EPRR Planning
Dear East Suffolk and North Essex 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 10, “Cycle of preparedness”, subsection 2, “Planning”, and subsection 4, "Exercising", and section 12, Incident Response", in particular.
Please note that the much of the information requested is only records of the existence of current plans, reviews, updates, training and tests and not the contents of the plans, reviews, updates, training and tests themselves.
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.
If you do not hold some of this information then I ask you to confirm explicitly that you do not hold it.
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.
Hospital emergency and disaster response and recovery planning
Hospital emergency or disaster response plan
1. Any record of how the plan(s) is to be accessed in an emergency.
2. The date(s) of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the plan(s). (Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Hospital hazard-specific subplans (for example CBRN)
3. Any record of the existence of current documented hazard-specific response subplans for the most likely external and internal emergency scenarios. (Can be answered yes / no.)
4. Any record of how the plans are to be accessed.
5. The date(s) of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the plan(s). (Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Procedures to activate and deactivate plans
6. Any record of the existence of current procedures for when, how and by whom emergency response plan(s) are activated and de-activated. (Can be answered yes / no.)
7. Any record that staff who can activate or de-activate the emergency response plan(s) have been trained in this. (Can be answered yes / no.)
8. The date(s) of the most recent test(s) of the above procedures. (Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Hospital emergency and disaster response plan exercises, evaluation and corrective actions
9. The date(s) of the most recent test(s) of the emergency response plan(s), including date(s) of test(s). (Can be answered with a date or dates.)
10. Any record that the emergency response plan(s) have been updated because of the results of tests. (Can be answered yes / no.)
Hospital recovery plan
11. Any record of the existence of a current documented all-hazards hospital recovery plan or plans that define(s) actions to be taken to recover normal functions of the hospital after an emergency or disaster. (Can be answered yes / no.)
12. Any record of how the plan(s) is to be accessed.
13. The date of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the plan(s). (Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Thank you for your assistance with this study.
Yours faithfully
William Wetherell
Please be advised that we have received your request for information.
From 1^st July 2018, Ipswich and Colchester Hospitals merged to become
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Therefore, unless
otherwise specified, responses are on behalf of East Suffolk and North
Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
Your reference number is 7934
We shall deal with your request in accordance with the Trust's Freedom of
Information Act 2000 procedures.
In the meantime, if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to
contact us. Please direct any responses to the address supplied or email
[1][East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
Should our response to your request breach the statutory timeframe and you
remain unhappy with our response you have the right to complain to the
Information Commissioners Office and you can contact them at
The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113
Website: [2]www.ico.org.uk
There is no charge for making an appeal.
Kind regards,
Sam Edgington
Freedom of Information Team
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
[3][East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential. If you are
not the intended recipient, any reading, printing, storage, disclosure,
copying or any other action taken in respect of this e-mail is prohibited
and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify
the sender immediately by using the reply function and then permanently
delete what you have received. Content of emails received by this Trust
will be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
subject to the specified exemptions, including The General Data Protection
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Caldicott Guardian principles. East Suffolk
and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Turner Road, Essex, CO4 5JL
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
2. http://www.ico.org.uk/
3. mailto:[East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
mailto:[East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding information held by the East
Suffolk and North Essex 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.
This information relates to the NHS England Emergency Preparedness,
Resilience and Response Framework in general and section 10, “Cycle of
preparedness”, subsection 2, “Planning”, and subsection 4, "Exercising",
and section 12, Incident Response", in particular.
If you do not hold some of this information then I ask you to confirm
explicitly that you do not hold it.
Hospital emergency and disaster response and recovery planning
Hospital emergency or disaster response plan
1. Any record of how the plan(s) is to be accessed in an emergency.
2. The date(s) of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the
plan(s). (Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Hospital hazard-specific subplans (for example CBRN)
3. Any record of the existence of current documented hazard-specific
response subplans for the most likely external and internal emergency
scenarios. (Can be answered yes / no.)
4. Any record of how the plans are to be accessed.
5. The date(s) of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the
plan(s). (Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Procedures to activate and deactivate plans
6. Any record of the existence of current procedures for when, how and
by whom emergency response plan(s) are activated and de-activated. (Can
be answered yes / no.)
7. Any record that staff who can activate or de-activate the emergency
response plan(s) have been trained in this. (Can be answered yes / no.)
8. The date(s) of the most recent test(s) of the above procedures.
(Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Hospital emergency and disaster response plan exercises, evaluation and
corrective actions
9. The date(s) of the most recent test(s) of the emergency response
plan(s), including date(s) of test(s). (Can be answered with a date or
dates.)
10. Any record that the emergency response plan(s) have been updated
because of the results of tests. (Can be answered yes / no.)
