What Germany’s COVID-19 response can teach UK public services
Why has England’s test and trace system been less effective than Germany’s approach? This is one of the likely questions when the Public Services Committee explores what the UK’s public services can learn from Germany’s response to COVID-19 which has widely been seen as a success.
Meeting details
At 3:00pm: Private discussion
Inquiry
Public services: lessons from coronavirus
At 4:00pm: Oral evidence
Inquiry
Public services: lessons from coronavirus
Background
Germany has suffered around 9,500 deaths in a population of 83 million (compared to more than 40,000 in the UK with a population of 67 million) and its 14-day quarantine for people leaving hospital has been credited with protecting care homes from outbreaks. The Committee discusses lessons we can learn as the UK moves towards a new National Institute for Health Protection modelled on Germany’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute.
Possible questions
- How much do the effectiveness and resilience of Germany’s public services result from the country’s decentralised state?
- What fundamental strengths and weaknesses has COVID-19 revealed in Germany’s public service delivery, compared to the UK?
- What have been the main successes and failures of the Robert Koch Institute during the pandemic?
Further information