Research News Last updated 22 April
The Deputy Chief Nurse for England says there needs to be research into the mental health impact of Covid-19, as he addressed a 探花直播 (BCU) conference marking five years since the first UK lockdowns.
Professor Mark Radford, a BCU alumnus who led the NHS vaccine workforce programme and oversaw the deployment of student nurses from over 70 universities, delivered the keynote at the multidisciplinary event, Covid-19 Five Years On: Where Are We Now, held on Thursday 3 April 2025.
During his keynote presentation, Professor Radford discussed his experiences with managing the pandemic and NHS, as well as his hopes for future generations who are put in a similar position.
鈥淲hen Covid-19 started, my first port of call were documents and diaries from the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic,鈥� said Professor Radford. 鈥淭hey had the same challenges we did: masks, managing the masses and misinformation.鈥�
鈥淚n 100 years there will be another Deputy Chief Nurse, who will dust down some of my work and ask what they can learn from my actions. I hope we鈥檝e learnt enough lessons to protect society in a stronger way.
鈥淎t this conference, it was really good to hear from colleagues in humanities, alongside the scientific and clinical responses. During the pandemic, the primary response was around the scientific and technical challenges of protecting the most vulnerable. But there will need to a be a long-term follow-up required to looked at the mental health impact years on from the pandemic.
鈥淲hilst there were horrible conditions for people, I also saw the best in society. I saw communities come together and innovative ways to lift spirits and support one another. It鈥檚 something I鈥檓 left with, a sense of hope.鈥�
The conference brought together researchers and academics from diverse fields, including nursing, arts, humanities, criminology, and youth studies.
Ten pieces of research were presented, each offering insights into the pandemic鈥檚 legacy and strategies for managing future public health emergencies. These included how Covid-19 was handled in low-income countries, the Muslim community鈥檚 experiences, and the emotional impact on students and academics.
鈥淭his conference has been really insightful from a medical and scientific point of view, but also an emotional one, which has caught people by surprise,鈥� said BCU鈥檚 Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Professor Maxine Lintern.
鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely important to look back and understand what happened during the pandemic, to learn what we can do in the future to make sure we don鈥檛 repeat the past.
鈥淏CU researchers can bring a level of rigour and robustness to discussions, which means that their messages are trusted and reliable. Academia is about asking difficult questions and exploring those difficult answers.鈥