UK COVID-19 inquiry|2 Mar 2026
Sam Royston. UK Commission on Bereavement.
Introduction
Dr Sam Royston is Executive Director of Research and Policy at Marie Curie.
The UK Commission on Bereavement (UKCB) was established in 2021 to investigate the key issues related to bereavement and to make recommendations on improving support for bereaved people across the UK.
‘‘An oral evidence participant, speaking with regard to families in the Bengali community in London, revealed that…
‘‘Some families stopped sending sick relatives into hospital, fearing they wouldn’t see them again.’’
-Paragraph 225 of statement
Testimony highlights
76% of respondents did not get the funeral they wanted due to restrictions.
Not only were the learning disabled deprioritised/discriminated against within the NHS (eg; withdrawal of healthcare/blanket DNACPR notices) they would also be deprioritised again when it came to attending funerals.
Problems with mask wearing.
‘‘Other pieces of work did find that, such as for example use of PPE creating restrictions, or making it more difficult to communicate for people with hearing difficulties.’’
Statement highlights
‘‘Respondents described the agony of knowing their loved one was alone when they died - some described this as the worst part of their bereavement experience.’’
-Paragraph 225
‘‘76% of respondents to the commission’s survey who were bereaved during the pandemic saying they were not able to have the funeral they wanted due to Covid-19 restrictions. Disruptions cited included delays, restrictions in numbers, travel restrictions and other social distancing measures.’’
-Paragraph 226
Module 10 Roundtable report-Funerals, burials and bereavement support
In April 2025, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry held a roundtable event to discuss the impact of pandemic measures put in place around bereavement, funerals and other burial practices.
Thanks for your attention.
All feedback welcome.
End
‘‘76% of respondents to the commission’s survey who were bereaved during the pandemic saying they were not able to have the funeral they wanted due to Covid-19 restrictions.”.
Only 76%? Where did they get this figure from? I would have thought it was more like 99%.
Sad to see members of Bereaved Families Support Group NI talk as if another pandemic is coming because "viruses" exist without challenging the "bogus" one we had. Despite the high rates of unvaccination and massive protests held here members of that group still drink the kool aid. I can only support them so far.