Introduction
Policy statement
This organisation must be able to demonstrate that it has planned for, and can respond to, a variety of incidents that may affect patient care. The Civil Contingencies Act (2004) requires NHS organisations, and providers of NHS-funded care, to show that they can deal with such incidents while maintaining services. This policy should be read in conjunction with CQC GP mythbuster 69: Business continuity – arrangements for emergencies and major incidents.
When developing this business continuity plan, this organisation has collaborated with:
- Integrated Care Board (ICB)
- Primary Care Network (PCN)
- Other local organisations not within the PCN
- Other users of these premises
This organisation has plans and arrangements that allow it to be responsive to incidents that have a short-, medium- or long-term impact on the running of services. The following scenarios are the most likely risks and therefore have been considered within this business continuity plan:
- Significant numbers of staff are unable to come into work
- IT systems significantly disrupt the service
- The premises are not available for a period of time
- Paper (Lloyd George) records are destroyed or damaged beyond use
- Supply chain issues resulting in the organisation being unable to deliver an essential service
Understanding how to deliver a co-ordinated response to incidents will ensure that patient and staff safety is maintained while also reducing the impact that any adverse incident may have on the entitled population. NHS England provides detailed guidance on Emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR)