PLANNING for any future pandemics should be given to the NHS “free from political interference”, academics have said, after the UK’s Department of Health was “found wanting” during the coronavirus crisis.

A team of researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University, the Cass Business School in London, Nottingham University and Vlerick Business School in Belgium, also suggested early warnings of the threat of Covid-19 had been missed.

As a result, they said workers were facing “unprecedented” risks “on a daily basis, due to the inadequacy of their government’s approach to preparation”.

In a paper for the Journal of Risk Research, the experts in risk management found the NHS’s resilience to the pandemic was compromised by an over-reliance on “lean production” and “just in time” continuity planning.

They said the UK Government failed to act on systemic weaknesses highlighted through emergency exercises, and propose a new independent body be set up to take responsibility for planning for health emergencies, similar to how the Bank of England regulates the financial sector.

“The stability of the UK’s financial system is based on the Bank of England remaining free from day-to-day political influence ... It is time that national emergency preparedness, resilience, and response to transboundary risks follows suit via a public body with governance arrangements similar to those of the Bank of England,” the report said.

The team said key mistakes by the UK Government in preparing for the pandemic had undermined the ability of the NHS to cope with it.

This had left stockpiles short of vital supplies and the capacity for personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators and testing, which put more pressure on the NHS.

Co-author of the paper, Dr Patrick Ring, reader in Financial Services at GCU, said: “The risks employees are expected to face as they return to work are unprecedented and should never be repeated.

“It may now be time to consider whether national emergency preparedness, resilience and response should be given over to a public body with independent governance arrangements similar to those of the Bank of England. This public body could be enshrined in law, with the NHS pandemic preparedness and resilience responsibilities falling under its umbrella.

“No matter how low the probabilities are, when the stakes are so high there can be no room for complacency, posturing, or political ideology.

“The most recent problems with PPE from Turkey illustrate the fragility of the Government’s reliance upon global supply chains and the importance of national preparedness.”

While the Government, facing a potential shortage of ventilators, appealed to companies to develop new devices, the researchers said that “planning and preparedness will always trump technological reaction and adaptation”.

They added: “Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you’re a national health provider or a Texan supermarket chain.

“If you don’t invest in developing resilience through financial resources and strategic direction, your likelihood of success is reduced.

“To paraphrase the Chinese proverb, without rice, even the cleverest cannot cook.”

Lead researcher Dr Cormac Bryce, of Cass Business School, said: “The warnings to prepare were there for those willing to look and act for years.

“This inability to develop resilience in the face of Covid-19 has hampered the upscaling of testing for key workers and the vulnerable in care homes – those most at risk.”

The UK Government, however, defended its actions. A spokesperson told The National: “This is an unprecedented pandemic and we have taken the right steps at the right time to combat it, guided at all times by the best scientific advice, to protect the NHS and save lives.

“Thanks to our national effort, we haven’t seen hospitals overwhelmed with patients, nor people left without hospital beds or ventilators.”