Covid inquiry hears Matt Hancock wanted to decide who lived and died

Former health secretary Matt Hancock wanted to decide “who should live and die” if the NHS was overwhelmed, the Covid inquiry has heard.

The revelation came to light in evidence presented by Sir Simon Stevens, the former NHS England chief.

In his witness statement, he said Mr Hancock thought he, not doctors or the public, should decide who to prioritise if hospitals became overwhelmed.

Sir Simon said: “Fortunately this horrible dilemma never crystallised.”

He told the inquiry: “The secretary of state for health and social care took the position that in this situation he – rather than, say, the medical profession or the public – should ultimately decide who should live and who should die.”

He added: “I certainly wanted to discourage the idea that an individual secretary of state, other than in the most exceptional circumstances, should be deciding how care would be provided.

“I felt we were well-served by the medical profession, in consultation with patients to the greatest extent possible, in making those decisions.”

Sir Simon also rejected suggestions by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, made in his witness statement which has already been handed to the inquiry, that it was “very frustrating” to be forced into lockdown because the NHS and social care had failed to get to grip with the decades-old problem of delayed discharges.

This is where patients have to remain in hospital despite being ready to leave because of the lack of support in the community.

Mr Johnson said that about 30% of beds were occupied by such patients.

Sir Simon said that would equate to about 30,000 beds, but there could have been 200,000, perhaps even 800,000 patients in the reasonable worst-case scenario, needing a bed.

“Even if all of those 30,000 beds were freed up – for every one coronavirus patient who was then admitted, there would be another five who need that care and were not able to get it.

“So no, I don’t think that is a fair statement in describing the decision calculus for the first wave.”