Heavy social media use has led to a stark drop in happiness among young people, according to a major academic study.

Fifteen-year-old girls who use social media for more than five hours a day are the most likely to see a drop in life-satisfaction, the 2026 edition of the World Happiness Report reveals.

The annual study, published by the University of Oxford, asked around 1,000 people to rate their lives from 0 to 10 each year.

Under-25s in English-speaking and Western European countries are also likely to have become unhappy, with scores dropping by almost one point over the past decade.

Young people who use social media for less than an hour a day report the highest levels of well-being, the researchers find.

“It is clear that we should look as much as possible to put the ‘social’ back into social media,” said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an Oxford economics professor who directs the Wellbeing Research Centre.

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Researchers noted that in some parts of the world, such as the Middle East and South America, the links between social media use and well-being are more positive – and youth well-being has not fallen despite heavy social media use.

Finland was crowned the happiest country in the world for the ninth year in a row – whilst other Nordic countries Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway all ranked among the top 10.

The United Kingdom came in 29th – unchanged from last year when it reached its lowest since the World Happiness Report began collecting data.

The UK’s best ranking came nine years ago when it was 13th, in 2019.

A new entry to the top five on the list is Costa Rica, which climbed to fourth place this year after rising through the ranks from 23rd place in 2023.

“We think it’s because of the quality of their social lives and the stability that they currently enjoy,” De Neve added.

“Latin America more generally has strong family ties, strong social ties, a great level of social capital, as a sociologist would call it, more so than in other places.”

Meanwhile the dominance of Nordic nations is put down to a combination of wealth distribution, welfare, and a healthy life expectancy.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said: “I do not think there is a magic potion, but it helps to have a society which strives towards freedom, equality and justice.”

Mr Cox, who was awarded an MBE in 1996 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the community in Airdrie, passed away on March 9.

Tributes have been paid to the former Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire Gibby Cox following his death earlier this month.

Mr Cox, who was awarded an MBE in 1996 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the community in Airdrie, passed away at the age of 90 on March 9.

He was later appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 2010 for his service as the Lord-Lieutenant of Lanarkshire.

Current Lord-Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, Lady Susan Haughey CBE, said: “Gibby was resolutely dedicated to people, local communities, and businesses across Lanarkshire, and he will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him.

“I’m sure you will join me in extending our condolences to his family and friends, as he will truly be remembered for the many years he served the people of Lanarkshire.”

A North Lanarkshire Council spokesperson said: “Gibby is fondly remembered for his dedication to the role of Lord-Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, which he held for 10 years, retiring in August 2010 at the age of 75. Gibby served as a Deputy Lieutenant from 1989 until he was appointed Lord-Lieutenant in 2000.

“In 1996, Gibby received an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours for services to the community in Airdrie, and in 2010, he received a rare personal honour from the Queen, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO), to mark a decade of royal service.

“The CVO is of such importance that it is not part of the main civil honours list of knighthoods and MBEs but has always been personally bestowed by the monarch since its inception in 1896 to recognise “services to the royal household”.

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“Gibby played a major role in promoting Lanarkshire throughout his term as Lord-Lieutenant. He spearheaded the fundraising campaign for Summerlee Heritage Park’s landmark refurbishment and helped bring the 2011 International Children’s Games to Lanarkshire.

“After retiring as Lord-Lieutenant, Gibby became Chairman of the St Andrew’s Hospice Capital Appeal, helping to raise substantial funds for the Hospice’s major refurbishment in 2018.

“Gibby was resolutely dedicated to people, local communities, and businesses across Lanarkshire, and he will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him.”

Following his retirement, Gibby served as chairman of St Andrew’s Hospice Capital Appeal for a number of years and was instrumental in raising the substantial funds that enabled the hospice to undertake its £9 million refurbishment in 2017–2018.

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St Andrew’s Hospice CEO Joy Farquharson added: “Gibby was a true gentleman who championed St Andrew’s Hospice across Lanarkshire, particularly within the business community, to ensure we could raise the millions required to refurbish the Hospice.

“We are indebted to him for his support, his tenacity, and his unwavering belief in our work. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family at this difficult time.”

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Donald Trump made a Pearl Harbour gag so awkward that it triggered painful groans from Oval Office reporters.

The US President was sat down next to the Japanese Prime Minster, no less, when he decided to joke about the Second World War.

