EPRR Communication and information management

The request was successful.

William Wetherell

Dear Airedale NHS Foundation Trust,

I am conducting a study of the emergency preparedness of NHS Acute Trusts in England. I am using the emergency and disaster management module of the Hospital Safety Index checklist of the World Health Organisation. The study is part of an MSc in Crisis & Disaster Management at the University of Portsmouth.

Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request the following information. This information relates to the NHS England Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response Framework in general and section 8, “Statutory requirements & underpinning principles of EPRR”, subsection 8, “Information sharing”, subsection 9, “Legal framework, public inquiries, Coroners inquests and civil action”, and section 12, “Incident response”, in particular. It also relates to the Resilient Telecommunications Guidance for NHS England and the NHS in England. This information should be readily available as part of the NHS EPRR annual assurance process.

Please note that this is a different request from my previous requests: “EPRR Coordination of emergency and disaster management activities” and “EPRR Planning”.

For clarity, to minimise the cost of my request and to prevent the disclosure of any sensitive information, I have enumerated the information I am requesting and specified how it could be provided.

Please note that the much of the information requested is only records of the existence of training, tests, a directory, update(s), procedures, exercise(s), and resources and not the contents of the training, tests, directory, update(s), procedures, exercise(s), and resources themselves.

Given the potentially sensitive nature of this information, I ask you to redact any exempt information instead of refusing disclosure. This would be in accordance with guidance on best practice from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

If you do not hold some of this information then I ask you to confirm explicitly that you do not hold it.

Communication and information management

Emergency internal and external communication

1. Any record that switchboard operators have received training in the emergency response plan(s) with regard to emergency communications. (Can be answered yes / no.)

2. The date(s) of the most recent test(s) of switchboard with regard to emergency communications. (Can be answered with a date or dates.)

External stakeholder directory

3. Any record of the existence of a current directory of contact information of external stakeholders and emergency support services available to any Incident Coordination Centre staff, switchboard operators and other key hospital staff in an emergency. (Can be answered yes / no.)

4. Any record of when the directory was most recently updated. (Can be answered with a date or dates.)

Procedures for communicating with the public and media

5. Any record of the existence of current procedure(s) for communicating with the public and media in case of an emergency or disaster. (Can be answered yes / no.)

6. Any record of whether spokespersons have received specific media training. (Can be answered yes / no.)

7. The date(s) of the most recent exercise(s) to test the above procedure(s). (Can be answered with a date or dates.)

Management of patient information

8. Any record of the existence of procedures to ensure continuity of medical record-keeping, timely access to patient data, secure storage of confidential information and back up procedures in the event of an emergency. (Can be answered yes / no.)

9. Any record of whether personnel have received training in such procedures. (Can be answered yes / no.)

10. Any record of whether resources are in place for implementation of such procedures. (Can be answered yes / no.)

Thank you for your assistance with this study.

Yours faithfully

William Wetherell

William Wetherell

Dear Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust's handling of my FOI request 'EPRR Communication and information management'. The Trust has not provided the information I requested within 20 working days.

Yours faithfully

William Wetherell

FOI (AIREDALE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

2 Attachments

Dear William Wetherell,

I'm sorry that this has occurred but looking back through the responded requests, the response to this request (Ref 5855) was actually sent to you on the 03/08/2022. I don't know why you would not have received this, but I've attached the original email sent on that date, I'll also re add the additional attachment from it separately in case there is a problem with opening that email from your end. Please tell me if there are any other issues with receiving this.

Best wishes,
Craig Randles
Information Governance Manager, IT Business Centre, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust,
KEIGHLEY BD20 6TD

Please help us to manage demand and for all general IG and training enquiries email the IG mailbox [email address]
We will endeavour to get back to you asap. There may be more delay than usual - thank you for your patience

show quoted sections

William Wetherell

Dear Mr Randles

You have provided the Trust's reply to my request of 24th July 2022, EPRR Planning. My internal review request of 4th October was because the Trust had not provided a reply within 20 working days to my request of 31st August 2022, EPRR Communication and information management.

Yours sincerely

William Wetherell

Dear Mr Randles

I am writing to ask when I am likely to receive a reply to my request for an internal review please?

Yours sincerely

William Wetherell

FOI (AIREDALE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

1 Attachment

I do apologise William for the delay of this response please find FOI6019 attached

Please note for question 10, while Yes was generally the answer in the broad sense which I imagine is what you are after, it may be better specifying the question further

Many thanks,

Craig Randles
Information Governance Manager, IT Business Centre, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust,
KEIGHLEY BD20 6TD
Please help us to manage demand and for all general IG and training enquiries email the IG mailbox [email address]
We will endeavour to get back to you asap. There may be more delay than usual - thank you for your patience

show quoted sections

William Wetherell

Dear Mr Randles

ANHSFT REF. 6019

Thank you for this.

Yours sincerely

William Wetherell