There is an urgent need for Ministers to be trained in complex decision making.

Former National Audit Office Director and Coronadiary author, David Finlay, has made a startling revelation in his book: Government ministers had not received any collective training in the skills needed to make complex decisions prior to the COVID pandemic. This lack of professional training has been highlighted in the recent COVID Inquiry evidence, which has indicated a chaotic approach to decision making in Downing Street.

The government had been warned before the pandemic to improve its skills in planning, using data and managing risk, all of which are essential for making sound decisions in response to the pandemic threat. Finlay said: “We don’t expect doctors or pilots to look after the public without suitable training and qualifications. But during the COVID pandemic we put our trust in Ministers to make decisions affecting our health, livelihoods and education without any training in how to deal with such complexity.”

Evidence has shown that Ministers were not simply rubber-stamping scientific advice, but were dealing with significant uncertainties due to a lack of data or differing opinions. It was left to the Ministers to balance protecting health with the need to minimise disruption to businesses and schools.

Finlay concluded: “Ministers were trying to develop their COVID response through WhatsApp discussions rather than a disciplined approach to making complex decisions. Ministers bring their own personal backgrounds to their work in government but the lack of training means they don’t have a common skill set in analysing complex situations to arrive at effective decisions. We need to act now to give Ministers appropriate training for the responsibilities they bear.”

Former National Audit Office Director and Coronadiary author, David Finlay, has revealed that government ministers had not received any collective training in the necessary skills to make complex decisions prior to the COVID pandemic. Evidence from the recent COVID Inquiry has highlighted a chaotic approach to decision making in Downing Street, indicating the lack of professional training was detrimental.

The government had previously been warned to improve its skills in planning, using data and managing risk, which are essential for making sound decisions during a pandemic. Finlay said: “We don’t expect doctors or pilots to look after the public without suitable training and qualifications. But during the COVID pandemic we put our trust in Ministers to make decisions affecting our health, livelihoods and education without any training in how to deal with such complexity.”

Ministers were not just rubber-stamping scientific advice, but were instead faced with significant uncertainties due to a lack of data or differing opinions. They had to weigh up the trade-offs between protecting health and minimising disruption to businesses and schools.

Finlay concluded: “Ministers were trying to develop their COVID response through WhatsApp discussions rather than a disciplined approach to making complex decisions. Ministers bring their own personal backgrounds to their work in government but the lack of training means they don’t have a common skill set in analysing complex situations to arrive at effective decisions. We need to act now to give Ministers appropriate training for the responsibilities they bear.”