‘Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbour?’ he asked a Japanese reporter, despite having been born five years after the attack on the Hawaiian naval base.

It all started with an innocent question to Trump about why the US did not warn its allies before they launched their first wave of strikes against Iran last month.

The President began as you would expect: ‘Well, one thing, you don’t want to signal too much. You know, when we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted…surprise.’

That last word appeared to spark an idea for a joke in Trump’s head as his counterpart Sanae Takaichi squirmed in her seat.

He asked ‘Who knows better about surprise than Japan?’, which got some awkward chuckles from behind the camera.

Unfortunately Trump continued: ‘Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?’

Cue shocked noises from the press pack. Ms Takaichi’s face was a picture.

The President added: ‘You believe in surprise I think much more so than us.

‘And we had a surprise.. and because of that surprise we probably knocked out 50% of what we did and much more than we anticipated doing.’

The surprise Japanese attack on US warships in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941 killed 2,390 Americans.

The US declared war on Japan the next day, with the then President Franklin D. Roosevelt calling it ‘a date which will live in infamy.’

It led to a brutal four-year war across Asia, which ended in Japanese surrender in August 1945, after the US unleashed two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Ms Takaichi, who has just won a resounding election victory at home, has enjoyed a close relationship with Trump since entering office.

The US President’s visit to Japan last October was widely seen as heralding in a new ‘golden age’ in bilateral ties.

The relationship has appeared more tense since the start of the US and Israeli war against Iran.

Trump demanded Japan and other countries help secure the vital Strait of Hormuz to protect oil shipments being fired upon by Iran.

That request received a lukewarm response, leading the President to post that the US did ‘NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!’

In a joint statement along with the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands published today, Japan expressed its shared ‘readiness to contribute appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage’ through the strait.

Pouring more praise on Trump in the Oval Office, Ms Takaichi said: ‘I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world.

‘I am ready to reach out to many of the partners in the international community to achieve our objective together.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Endometriosis is a painful, debilitating condition affecting 10% of women worldwide. It occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (known as lesions) grows elsewhere in the body – usually within the pelvis.

Treating endometriosis can be difficult. Usually, treatment involves either preventing the growth of these lesions in the first place or removing lesions surgically. But even when lesions have been surgically removed, symptoms often don’t go away.

Traditionally, endometriosis has been thought of as a gynaecological condition. But mounting evidence suggests this characterisation downplays the disease’s complexity. Endometriosis appears to affect far more than just the reproductive system. According to a growing body of research, it influences immune function throughout the whole body.

Recognising it as a whole-body, immune-driven disease could help explain why symptoms range far beyond pelvic pain. It would also explain why treatment is so challenging and often does little to reduce symptoms.

A disease of the whole immune system

Inflammation – the body’s natural response to injury or illness – is a normal part of immune response. It also plays a key role in the menstrual cycle.

But if inflammation becomes chronic or uncontrolled, it can cause problems. This is seen in autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, where the immune system overreacts even when there is no threat.

Chronic inflammation is also known to play a central role in endometriosis. But the effects of this uncontrolled immune response may be far more widespread than previously thought. According to recent research, the immune response appears to extend into the bloodstream and other body systems. This may explain why endometriosis causes such far-reaching, whole-body symptoms.

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In people with endometriosis, immune cells appear to be less able to clear lesions. Yet, at the same time, people with endometriosis have higher levels of immune proteins such as IL-6 and IL-1β in their blood. These immune proteins, known as cytokines, are a type of messenger released by cells to promote inflammation.

Together, these dysfunctional cells make it possible for lesions to grow and persist. This immune dysregulation also has ripple effects across the body, contributing to the wide range of symptoms sufferers experience.

For instance, many people with endometriosis experience debilitating fatigue, cognitive difficulties (such as “brain fog”) and widespread pain. These symptoms are rarely emphasised in clinical guidelines, yet they’re often as disruptive as pelvic pain itself.

Systemic inflammation offers a compelling explanation for these symptoms. Circulating cytokines, such as those mentioned earlier, are known to influence brain function and energy regulation. Higher levels of cytokines (including IL-6) have also been linked to poorer concentration, disrupted sleep and fatigue in some autoimmune and chronic pain disorders.

