UK Covid-19 Inquiry - Module 1 report: progress update - July 2025

4. A UK-Wide Strategy

Recommendation Four – A UK-wide whole-system civil emergency strategy

Chair’s recommendation:

The UK Government and devolved governments should together introduce a UK-wide whole-system civil emergency strategy (which includes pandemics) to prevent each emergency and also to reduce, control and mitigate its effects.

As a minimum, the strategy should:

• Be adaptable;
• Include sections dedicated to each potential whole-system civil emergency –
• for example, one on pandemics with a clear explanation of the roles and
• responsibilities of the UK Government, devolved governments and their
• departments/directorates as well as local responders
• Consider a wide range of potential scenarios for each type of emergency;
• Identify the key issues and set out a range of potential responses
• Identify how the strategy is to be applied to ensure that any potential
• responses are proportionate to the particular circumstances of the emergency Include an assessment in the short, medium and long term, based on
• published modelling, of the potential health, social and economic impacts of
• the emergency and of potential responses to the emergency on the population
• and, in particular, on vulnerable people and
• Include an assessment of the infrastructure, technology and skills the UK
• needs to respond effectively to the emergency and how those needs might
• change for different scenarios.
• The strategy should be subject to a substantive reassessment at least every three
• years to ensure that it is up to date and effective, incorporating lessons learned
• between reassessments.

Implementation actions and timescales set out in our January 2025 response:

• A first version of the core Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGORR) will be completed by end of July 2025. It will subsequently be subject to regular reviews and adaptations to ensure continued fitness for purpose and additions of scenario-specific plans developed with consideration of the risk landscape.

Progress update:

• Work is progressing to develop the updated version of the core CONOPS for SGORR by the end of July 2025. A draft has been shared with our four nation colleagues, to invite challenge and ensure alignment of understanding and responsibilities; the final version will be shared with them once available. As work on the SGORR CONOPS progresses, the need for risk-specific plans for emergencies that require additions to SGORR’s generic arrangements will emerge. Scottish Government will, as required, engage with relevant stakeholders, such as the UK Government, to ensure roles and responsibilities are clear and agreed for these risks.
• The Scottish Government fed into the UK Government's Amber Book (national framework for crisis response, establishes roles and responsibilities) ahead of its publication on 28 April 2025, including the annex which focuses on four nations working and links between devolved governments and the UK Government during response. The SGORR CONOPS references the Amber Book and reflects the principles on four nations working the Amber Book sets out. The Scottish Government will continue to provide input on further UK Government response plans as requested to ensure plans are aligned.
• Work is also underway to consider the development of a Resilience Strategy in Scotland. The Scottish Government will ensure these considerations include assessment of the UK Government Resilience Strategy which is shortly due to be published.