strong relationships, institutional and personal with the devolved administrations and spent time with each of theirfirst administrations and spent time with each of their first ministers, told them i was there cabinet secretary as well. they should think of me and supporting them as well. i wanted to make sure that the devolved administrations, recognising the different districts, the more collaboration the better. the devolved administrations were invited to attend the groups. was that a writer an invitation? it would be an invitation. cabinet committees do not normally involve devolved administrations for obvious reasons. they weren t included routinely in the international one because that is entirely preserved, but they were asked to join the others. and the expectation was that they were included. it wasn tjust they were included. it wasn tjust they would be invited ad hoc, they were part of that process. that was very much the intention. find were part of that process
centre of power, whereas the treasury, foreign policy and national security are overrepresented. just going back to the first sentence, you say you don t remember anyone working in the centre or who was part of those conversations who had a detailed understanding of the way the nhs operated. given all we have heard about the importance of the nhs and notjust in terms of caring for people, but the detail, whether it was going to be overwhelmed or not, thatis was going to be overwhelmed or not, that is very striking statement. yes. it was an observation at the time yes. it was an observation at the time and yes. it was an observation at the time and is yes. it was an observation at the time and is striking in retrospect as welt time and is striking in retrospect as welt i time and is striking in retrospect as well. i think it probably goes to what as well. i think it probably goes to what needs to be different in it should what needs to be different in it should no
start of that paragraph. you say, it was difficult to get the right kind of engagement from the hsc or the nhs. there was an in built reluctance to accept it was possible to get to a point where the nhs was overwhelmed and to acknowledge this would be something number 10 and the prime minister would need to be across. you referenced that concern from the cabinet office might not be helpful and you say you kept being told the nhs capacity was elastic. later on, a couple of lines down, you say it was only much later i realised what was meant by nhs capacity being elastic was the capacity being elastic was the capacity of people working in the nhs to work themselves into the ground to keep people alive. where you are in fact ever able to get to the bottom of this question of what we mean by the overwhelming of the nhs? , , ., ., nhs? this is in the following winter. this nhs? this is in the following winter. this is nhs? this is in the following winter. this is the nhs? th
of what lee kane said earlier, through the problem. 13:1 in light of what lee kane said earlier, can you make plain that it doesn t appearas you make plain that it doesn t appear as if any decision was made during the course of the weekend for a long time, there was a change in the strategic approach of the government, there was a realisation that they had to be a change of approach and much more stringent measures were likely to be required, but no actual decision was made to impose a lockdown? but no actual decision was made to impose a lockdown? correct. the way i would describe impose a lockdown? correct. the way i would describe it impose a lockdown? correct. the way i would describe it was impose a lockdown? correct. the way i would describe it was we impose a lockdown? correct. the way i would describe it was we had - impose a lockdown? correct. the way i would describe it was we had a - i would describe it was we had a conversation with the pm on the saturday