These same processes may be occurring in endometriosis. This suggests that invisible symptoms could be biological consequences of ongoing inflammation – not secondary effects of pain.

A dysfunctional immune system may also help to explain why emerging research hints at an overlap between endometriosis and autoimmune diseases.

In 2025, a large scale study looked at 330,000 patients with endometriosis and 1.2 million controls (people who didn’t have the condition). The study found that compared to the controls, people with endometriosis had roughly twice the odds of being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition – such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis or Hashimoto’s disease – within two years of their endometriosis diagnosis.

This doesn’t mean endometriosis is itself an autoimmune disease. But it does suggest shared mechanisms – including chronic inflammation, dysregulated immune cell activity, and problems with the immune system recognising the body’s own tissue properly.

These overlapping features strengthen the case for understanding endometriosis as a systemic immune disorder.

Reframing endometriosis

Viewing endometriosis in this way could transform how it’s diagnosed, treated and understood. It could also help us get closer to finding a solution for the condition.

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Current treatments primarily target the reproductive system. But if endometriosis involves widespread immune dysfunction, then therapies that modulate immune pathways may offer more effective long-term relief.

Seeing endometriosis as a systemic condition can empower patients, as well. This reframing may help them understand that symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, cognitive difficulties and immune sensitivity are not imagined or unrelated. Rather, they’re part of the condition’s broader biology.

Seeing it this way may support patients in advocating for themselves in healthcare settings, where systemic symptoms are often dismissed or deprioritised.

A systemic framing also opens space for patients to explore complementary management strategies aimed at reducing inflammation or improving overall wellbeing. While not curative, some people find gentle movement, stress regulation techniques and heat–cold contrast therapy helpful for managing pain or inflammatory flares.

A growing body of research shows that endometriosis is not solely a reproductive condition or a “bad period”. It’s a multi-system, inflammatory disorder with far-reaching health effects throughout the body.

Understanding endometriosis as a systemic immune disease is a crucial step toward better treatments, better support and, ultimately, better health outcomes.

The teacher sent sexually explicit texts and photos to an adult while children were in the building

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A primary school teacher who transmitted sexually explicit messages, voice recordings and images whilst in the toilets during school hours has been barred from the profession.

Ben Walker had begun his employment at Edisford Primary School in Clitheroe in September 2016. He stepped down in November 2023 following his admission of sending sexually explicit material to a woman whilst on school grounds on July 13, 2022.

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel has prohibited Mr Walker from teaching. He is unable to seek removal of the prohibition for two years, reports Lancs Live.

In his determination, Stuart Blomfield from the TRA stated: “Mr Walker admitted to having sent sexualised voice notes and images of him shirtless and having exposed himself to Person A, who was an adult not connected with the School. The panel has been provided with copies of the messages which indicate that the conversation was mutual between Mr Walker and Person A.

“The photographs of Mr Walker with his shirt off, and one with him appearing to expose himself (although this is redacted in the panel’s bundle of documents), are taken in the same room – which appears to be the toilets.”

“The panel is therefore satisfied that those photographs were taken at School. Mr Walker has admitted that those photographs were taken in the male toilets at School, although for clarity, the panel notes that Mr Walker asserted these were the male staff toilets.

“For the avoidance of doubt the panel is satisfied that no children saw Mr Walker take the photos in question, nor is there any suggestion that any child heard Mr Walker making or receiving the sexualised voice notes. Notwithstanding this, the panel is of the view that children were still on School premises and were therefore in the vicinity of Mr Walker when he was engaging in the alleged activity.

“The panel accepts that the risk of children witnessing his activities was probably low, but it cannot rule out there was at least some risk of exposing a child to harm by carrying out the activities on School premises. The panel considered whether the messages were sexually motivated.

“The nature of some of the messages that the panel has had sight of are particularly graphic and are unquestionably of a sexual nature. They indicate the participants’ desire to engage in a sexual relationship and the panel is therefore satisfied that Mr Walker was sexually motivated in sending the messages.

Although the images appear to have been taken by Mr. Walker in the main part of the bathroom, rather than in a locked cubicle. The images show a door and two sinks, behind and next to where Mr Walker is standing(respectively). The [REDACTED] confirmed that the image appeared to have been taken by Mr Walker in the main part of the bathroom, and that there was no lock on the door into the bathroom.