Hospital recovery plan
11. Any record of the existence of a current documented all-hazards
hospital recovery plan or plans that define(s) actions to be taken to
recover normal functions of the hospital after an emergency or disaster.
(Can be answered yes / no.)
12. Any record of how the plan(s) is to be accessed.
13. The date of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the plan(s).
(Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Your enquiry has been dealt with in accordance with the Trust’s Freedom of
Information Act 2000 Policy and Procedures.
We can confirm that the Trust holds information that falls within the
description specified in your request. However, it has been calculated
that to retrieve the information would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ as
described in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 Fees Regulations. The
appropriate limit for the NHS is set at £450. This represents the
estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours in determining whether the
Trust holds the information, and locating, retrieving and extracting the
information. Consequently, the Trust is not obliged by the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 to respond to your request (see section 12(1)).
The Trusts Head of Estates understands that your request is part of your
studies for an MSc and therefore suggested a Teams meeting to discuss the
topics raised in this FOI. If this would be suitable please do let me
know. I can then provide the relevant contact information so that a
meeting can be arranged.
Any reformulated request the Trust receives from you will be treated as a
fresh FOI request.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request you should write to us. Please also contact us if you require a
copy of our Freedom of Information Act 2000 Complaints Procedure.
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint,
you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45
Website: [1]www.ico.org.uk
There is no charge for making an appeal.
We apologise for not being able to assist you with your enquiry.
Kind Regards,
Sam Edgington
Freedom of Information Team
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
[2][East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential. If you are
not the intended recipient, any reading, printing, storage, disclosure,
copying or any other action taken in respect of this e-mail is prohibited
and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify
the sender immediately by using the reply function and then permanently
delete what you have received. Content of emails received by this Trust
will be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
subject to the specified exemptions, including The General Data Protection
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Caldicott Guardian principles. East Suffolk
and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Turner Road, Essex, CO4 5JL
References
Visible links
1. http://www.ico.org.uk/
2. mailto:[East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
mailto:[East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
Dear East Suffolk and North Essex 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 East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust's handling of my FOI request 'EPRR Planning'. The Trust has refused my request on grounds of cost, citing section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act.
Much of this information should be readily available to the Trust as part of its Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response annual assurance process. To date over 50 NHS acute Trusts have provided similar information within the cost limit in reply to requests similar to this and my previous request, EPRR Coordination of emergency and disaster management activities.
Yours faithfully
William Wetherell
Dear William
We are writing regarding your request for an internal review of your FOI
request reference number: 7934
Your internal review will be managed in accordance with the Trust’s FOI
Policy & Procedures.
If you are still dissatisfied with the handling of your request after
exhausting the Trust’s internal Complaints Procedure, then you can contact
the Information Commissioner with details of your complaint using these
contact details:
Website: [1]www.ico.gov.uk
Address: Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone number: 08456 30 60 60
Fax number: 01625 524510
The Trust aims to provide an answer to your complaint within 20 working
days of its receipt.
Kind Regards,
Sam Edgington
Freedom of Information Team
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
[2][East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential. If you are
not the intended recipient, any reading, printing, storage, disclosure,
copying or any other action taken in respect of this e-mail is prohibited
and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify
the sender immediately by using the reply function and then permanently
delete what you have received. Content of emails received by this Trust
will be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
subject to the specified exemptions, including The General Data Protection
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Caldicott Guardian principles. East Suffolk
and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Turner Road, Essex, CO4 5JL
References
Visible links
1. http://www.ico.gov.uk/
2. mailto:[East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
mailto:[East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
From 1^st July 2018, Ipswich and Colchester Hospitals merged to become
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Therefore, unless
otherwise specified, responses are on behalf of East Suffolk and North
Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
Thank you for your request for Trust information:
Hospital emergency and disaster response and recovery planning
Hospital emergency or disaster response plan
1. Any record of how the plan(s) is to be accessed in an emergency.
2. The date(s) of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the
plan(s). (Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Hospital hazard-specific subplans (for example CBRN)
3. Any record of the existence of current documented hazard-specific
response subplans for the most likely external and internal emergency
scenarios. (Can be answered yes / no.)
4. Any record of how the plans are to be accessed.
5. The date(s) of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the
plan(s). (Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Procedures to activate and deactivate plans
6. Any record of the existence of current procedures for when, how and
by whom emergency response plan(s) are activated and de-activated. (Can
be answered yes / no.)
7. Any record that staff who can activate or de-activate the emergency
response plan(s) have been trained in this. (Can be answered yes / no.)
8. The date(s) of the most recent test(s) of the above procedures.
(Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Hospital emergency and disaster response plan exercises, evaluation and
corrective actions
9. The date(s) of the most recent test(s) of the emergency response
plan(s), including date(s) of test(s). (Can be answered with a date or
dates.)
