EPRR Communication and information management

The request was successful.

William Wetherell

Dear Great Western Hospitals 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

FreedomofInformation (GREAT WESTERN HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dear William

I am writing to acknowledge your request that was received today, seeking information relating to EPRR Communication and information management. Thank you for your interest in the Trust.

We are now assessing your request to determine whether we hold the information requested, and to estimate the effort required to locate, retrieve and extract it. Provided that we hold the information and the estimate does not exceed the appropriate limit of £450, then I shall endeavour to collate the information for you and forward it on within 20 working days, in accordance with the Trust’s Publication Scheme guidance under the Act.

Please note the Data Protection statement at the end of this email. If you have any concerns about the Trust recording your contact details securely in our database, please contact me to discuss the arrangements.

If you have any queries in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Data Protection
Your contact details will be recorded and maintained securely on a database, together with details of your request and the response we give to you. This database is solely for the Trust’s internal use by staff with a need to know. Your contact details will not be transferred outside the Trust.

Yours sincerely

Carole Sheppard
Freedom of Information Team
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Great Western Hospital
Marlborough Road
Swindon SN3 6BB

E: [Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust request email]

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FreedomofInformation (GREAT WESTERN HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST), Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dear William

Further to your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 that was received on 31 August 2022, the Trust’s response is as follows:

1. Yes

2. 1st Nov 2021

3. Yes

4. 21/04/2022

5. Yes

6. Yes

7. January 2022, November 2021

8. Yes

9. Yes

10. Yes

If you are dissatisfied with the way your request has been handled, you can request an internal review by writing to me at the above address within two months of the date of this letter. If you are still dissatisfied after an internal review, you can apply to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for an independent review. The ICO will normally accept such applications only where they have already been through the Trust’s internal review process. The ICO’s address is:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

If you need any further assistance in this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Carole Sheppard
Freedom of Information Team
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Great Western Hospital
Marlborough Road
Swindon SN3 6BB

Email: [Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust request email]

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William Wetherell

Dear Ms Sheppard

Thank you for this.

Yours sincerely

William Wetherell