“The panel’s concern is that if a child had inadvertently entered the staff toilet at the time, the harm to that child could have potentially been significant.”

The prohibition order bars Mr Walker from teaching indefinitely, meaning he is unable to work in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. An application to have the prohibition order lifted cannot be made until March 2028.

The Eden Arms, on Staindrop Road in West Auckland will reopen at 2pm on Friday (March 20), promising a “fantastic afternoon and evening filled with a great atmosphere, good company, and plenty of entertainment”.

Writing on Facebook, the pub said: “Come along and help us celebrate as we officially open our doors.

“Bring your friends and family and be among the first to experience everything The Eden Arms has to offer. Let’s make it a day to remember.”

There will be live entertainment from 7pm, with disco and karaoke to follow. Customers are encouraged to bring their “singing voices and dancing shoes”.

A free shot is also promised for every singer.

Earlier this month, the pub announced it would be reopening soon, promising “exciting upgrades”.

The pub previously said: “After lots of hard work redecorating, refreshing and making some exciting upgrades, we’re getting ready to reopen very soon.

“We can’t wait to welcome everyone back and meet you all.”

The pub will open from 12pm seven days a week and will have seven large TV screens and a separate space for a dart board complete with ring light, backboard and counter.

The new landlords have also said they will “work hard” to get the beer garden ready for the Fifa World Cup.

They said they’ll be large TV’s, a stage, outside bar and play area.

The University of Cambridge has said the hub will ‘connect entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, and researchers’

A large building on a busy Cambridge road is set to be transformed into an ‘innovation hub’. Social media users recently questioned what is happening with the building at 1-3 Hills Road.

The building was previously used by Cambridge Assessment and is owned by the University of Cambridge. It is set to become into an ‘innovation hub’ as part of a £500 million funding package for the Oxford-Cambridge corridor.

The University of Cambridge said: “Designed to drive UK growth, the Hub will connect entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, and researchers on a 2.7-acre site in Hills Road, in the centre of Cambridge, as the UK’s answer to Boston’s Lab Central and Paris’s Station F. The new facility will support science start ups to grow and compete on the world stage.”

It is unclear how or whether the building will be changed for this purpose. There is no clear timeline yet on the innovation hub.

In an address at the beginning of the year, University of Cambridge vice chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice said: “In the centre of Cambridge, we are building an Innovation Hub that will bring together startups, scaling companies, corporate investment teams, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and our world-class research community, all in a facility located at 1-3 Hills Road, just a short walk from the train station.”

Science Minister and Oxford-Cambridge Innovation Champion, Lord Vallance, said when the £500 million funding was announced in October: “Cambridge is one of the world’s most fertile grounds for innovation to take root, and blossom into opportunities for investment, job creation, and progress in fields ranging from life sciences to deep tech.

“As impressive as these figures are, there is still more potential here for us to unleash. This is precisely why we are backing the Cambridge Innovation Hub, as part of our programme of work across Government to boost the entire Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor, and fulfil its promise as an economic engine the whole nation benefits from.”

The man accused of murdering pregnant Lurgan woman Natalie McNally “did believe and does believe always and forever” that her ex-boyfriend killed her, a court heard today.

The 32-year old was 15 weeks pregnant when she was beaten, strangled and stabbed in her Silverwood Green home on the evening of Sunday December 18, 2022.

The father of her unborn child, 36-year old Stephen McCullagh from Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, has been accused of and has denied her murder.

Now in its fourth week, evidence in the murder trial at Belfast Crown Court has now concluded and today McCullagh’s barrister John Kearney KC addressed the jury with the defence’s closing speech.

Mr Kearney told the six men and women it was their role to “step back” and “bring surgeon-like objective scrutiny” to the case and to the evidence they have heard.

The barrister spoke of several pieces of the Crown’s “jigsaw” not fitting together and said “there are multiple pieces” that pointed away from McCullagh.

Instead, he said told the jurors that when they “scratch the surface” they will find “nagging, reasonable doubt.”

Reminding the jury that at this point McCullagh was “an innocent man unless or until you find otherwise”, Mr Kearney said the real issue was the identity of the killer.

He told the jury: “If you think he (McCullagh) probably is, that is not enough. If you are almost sure, that is not enough.

“If you are left with a reasonable doubt that someone else … could have been the killer, your job is to acquit. Not because I say so, but because these are the rules.”