10. Any record that the emergency response plan(s) have been updated
because of the results of tests. (Can be answered yes / no.)
Hospital recovery plan
11. Any record of the existence of a current documented all-hazards
hospital recovery plan or plans that define(s) actions to be taken to
recover normal functions of the hospital after an emergency or disaster.
(Can be answered yes / no.)
12. Any record of how the plan(s) is to be accessed.
13. The date of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the plan(s).
(Can be answered with a date or dates.)
We received your request for an internal review as follows:
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information
reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of East Suffolk and North Essex
NHS Foundation Trust's handling of my FOI request 'EPRR Planning'. The
Trust has refused my request on grounds of cost, citing section 12 of the
Freedom of Information Act.
Much of this information should be readily available to the Trust as part
of its Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response annual assurance
process. To date over 50 NHS acute Trusts have provided similar
information within the cost limit in reply to requests similar to this and
my previous request, EPRR Coordination of emergency and disaster
management activities.
Your internal review has been completed in in accordance with Trust’s FOI
Policy and Procedures.
We are pleased to inform you that the information will be released to you
as follows:
Hospital emergency and disaster response and recovery planning
Yes we hold an overarching policy, departmental BC plans and organisation
wide critical and major incident response plans
Hospital emergency or disaster response plan
1. Any record of how the plan(s) is to be accessed in an emergency.
Plans are available to staff via the intranet (unless access is
restricted), saved on cloud platforms and physical copies available in
incident command centre locations
2. The date(s) of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the plan(s).
(Can be answered with a date or dates.)
BC plans have all been updated this year, Major and Critical incident
plans were updated 18 months ago and are currently under review, the
policy is 6 months old.
Hospital hazard-specific subplans (for example CBRN)
3. Any record of the existence of current documented hazard-specific
response subplans for the most likely external and internal emergency
scenarios. (Can be answered yes / no.)
Yes
4. Any record of how the plans are to be accessed.
As above these are available in both electronic and physical forms
5. The date(s) of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the plan(s).
(Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Site specific plans both updated in April 2022
Procedures to activate and deactivate plans
6. Any record of the existence of current procedures for when, how and by
whom emergency response plan(s) are activated and de-activated. (Can
be answered yes / no.)
Yes
7. Any record that staff who can activate or de-activate the emergency
response plan(s) have been trained in this. (Can be answered yes /
no.)
Yes
8. The date(s) of the most recent test(s) of the above procedures. (Can
be answered with a date or dates.)
July 2022
Hospital emergency and disaster response plan exercises, evaluation and
corrective actions
9. The date(s) of the most recent test(s) of the emergency response
plan(s), including date(s) of test(s). (Can be answered with a date
or dates.)
July 2022
10. Any record that the emergency response plan(s) have been updated
because of the results of tests. (Can be answered yes / no.)
Yes as above currently being reviewed
Hospital recovery plan
11. Any record of the existence of a current documented all-hazards
hospital recovery plan or plans that define(s) actions to be taken to
recover normal functions of the hospital after an emergency or
disaster. (Can be answered yes / no.)
Yes although defined through decision making structures and hierarchy of
service criticality. Incident specific plans do have specific recovery
milestones.
12. Any record of how the plan(s) is to be accessed.
Yes as above electronic and physical
13. The date of the most recent review(s) or update(s) of the plan(s).
(Can be answered with a date or dates.)
Multiple dates as above.
If you have any queries about the enclosed information please contact us.
The Public Sector Information Regulations provide a framework for public
sector organisations to licence the re-use of their information. Please
request a re-use licence in order to re-use the information. Without the
necessary permission, you can breach our copyright.
Brief extracts of any material may be reproduced without our permission,
under the “fair dealing” provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988 for the purposes of research for non-commercial purposes; private
study; criticism; review and news reporting. All are subject to an
acknowledgement of ourselves as the copyright owner. For guidance notes
on a range of copyright issues, see the Office of Public Sector
Information web site.
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint,
you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45
Website: [1]www.ico.gov.uk
There is no charge for making an appeal.
We hope that we have been able to answer your query to your satisfaction
and that you find the information provided useful.
Kind regards,
Sam Edgington
Freedom of Information Team
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
[2][East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential. If you are
not the intended recipient, any reading, printing, storage, disclosure,
copying or any other action taken in respect of this e-mail is prohibited
and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify
the sender immediately by using the reply function and then permanently
delete what you have received. Content of emails received by this Trust
will be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
subject to the specified exemptions, including The General Data Protection
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Caldicott Guardian principles. East Suffolk
and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Turner Road, Essex, CO4 5JL
References
Visible links
1. http://www.ico.gov.uk/
2. mailto:[East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
mailto:[East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust request email]
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now