UK Covid-19 Inquiry

What UK Covid-19 Inquiry does

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is an independent public inquiry established under the Inquiries Act 2005 to examine the United Kingdom's response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to identify lessons for future pandemic preparedness. It is sponsored by the UK Cabinet Office, which provides administrative, IT, and funding support, and is chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett. The Inquiry is structured into ten investigative modules covering resilience and preparedness, core UK decision-making, devolved nations (Modules 2A-2C), healthcare systems, vaccines and therapeutics, procurement, the care sector, test-trace-isolate, children and young people, the economic response, and societal impact. Four reports (Modules 1-4) have been published, with a fifth (Module 5, Procurement) scheduled for July 2026 and six more to follow.

The Inquiry's operational platform is a digital infrastructure consisting of an official website (covid19.public-inquiry.uk), a YouTube channel for live-streamed public hearings with automated captions, a broad social media presence (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X/Twitter, Bluesky), and a documents archive system. Its core outputs include formal Inquiry Reports containing findings and recommendations, the Every Story Matters public engagement initiative that collected 58,000+ pandemic experiences (now closed as of 23 May 2025), and accessible communications in 12+ languages and formats (Welsh, BSL, Easy Read, audio, HTML, Braille). The underlying technology stack includes AWS for web hosting and WAF, Google Analytics for web analytics, and Hotjar for UX analytics. A planned loan of the Every Story Matters archive to the UK Data Service will create an enduring research asset for accredited researchers.

The Inquiry is funded through public expenditure administered by the Cabinet Office and has no commercial pricing model, shareholders, or investors. Its stakeholder base comprises the UK general public (primary engagement audience), government officials and witnesses called to testify, and vulnerable or minority groups requiring accessible formats. Public hearings have concluded and the Inquiry is now in its report-publication phase through 2026 and beyond, after which records of historic significance will be transferred to the National Archives under the Public Records Act 1958.

Name

UK Covid-19 Inquiry

Legal name

UK Covid-19 Inquiry

Website

https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is an independent statutory public inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett, examining the UK's pandemic response across ten investigative modules and publishing formal reports and recommendations, funded by the Cabinet Office.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Inquiry / Government Investigation

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

akta.pro primary industry

Outbreak Investigation & Incident Management (EOC/ICS) (HLAJABAE)

Keywords

• Public inquiry services
• Pandemic investigation reports
• Government statutory review
• Public engagement consultation
• Covid-19 lessons learned

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

An independent statutory public inquiry established under the Inquiries Act 2005 to examine the UK's response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and to produce formal findings and recommendations. The Inquiry conducts public hearings, runs the Every Story Matters listening exercise, and publishes module-based investigation reports (10 modules in total, with four reports published by April 2026) for the UK public, government, and future pandemic preparedness.

Product overview

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is an independent public inquiry (not a commercial product) examining the UK's response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The website functions as the Inquiry's primary digital platform, offering a unified web presence that includes a Documents Archive for evidence and reports, Public Hearings with YouTube livestreaming, the 'Every Story Matters' consultation platform (now closed after collecting 58,000 stories), and multi-language accessible communications. The Inquiry is structured into 10 investigation modules covering topics from resilience and preparedness through to societal impact, with Module 4 (Vaccines and therapeutics) the most recently published report as of April 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Every Story Matters: The public engagement exercise allowing people to share their experiences of the pandemic with the Inquiry, which was the largest listening exercise ever undertaken by a UK public Inquiry with 58,000 experiences shared.

Products and services

• Public Hearings Live-streamed and archived public hearings where witnesses testify before the Inquiry, streamed on YouTube with automated captions and daily published transcripts. Provided to the UK public, journalists, government officials, and accredited observers.
• Inquiry Reports (Modules 1-10) Published formal findings and recommendations from the Inquiry's 10 investigation modules covering UK pandemic preparedness, decision-making, healthcare systems, vaccines and therapeutics, procurement, care sector, test/trace/isolate, children and young people, economic response, and societal impact. Four reports published as of April 2026; six more forthcoming.
• Every Story Matters A national public listening exercise and consultation platform inviting UK residents to share personal experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Collected 58,000+ pandemic experiences — the largest listening exercise ever undertaken by a UK public inquiry — with submissions forming formal evidence to the Chair. The program closed on 23 May 2025; the archive is planned to be loaned to the UK Data Service for accredited researchers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 58,000+ pandemic experiences collected through Every Story Matters - the largest listening exercise in UK public inquiry history
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cabinet OfficecoreOthersThe UK Covid-19 Inquiry is sponsored by the Cabinet Office, which provides administrative support, IT services, and funding. The Cabinet Office is the primary government sponsor and data processor for the inquiry.
• UK Data ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Inquiry has announced plans to loan the entire archive of 58,000+ pandemic stories (Every Story Matters) to a trusted research environment at the UK Data Service. Accredited researchers including from government and academia will be granted restricted access in a secure virtual environment for research purposes.
• National ArchivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAt the conclusion of the Inquiry, records considered to form part of the historic record will be transferred for permanent preservation under the Public Records Act 1958.
• Government Property AgencycoreOthersManages the Dorland House venue where public hearings are held. Owns and manages CCTV recordings of visitors which are deleted after 30 days.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leveson Inquiry: UK judicial public inquiry into the culture, practices, and ethics of the press, chaired by Lord Justice Leveson (reports 2012 and 2014). Comparable as a UK statutory inquiry examining systemic institutional conduct and producing major published findings.
• Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry: UK statutory inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal. Direct peer given the same Inquiries Act 2005 framework, contemporaneous establishment (2020-2022), public-hearings format, and focus on systemic government/institutional failures.
• Infected Blood Inquiry: UK statutory public inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal, final report published 2024. Comparable in statutory basis (Inquiries Act 2005), use of public hearings, witness testimony, and large-scale victim engagement.
• The Iraq Inquiry (Chilcot Inquiry): UK statutory public inquiry chaired by Sir John Chilcot into the UK's involvement in Iraq. Comparable as a high-profile UK statutory inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 producing a major published report with policy recommendations.
• Undercover Policing Inquiry: UK statutory public inquiry examining undercover policing in England and Wales. Direct peer under the same Inquiries Act 2005 framework with public hearings, statutory evidence powers, and UK government sponsorship.
• Grenfell Tower Inquiry: UK statutory public inquiry established under the Inquiries Act 2005 to examine the Grenfell Tower fire and its aftermath. Direct peer given identical statutory framework, public-hearings format, evidence-gathering powers, and UK government sponsorship model.
• Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA): UK statutory public inquiry established under the Inquiries Act 2005 to examine institutional responses to child sexual abuse. Final report published 2022; comparable in scope, multi-module structure, and public-engagement approach.

Regional players

• Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry: Scottish public inquiry established to examine the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland. Regional peer with overlapping scope and methodology but distinct geographic remit (Scotland only) under Scottish ministerial sponsorship.
• COVID-19 Response Inquiry (Australia): Australian government inquiry into the country's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Regional peer with a comparable scope (pandemic response review) but operating under Australian federal government auspices and distinct jurisdiction.
• Brazilian Senate CPI da COVID: Brazilian Senate Parliamentary Inquiry Committee (CPI) investigating the federal government's pandemic response. Regional peer in function (government pandemic response review) but operating as a congressional rather than statutory inquiry under a different jurisdiction and political system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/covidinquiryuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@UKCovid-19Inquiry
• Facebookfacebook.com/covidinquiryuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uk-covid-19-inquiry
• Instagraminstagram.com/ukcovid19inquiry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UK Covid-19 Inquiry