Help is at Hand! Sarah Webb Regional HEPA East Midlands June 2009.

Help is at Hand!

Sarah Webb

Regional HEPA East Midlands

June 2009

Health Protection Agency

- Arms length body of the Dept of Health

-Category 1 responder under the CCA

-An ‘expert’ body not a body of experts!

-Local Health Protection Units

-Local incident response

-Infectious diseases

-Proactive health protection work with range of stakeholders

Specialist Centres and Divisions

Centre for Infections – Colindale

Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response – Porton

Chemical Hazards and Poisons – Chilton and regionally based teams

Radiation Protection Division – Chilton and Leeds

HPA in Emergencies

Category 1 responder

Primary role is to provide health protection advice and support to NHS and other responders but increasingly an operational role in response as well.

Infectious diseases

Chemical Incidents

Weather

Radiation Incidents

STAC

Scientific and Technical Advice Cell

Called in a major incident with complex or serious health implications it provides a mechanism to bring together all the relevant experts to provide a single source of advice.

STAC Guidance to local responders – April 2007

Replaces the HAT [JHAC]

Sits within the Strategic Co-ordinating Centre where there is a need for co-ordinated scientific and technical advice to support the response and advise the Gold Commander – useful to see this as part of gold command arrangements

Normally activated by the Police Gold – RDPH or HPA Regional Director may also recommend its formation

Covers non-terrorist incidents as well as CBRN

Role of the STAC

Provides a common source of technical advice to Gold [pool information and provide a common view on the merits of different courses of action]

Monitor and corral the responding scientific and technical community to deliver on Gold’s objectives

Provides a common brief to the technical lead from each agency represented on the cell

Liaise with national specialist advisers and their agencies to ensure consistent advice locally and nationally

Composition

Cell lead – DPH

Secretariat/staff officer support

Gold liaison

Relevant emergency services technical advisers [HAZMAT etc.]

HPA

EA

FSA

HSE

Local Authority EHP

Met Office

Other Government Departments e.g. DEFRA

Utilities

Site Operators reps [COMAH sites]

Comms rep

GDS

Activation

RDPH has the strategic responsibility. This is discharged in the East Midlands by the HPA – single point for activation in the region supplemented by local arrangements with each LRF

Requests from Police Gold or RDPH etc to be phoned directly to HPA 24/7 number 07092 980004

HPA role in activation

Signpost the availability of immediate scientific and health advice if necessary

Identify the cell lead who will in most circumstances be a Director of Public Health

Work with the cell lead to identify appropriate membership of STAC for the incident

Contact regional and national STAC members in the initial phase of STAC

Co-ordinate early meetings and teleconferencing. It is anticipated that the first STAC meeting would be a teleconference [for acute incidents set up within 1 hour - although this is unlikely to be a full STAC membership]

Provide staff officer support to the cell lead for the initial meetings – PCT to take this over?

Roles in a STAC

Deputy Chair [or Chair] {NHS HPA}

STAC Manager {HPA NHS EA}

STAC Administrator {HPA NHS EA}

STAC member - technical and scientific

This role can also be fulfilled by those from a range of organisations

LRF Responsibilities

Contact arrangements for local STAC members [Local Authority, Fire, etc.]

Each agency will need to consider general admin support [loggists] to the STAC. Out of hours this may be dependant on availability of volunteers

Suitable venue and support facilities including refreshments etc.

Gold liaison officer

Further considerations

Further national guidance being prepared – looking at competencies for key staff and training

Early advice – 1 hour from the first request

Cadre of trained individuals with opportunities to exercise

Role in supporting recovery – membership may change during the course of an incident

How will we know?

Acute or ‘big bang’ incidents – links through the blue light services

Set of triggers agreed with Fire and Rescue Services

Large fires, chemical incidents, radiation incidents

Police Gold or SCG

‘Slow burn’ incidents

Chronic incidents – land contamination

Public health route and/or HPA advice

Pressures of working in a STAC

Information poor – be proactive!

Time critical

Working environment may be less than ideal

May need to run extended hours or 24/7 – handover is vital

‘Battle rhythm’ – SCG meetings

Police liaison officer provides a key link to the SCG

Records management – rules of evidence

In summary

HPA has a key role in incident response for emergencies affecting health and local authorities EHP’s are likely to be part of that response. In particular in a STAC.

Multi-agency response networks – Local Resilience Forum is a vital links between all of us

STAC participant training sessions in each county to be run by the HPA