Dear Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS 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 (EPRR) Framework in general and section 10, “Cycle of preparedness”, section 13, “Concepts of command and control” and section 14, “NHS command and control”, in particular.

Please note that the much of the information requested is only the records of the existence of committee membership, a meeting, training and responsibilities, and activities, list(s), procedures, mechanisms, arrangements and exercises and not the contents of the membership, meeting, training, responsibilities, activities, list(s), procedures, mechanisms, arrangements and exercises 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.

Coordination of emergency and disaster management activities

Hospital Emergency / Disaster Committee

Any record of the current existence of a multidepartmental and multidisciplinary committee to coordinate EPRR measures. If such a committee exists then any record of which departments and disciplines are represented on it and the date the committee most recently met.

Committee member responsibilities and training

If such a committee above exists then any record that committee members have received training for their role on the committee and any record that committee members have been assigned specific responsibilities.

Designated emergency and disaster management coordinator

Any record of the current existence of a hospital emergency / disaster management coordinator. If such a co-ordinator exists then any record of what whole time equivalent of their time is devoted to emergency and disaster management.

Preparedness programme for strengthening emergency and disaster response and recovery

Any record that activities to strengthen EPRR have been implemented in the past 12 months.

Hospital incident management system

Any record of the current existence of list(s) of key personnel roles in a hospital incident management system for the command, control and coordination in an emergency or disaster response. If such list(s) exists then any record of the existence of corresponding key personnel role action procedure documents.

Emergency Operations Centre (EOC)

Any record of the current existence of a designated Incident Coordination Centre. If such an Incident Coordination Centre exists then any record of whether it has full immediate operational capacity in an emergency.

Coordination mechanisms and cooperative arrangements with local emergency / disaster management agencies

Any record of the existence of current formal co-ordination or co-operation mechanisms or arrangements between the Trust and emergency/disaster management agencies (e.g. local authorities, police services, fire and rescue services, civil society organisations) in order to support Trust functions in time of emergency or disaster.

If such mechanisms or arrangements above exist then any record of the most recent exercise(s) to test them, including date(s) of exercise(s).

Coordination mechanisms and cooperative arrangements with the healthcare network

Any record of the existence of current formal co-ordination or co-operation mechanisms or arrangements between the Trust and other healthcare providers in order to support Trust functions in time of emergency or disaster.

If such mechanisms or arrangements above exist then any record of the most recent exercise(s) to test them, including date(s) of exercise(s).

Thank you for your assistance with this study.

Yours faithfully

Dr William Wetherell

Dear Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust's handling of my FOI request 'EPRR Coordination of emergency and disaster management activities'. The Trust has not provided much of the information I requested.

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.

Coordination of emergency and disaster management activities

Hospital Emergency / Disaster Committee

1. Any record of the current existence of a multidepartmental and multidisciplinary committee to coordinate EPRR measures. (Can be answered yes / no.)
2. If such a committee exists then any record of which departments and disciplines are represented on it. (Can be answered with the number of departments or disciplines on the committee.)
3. If such a committee exists then the date the committee most recently met. (Can be answered with a date.)

Committee member responsibilities and training

4. If such a committee above exists then any record that committee members have received training for their role on the committee. (Can be answered yes / no.)
5. If such a committee above exists then any record and any record that committee members have been assigned specific responsibilities. (Can be answered yes / no.)

Business Continuity and Resilience Manager

6. Any record of what whole time equivalent of their time is devoted to emergency and disaster management. (Can be answered with a whole time equivalent.)

Preparedness programme for strengthening emergency and disaster response and recovery

7. Any record of a programme or plan to strengthen the preparedness of the Trust for response and recovery to emergencies and disasters. (Can be answered yes / no.)
8. If such a programme or plan exists then any record that activities from it have been implemented in the past 12 months. (Can be answered yes / no.)

Hospital incident management system

9. Any record of the current existence of list(s) of key personnel roles in any hospital incident management system for command, control and coordination in an emergency or disaster response. (Can be answered yes / no.)
10. If such list(s) of key personnel roles exists then any record of the existence of corresponding key personnel role action procedure documents. (Can be answered yes / no.)

Emergency Operations Centre / Incident Coordination Centre

11. Any record of the current existence of a designated Incident Coordination Centre. (Can be answered yes / no.)
12. If such an Incident Coordination Centre exists then any record of whether it has full immediate operational capacity in an emergency. (Can be answered yes / no.)

Coordination mechanisms and cooperative arrangements with local emergency / disaster management agencies

13. Any record of the existence of current formal co-ordination or co-operation mechanisms or arrangements between the Trust and emergency/disaster management agencies (e.g. local authorities, police services, fire and rescue services, civil society organisations) in order to support Trust functions in time of emergency or disaster. (Can be answered yes / no.)
14. If such mechanisms or arrangements above exist then any record of the most recent exercise(s) to test them. (Can be answered yes / no.)
15. If there is a record of the most recent exercise(s) to test them then the date(s) of the most recent exercise(s). (Can be answered with a date.)

Coordination mechanisms and cooperative arrangements with the healthcare network

16. Any record of the existence of current formal co-ordination or co-operation mechanisms or arrangements between the Trust and other healthcare providers in order to support Trust functions in time of emergency or disaster. (Can be answered yes / no.)
17. If such mechanisms or arrangements above exist then any record of the most recent exercise(s) to test them. (can be answered yes / no.)
18. If there is a record of the most recent exercise(s) to test them then the date(s) of the most recent exercise(s). (Can be answered with a date.)

Yours faithfully

William Wetherell

Dear Ms Randall

Thank you for this.

Yours sincerely

William Wetherell