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 Birmingham City University (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.
“When Covid-19 started, my first port of call were documents and diaries from the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic,” said Professor Radford. “They had the same challenges we did: masks, managing the masses and misinformation.”
“In 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’ve learnt enough lessons to protect society in a stronger way.
“At 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.
“Whilst 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’s something I’m left with, a sense of hope.”
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’s legacy and strategies for managing future public health emergencies. These included how Covid-19 was handled in low-income countries, the Muslim community’s experiences, and the emotional impact on students and academics.
“This conference has been really insightful from a medical and scientific point of view, but also an emotional one, which has caught people by surprise,” said BCU’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Professor Maxine Lintern.
“It’s 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’t repeat the past.
“BCU 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.”