Health Board -
CCA and Pandemic Planning
We were engaged by the largest Health Board in Scotland to assist with preparations for pandemic flu and compliance with the Civil Contingencies Act.
This was a large and complex project and we dedicated two consultants to work full-time with the client. Our work in this area has covered both hospital administration and front-line medical care activities. One of our consultants on this particular assignment was previously employed by a London primary care trust for several years. Applying our methodology with specific adaptations for the particular needs of a primary care trust, our work so far has covered the following planning activities:
- increasing the surge capacity of the emergency department
- implementing data collection processes for surveillance, monitoring of hospital
- inpatient and emergency department capacities
- procedures for postponing elective admissions
- establishing command and control procedures for medical response and resource management in a crisis situation
- identifying pandemic coordination team with defined roles and responsibilities for preparedness and response planning
- identifying essential employees and other critical inputs (e.g. suppliers, subcontractor services/ products, and logistics) required to maintain operations by location and function during a pandemic
- developing scenario plans likely to result in an increase or decrease in demand for services
- establishing an emergency communications plan including identification of key
- contacts (with back-ups), chain of communications and processes for tracking and communicating services and staff status
- Policies for employee compensation and sick-leave absences unique to a pandemic (e.g. non-punitive, liberal leave)
- Developed and distributed programs and materials covering pandemic fundamentals (e.g. signs and symptoms of influenza, modes of transmission)
- Personal and family protection and response strategies (e.g. hand hygiene, coughing/sneezing etiquette, contingency plans)