Describing the evidence against his client as circumstantial, Mr Kearney said: “We suggest there are holes in this case, there are gaps in this case, there is reasonable doubt in this case, there are missing pieces of the jigsaw in this case.”

This, he said, included “missing CCTV evidence” regarding a motion sensor camera on Woodland Gardens which didn’t pick up anyone leaving McCullagh’s home and passing the camera on the evening of the murder.

This, the defence say, is because “he wasn’t there” which he described as a “big problem for the prosecution.”

Mr Kearney also said there was “no identification evidence in this case”, nor any clothing comparison or gait analysis.

Regarding the hat worn by the suspect who got into a taxi in Lurgan after the murder, Mr Kearney said the Crown had asked the jury to compare this with a similar hat worn by McCullagh in pictures on his social media.

Suggesting “they are different hats”, Mr Kearney spoke of contrasting stitching and ear flaps. He also mentioned the suspect caught on CCTV wearing a “big black coat” and “distinctive trainers”.

Mr Kearney said: “The prosecution have not been able to provide any evidence indicating that this defendant on any occasion appeared on CCTV or social media or in any way in a big black coat. The house was searched, there was no coat.”

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Other areas which raised doubt, according to the defence, was a lack of evidence about whether or not McCullagh accessed Ms McNally’s phone.

Turning back to reasonable doubt, Mr Kearney spoke of the “elephant in the room” – Ms McNally’s ex-boyfriend.

Describing this man, who can’t be named due to a reporting restriction, as “walking, talking reasonable doubt”, Mr Kearney reminded the jury he was “interviewed as a suspect in this case.”

The barrister said it was McCullagh’s case that he didn’t kill Ms McNally, adding his client “did believe and does believe always and forever that the killer” was Ms McNally’s ex-boyfriend.

Mr Kearney said that when McCullagh was arrested on suspicion of murdering Ms McNally there “wasn’t a mark on the hands of the defendant.” This, he said, compared to the ex-boyfriend whose hands were swollen when he was arrested.

He told the jury: “We ask you to think about that very very carefully when you decide whether you can be sure this defendant and not (the ex-boyfriend) killed Ms McNally.”

The barrister also spoke of a 498-page document which contained all the WhatsApp messages exchanged between his client and Ms McNally during the course of their 133-day relationship.

Mr Kearney pointed out there was “not a word of violence or fallouts or misogyny” in the exchange.

Instead, he suggested the messages were of the “normal banality of life” including pets and work, all of which indicated “this was a real, loving relationship.”

He then asked the jury to compare the contents of these messages against the “disgraceful correspondence” from the ex-boyfriend.

Some of these messages, the barrister suggested, indicated he was a “hot-headed man who cannot take rejection.”

Mr Kearney also spoke of the ex-boyfriend doing a factory reset on his phone prior to his arrest in December 2022, lying to police about the last time he saw Ms McNally and being accused of domestic incidents by his former partner.

This former partner gave evidence at the trial and said Ms McNally’s ex-boyfriend didn’t commit the murder as he was with her in his flat all night.

In her evidence, she said that he fell asleep after drinking, that the World Cup final was on and that he didn’t leave the flat all night.

Mr Kearney asked the jury to “scrutinise the evidence to see whether they were telling the truth or telling a tale.”

He concluded the defence’s closing argument by telling the jurors that when they scrutinise the evidence they “could not, we suggest, extinguish reasonable doubt that this defendant killed Ms McNally as opposed to some other person.”

Following this, Mr Justice Kinney addressed the jury and said “what remains for you now is to hear from me”. He told the jurors to return to court on Friday morning when he will begin his charge, with an anticipation that they will begin deliberating next Monday morning.

At hearing.

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The inquiry found several areas where the Welsh Government’s response should’ve been different

The Welsh NHS came “close to collapse” during the pandemic, according to the Covid-19 inquiry. Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett said the healthcare system “teetered on the brink of total collapse” throughout the pandemic and “only just” coped with the pressure it was placed under.

She concluded a complete collapse of the entire system was only “narrowly avoided” because of the “extraordinary efforts of all those working in the healthcare systems”.

The latest 387-page report, which looks at the impact the pandemic had on the NHS in all parts of the UK, says Covid-19’s devastating impact on the NHS was “unsurprising” given the “parlous state” the service was in at the start of the crisis.

