Few foresaw a public health crisis on the scale of the Covid-19 pandemic. That meant the emergency management structures put in place to steer the State's response were assembled quickly and in extremely trying circumstances. Important mistakes were made, but Irish people do not need to look far to see that, compared to the dysfunction that characterised the Covid response in some countries, Ireland was in general well-served by those who steered the State through the crisis.
Notwithstanding that, the structures themselves were at times cumbersome, their reporting lines somewhat unclear. The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), itself a large body, contained at least 10 subgroups and, as its name suggested, had a remit focused on public health to the exclusion of other factors that a Government must weigh in making policy decisions. There were a plethora of other bodies, including a Cabinet Covid sub-committee, a HSE crisis management team, a crisis communications group and a vaccination taskforce. One of the questions for a future inquiry will be whether that large bureaucracy contributed to slowing down decision-making or even led to bad decisions.
It was understandable that, as mass vaccination allowed for the easing of restrictions earlier this year, the Government moved to wind down Nphet. But it was a mistake not to replace it with something else. Today, as Covid cases surge once more and hospitals come under renewed pressure, the absence of a visible emergency management structure has allowed an information gap to emerge.
It has also made it more difficult for the Government to communicate the seriousness of the current wave – a wave that, while causing fewer severe outcomes than previous ones, is still leaving large numbers of people in hospital and causing severe disruption across the country. Plans are reportedly afoot to form a new crisis management group that would formalise existing advisory structures and help manage that communication. It should be set up without delay.