The report was also critical of the government attempts to force health and care workers to have the vaccine.

The government mandated that care home workers would have to be jabbed to work in June 2021 – and then said they were planning to extend it to all health and care workers.

But they scrapped it and revoked the care home mandate amid mounting evidence the vaccine had a limited effect on stopping infections – instead its major benefit was stopping people getting seriously ill.

The inquiry said this may have contributed to alienation and increased hesitancy.

Unison general secretary Andrea Egan said such an approach was “never the right way” to address vaccine concerns.

“Making them compulsory didn’t command the support of the profession and likely contributed to vaccine hesitancy in some groups.

“Instead, ministers should have run targeted campaigns to reassure staff the vaccine was safe, amid the deluge of anti-vax nonsense.”

A government spokeswoman said the vaccine programme was “unprecedented” and reflected the strength of the UK’s world-leading life sciences sector, the universal public health system and the extraordinary dedication of health and care staff.

“We are grateful to all those involved in this national effort – the scientists, researchers, regulators, NHS and social care staff and volunteers who supported the roll-out of vaccines and treatments at pace.”

She said the government would consider the report in detail and it was committed to “learning vital lessons”.

Available for over a year

Today we’re talking talc… that white powder that is sometimes found in make-up. There’s been a lot of chat recently about the safety of talc. So, in this episode we find out why it’s in our make-up and cosmetics, and whether we should be avoiding it.

BBC journalist Phoebe Keane, who produced the podcast series Talc Tales, explains what talc is and its link to asbestos, a known carcinogen. We also discuss the different tests that are used to determine if talc has been contaminated with asbestos.

The World Health Organization has classified talc as “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Several companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Chanel and L’Oreal have been quietly moving away from using talc-based products in recent years. But do consumers care about this? We hear from Savannah, a PhD student and make-up content creator. And what can you use if you want to avoid talc in make-up? Jen Novakovich, a science communicator and cosmetic scientist, suggests some alternatives.

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Presenter: Iqra Farooq
Producers: Mora Morrison and Benita Barden
Video producer: Tim Hodges
Editor: Verity Wilde and Harriet Oliver

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Misinformation spread online about vaccines during the pandemic both damaged uptake of the Covid jab and has subsequently affected confidence more generally in childhood vaccines that have nothing to do with Covid, says the inquiry.

High levels of distrust in authority in certain communities, including ethnic minority groups and people living in deprived areas, was and is also a factor.

Both issues need addressing, it says, but the inquiry also raises interesting questions over the government’s attempts to force some people to get the jab.

In June 2021, the government announced care workers in England had to be vaccinated if they were to work in care homes.

Within months ministers said they would extend that to all health and care staff. But they scrapped that policy before it was introduced and revoked the mandate on care homes staff amid mounting evidence the jab’s ability to stop infections and therefore curtail spread of the virus was limited – instead its major benefit was protecting those vaccinated against serious illness.

Vaccine mandates are likely to have contributed to alienation and increased hesitancy, the inquiry suggests.

More must be done to rebuild trust in all vaccines, the inquiry concludes.