Help is at Hand!

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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Chemical Incidents

6. Weather

7. Radiation Incidents

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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 Composition

12. 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

13. 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?

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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