expense of people using and providing care;
- in March 2020, patients were discharged from hospital to care homes without knowing whether they had Covid-19, because tests were not available;
- isolating people returning from hospital was not initially in official guidance in England, Wales and Northern Ireland;
- a severe shortage of PPE left care workers in unsuitable or poor-quality PPE, or none;
- routine in-person inspections of care settings stopped;
- advance care planning conversations were often rushed or did not happen, and the Inquiry heard concerns about DNACPR decisions not being made appropriately. The summary is clear that DNACPR decisions are person-specific and should not be applied to groups of people.
The summary records over 43,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in care homes between March 2020 and July 2022.
What the Inquiry recommends
The summary lists the headline recommendations. They include:
- clearer pandemic planning, with defined structures, roles and responsibilities;
- better planning for isolating care home residents with possible infections, including people discharged from hospital;
- financial support schemes, ready to roll out, so care staff can self-isolate and limit movement between settings;
- published guidance on how visiting limits would be decided in a future pandemic;
- protocols so inspections can continue, on site where possible;
- better data on deaths of social care workers;
- mandatory end-of-life training for relevant health and social care workers;
- a voluntary register of the social care workforce in England.
The full list is in Appendix 3 of the full report. The Chair expects all recommendations to be implemented, and the Inquiry will monitor progress.
What the government has said
The government says it will consider the findings and recommendations carefully and respond in due course. It will use the findings to keep developing its Adult Social Care Pandemic Action Plan. It will also respond to Baroness Casey's review when that is published. No date has been given for the government's response.
What this means for your service
- Nothing changes yet. These are recommendations to governments. They are not new rules for providers, and no government has yet said which ones it will accept.
- Look at your own outbreak plans. The themes in the report include isolation (including after hospital discharge), visiting, PPE and end-of-life care. These are areas where any home can check whether its plans are current and its staff know them.
- Keep visiting person-centred. The report highlights the harm caused by visiting restrictions. Make sure your visiting policy explains how you keep people connected to their families during an outbreak.
- Review end-of-life planning. Check that advance care plans and any DNACPR decisions are individual, discussed with the person and their family, and reviewed. Blanket decisions for groups of people are not acceptable.
- Look at end-of-life training now. The Inquiry recommends making it mandatory. You don't need to wait for a decision to check who on your team has had it.
- Support your team. Many staff who worked through the pandemic may find coverage of this report hard. Make sure they know what support is available.
- Watch for the government responses. Each nation's response will show which recommendations go ahead. We will report on them when they are published.
Sources
- UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Module 6 Report 'In Brief' summary: Care Sector (20 Oct 2026): https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/reports/module-6-report-in-brief-summary-care-sector/ (checked 27 Oct 2026, in a browser)
- UK Parliament, Written statement HCWS395, UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 6 Report (20 Oct 2026): https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-10-20/hcws395 (checked 27 Oct 2026)
- Cabinet Office (GOV.UK), UK Covid-19 Inquiry: Care Sector (Module 6) Report (20 Oct 2026): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-covid-19-inquiry-care-sector-module-6-report (checked 27 Oct 2026)
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