The report forms part of the UK Covid Inquiry which is made up of 10 different modules. This latest one, released on Thursday, examines healthcare systems in all parts of the UK. Stay informed on the latest health news by signing up to our newsletter here.

Shielding letters took too long and went to wrong addresses

One area which was examined in the report was shielding letters sent out to clinically extremely vulnerable people at the start of the pandemic. The inquiry found that in Wales this was a “significant and complex task” and the time it took to produce the letters therefore led to a delay of at least two weeks in the letters arriving.

It was concluded the Welsh Government’s pre-pandemic planning was inadequate making the planning and delivery of the shielding programme even more challenging.

The inquiry added: “Sir Frank Atherton, chief medical officer for Wales from August 2016 to January 2025, told the Inquiry that there had been a ‘huge effort to try to improve’ the data systems required to identify at-risk people rapidly but that they were still not in place in September 2024. He told the onquiry: ‘[W]e are behind the curve in Wales on digital records.’”

It also found the content of official communications regarding the shielding programme was affected by problems with data systems and record-keeping. This led to the Welsh Government sending 13,000 of the 91,000 shielding letters to the wrong addresses and children with Down’s syndrome mistakenly receiving letters.

Birthing partner policy should’ve changed earlier

Another issue which arose in the report was the Welsh Government’s stance on whether fathers and birthing partners should be subject to the same restrictions as ‘visitors’. The inquiry highlighted how Wales was the last UK nation to amend the policy for them, on May 9, 2022, and found this change was too slow to be implemented.

Eluned Morgan accepted that the Welsh Government “took too long to make those changes”.

Care was not escalated for those with ‘remote’ chances of recovery

The inquiry also found how some people in Wales were not escalated to the next level of care because, as a critical care doctor in Wales told the inquiry, there was not “enough space to ‘give people a go’ who had a very remote chance of getting better”.

Lack of PPE in Welsh healthcare settings

The report also found it was clear that healthcare workers did at points lack access to appropriate PPE and outlined examples from the UK. A consultant in Wales recalled: “At the start, despite knowing of the virus spread, no PPE was provided. Not even masks let alone thinking of level two PPE for aerosolgenerating procedures. This was when many of my colleagues and I became ill.”

Abandoned 111 calls

Due to the increased demand of people calling 111 more calls were being abandoned by callers before reaching the front of the queue. In Wales 43.3% of calls to the NHS 111 service were abandoned in March 2020. However the inquiry said a change in Welsh Government advice in April 2020 led to fewer abandoned calls when they encouraged the use of the NHS Direct Wales website.

‘Deeply distressing’ experiences of people dying alone

The report also detailed the “devastating impact” of restrictions which led to many dying alone. It found that although such restrictions “may be unavoidable” in a pandemic visits for dying patients should be suspended “for the shortest time possible”.

One case which was highlighted was that of Sam Smith-Higgins, part of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, who had to say goodbye to her father by text message. She said: “I received a call from the doctor who told us that he had deteriorated and that he was dying.

“To not be able to be with my father and to hear that news was completely devastating. He was with a nurse and so I was constrained to saying my farewell to my father by text message with the hope that it would be read out to him.

“It is truly difficult to put into words how painful it is to say farewell to a loved one by text message.”

Withdrawing medicine delivery ‘premature’ in Wales

Unlike other UK nations medicine delivery support in Wales was not funded and available throughout the second wave of the pandemic. Instead it was ended on August 16, 2020, and never reinstated.

The inquiry found it was clear this support, which helped clinically vulnerable people receive medications, would’ve been needed in Wales throughout the second wave and had therefore been withdrawn prematurely. It also detailed how community pharmacists had been key in ensuring vulnerable individuals could access their medications.

One community pharmacist in Wales, Jonathan Rees, told the inquiry: “My wife and I would walk around our village delivering on the weekend with our three young children to ensure everybody received what they needed.”

First Minister Eluned Morgan said in a written statement: “The pandemic placed significant pressures on health and care services in Wales and across the UK. We acknowledge the considerable impact this had on patients, staff, the wider workforce and families affected by Covid-19.

“The Welsh Government continues to engage with the inquiry in an open and constructive manner as we have done in relation to the first two reports.

“The inquiry requires a response to the module three report and recommendations within six months of publication.”

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