Today's publication of the @covidinquiryuk report into Covid's impact on the NHS comes as bittersweet relief for those of us who worked in those often hellish times. Finally - thankfully - someone in authority has called out the incessant lies from @MattHancock & @BorisJohnson that the NHS “coped” during 2020/21 & “was not overwhelmed”. No, says Lady Hallet. Covid’s impact was “devastating”. Furthermore: “On a number of occasions, [the NHS] teetered on the brink of collapse and only coped thanks to the almost superhuman efforts of healthcare workers and all the staff who support them.” How those lies incensed us at the time. Disgusting, dangerous lies that encouraged the public to believe that ventilators were never rationed, that patients never died at home because there weren’t enough ambulances to reach them, that staff never collapsed and left the NHS for good, broken by the brutality of those Covid wards. “There was clearly overwhelm,” says Lady Hallet. “Whatever word one chooses, healthcare systems were placed under intolerable strain. Patients could not be admitted to hospital and, in particular, into intensive care units. This continued for wave after wave of the virus.” Shame on you, Johnson & Hancock, for spouting endless self-serving populist lies while decent NHS doctors and nurses did their level best for patients - as did so many other magnificent key workers. We owe them all a debt of gratitude.