The government has announced its response to the Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report.

Ministers have unveiled plans to better support vulnerable groups, hold a national pandemic exercise and train thousands of public servants to handle a range of crises, including pandemics.

The measures are in response to to the Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report, which looked at the resilience and preparedness of the UK prior to the pandemic.

The national pandemic exercise will be the first of its kind in nearly a decade and is set to be the biggest in UK history. The exercise will test the country's capabilities, plans, protocols and procedures in the event of another major pandemic.

To support vulnerable groups, the Cabinet Office has created a Risk Vulnerability Tool with the Office for National Statistics. The tool creates a map of the UK for different risks, and shows where there are vulnerable groups who might be disproportionately impacted. Data is used to identify vulnerable groups by age, disability, or whether someone is receiving care.

The government tool can be instantly shared across departments and with devolved governments. It is hoped the tool will improve the government’s understanding of where disproportionately impacted groups are ahead of and during crises, and enable targeted local support where required.