NEWS - SCADR research featured in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry was held in Edinburgh this month, to examine Scotland’s response to and the impact of the pandemic, and to learn lessons for the future. Two pieces of SCADR research were featured in the inquiry proceedings.  

Evidence on occupation and Covid-19 deaths

On Tuesday 16 January of the inquiry, Sam Jacobs, a lawyer representing Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) and the TUC drew attention to the plight of workers during the pandemic, and acknowledged the loss and sacrifice in the workplace. He made reference to our SCADR paper highlighting different mortality rates for different occupations.

Dr Serena Pattaro, ADR Scotland, who led this research, said:

I am delighted to see that the results from our paper on occupational differences in Covid-19 between women and men in Scotland was mentioned during the opening statement, as part of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry in Edinburgh. This demonstrates that our SCADR research is directly relevant to current policy issues. 

The analysis of linked administrative data for the Scottish population demonstrated strong occupational and sex differences in terms of Covid-19 adverse outcomes. In particular, death risks were lower among women employed as health professionals, including medical practitioners, nurses and pharmacists. In stark contrast, higher death risks were observed among men employed as taxi & cab drivers, large goods vehicle drivers, kitchen assistants & waiters, and those employed as process plant operatives in the food, drink and tobacco industry.  

People working in more disadvantaged occupational groups often face higher contact density, poor ventilation, less home working and higher financial pressures which, combined, may substantially increase death risks from Covid-19.  

It is important to understand the factors driving the occupational differences between women and men when developing policies aimed at reducing the transmission risks among vulnerable occupational groups in any future respiratory epidemics.  

Please see the pre-print research article here.  

Evidence on policing the pandemic 

On Wednesday 24 January, our Co-Director, Professor Susan McVie, was invited to take the stand at the inquiry.  

Susan was appointed to the Scottish Police Authority’s Independent Advisory Group on Police Use of Temporary Powers related to the Coronavirus Crisis in April 2020 and has spent the last nearly 4 years examining and studying policing and regulatory frameworks through the lens of a public health emergency. This work enabled her to negotiate access to a Police Scotland dataset that could be linked to health data, including Covid testing information, for the purposes of examining the wider health vulnerabilities of those who were subject to enforcement under the Coronavirus Regulations. It was the first time that police data had been linked this way in Scotland, and has paved the way for further negotiations around linking police and health data to achieve public benefits.

Susan McVie, University of Edinburgh, shared her experience:

It was an honour to be asked to submit both written and oral evidence to the UK Covid Inquiry. The Inquiry will play an instrumental role in ensuring that, if and when we are faced with another global health emergency, we have carefully thought through strategies and policies ready to handle it. My contribution to the Inquiry focused on the role of enforcement in securing compliance, potential inequalities in the impact of enforcement, the legitimacy of the legislative landscape, and the challenges faced by police officers in operationalising the fast changing, and often confusing, Regulations. I look forward to reading Baroness Hallett’s final report and hope that some of the work supported by SCADR will be reflected in its recommendations.

During the session, Usman Tariq, Junior Counsel to UK Covid-19 Inquiry referred to the Policing the Pandemic research project, which Susan is Principal Investigator of and the report on Police Use of Covid-19 Fixed Penalty Notices in Scotland: Trends in enforcement from March 2020 to May 2021.

Listen to Susan’s full evidence session - transcript / video.

Making an Impact

Our research findings have provided data-driven evidence to the Covid-19 inquiry which we hope supports future policy and decision-making, and ultimately helps to improve lives.

This article was published on 29 Jan 2024

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