Welsh Government’s post-Covid emergency preparedness slammed in new report

Emily Price 

Wales’s post COVID-19 contingency plans lack sufficient independent verification to give confidence that they would withstand another major emergency, a Senedd committee has warned.

The public accounts and public administration committee has called for robust independent evaluation of the Welsh Government’s revised structures to measure how effectively they work in practice.

The committee’s report, published today (Wednesday 11 March 2026), examined how lessons from Wales’s response to COVID-19 have been applied to current contingency arrangements.

The inquiry examined the gaps identified in the UK COVID‑19 Inquiry Module 1 Report: Resilience and Preparedness, as they relate to the response of the Welsh Government and Welsh public bodies during the pandemic.

The committee concluded that although some reforms have been introduced, concerns remain about monitoring, accountability, and the absence of external verification.

The Welsh Government has been urged to strengthen its evaluation of civil contingencies by introducing clear performance indicators, backed by independently substantiated evidence.

Members of the committee say this will conclusively show whether there are measurable improvements in the way Wales responds to emergencies.

The committee also called for better support and integration with emergency responders, including the volunteer sector.

Mark Isherwood MS, Chair of the Senedd’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee said: “The Welsh Government may be better prepared today than before the COVID-19 pandemic, but preparedness built on self-assessment alone is not enough.

“The people of Wales should feel confident that our systems will hold up under pressure and subjecting emergency plans to external scrutiny is essential to building true resilience.

“Evidence also shows that emergency response systems are overly complex, and that our invaluable volunteer sector remains sidelined. There needs to be clearer coordination and a system that fully integrates and supports responders to perform at their best.

“We are grateful to every witness who contributed to this work and pleased to have delivered these recommendations before the end of the Senedd.

“We strongly recommend that this work continues and that similar inquiries are carried out for the remaining Modules of the UK COVID‑19 Inquiry in the next Senedd.

“Above all, we must never forget the people whose lives were lost and the families who still carry the weight of that grief.

“We hope our recommendations will help improve future resilience and we must do everything in our power to ensure that such a tragedy is never allowed to happen again.”

Concerns

Emergency responders – particularly the Fire and Ambulance Services – raised significant concerns about the complexity of the civil contingencies system.

They told the committee how they face ongoing pressure servicing four local resilience forums and numerous subgroups, creating delays, duplication, and unclear decision making during emergencies.

Responders called for clearer communication channels, well-defined responsibilities and accountability, better cross-border coordination, and improvements to how information flows during a crisis.

They also pointed to the importance of preparedness exercises which simulate and stress test the response to a range of different emergency scenarios.

Challenges

The report concluded that these exercises face significant resourcing challenges – balancing providing vital frontline services with preparing for future emergencies.

Lee Brooks, Executive Director of Operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “We thank the Committee for allowing us the opportunity to provide evidence during its consideration of actions taken in Wales following the Module 1 outcomes of the UK Covid Inquiry.

“We will take its findings seriously. Our staff and volunteers work incredibly hard to protect and care for people during emergencies, particularly during times of crisis.

“Well-coordinated structures, clear lines of accountability and effective information sharing are essential if we are to respond quickly and safely when people need us most.

“So too is exercising our people and testing systems, both of which are having to be balanced alongside the ongoing challenges of day-to-day service delivery.”

Frustrations

The committee also found that voluntary and community responders – including the British Red Cross, disabled people’s organisations and other trusted institutions – remain insufficiently integrated into emergency planning and response.

They pointed to frustrations with data sharing, which have limited their ability to fully support communities during recent crises such as flooding.

Katija Dew, British Red Cross Acting Director for Wales, said: “The pandemic showed how Wales’ voluntary, public and private sectors can work together to support people during a crisis.

“The voluntary sector is a vital partner to government, and emergency services. Embedded within communities, we are uniquely placed to act swiftly and with trust.

“When systems work well, we can respond quickly and effectively to people’s needs. When they do not, it can mean communities are left waiting for support the voluntary sector is ready and able to provide.

“By strengthening planning and practical response mechanisms and clearly defining the roles of different organisations, we can ensure faster, more coordinated support across Wales.

“We remain committed to working closely with our statutory partners to make that happen.”

Steps

The report has been sent to the Welsh Government and the findings will be debated by all Members of the Senedd during Plenary on Wednesday 18 March 2026.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We have taken significant steps to strengthen our governance, decision-making and emergency preparedness.

“We have improved how we coordinate and share information and work in partnership with the emergency services and other responders. Ministers also now review risks and emergency plans annually at Cabinet.

“Our revised Crisis Management procedures have been tested in over 60 real incidents, from major flooding and water outages to cyber-attacks and wildfires.”