DW66. Emergency Planning for Care Services

Policy Statement

This policy provides a framework to describe {{org_field_name}}’s approach to dealing with different emergencies, which threaten the safety and well-being of service users and staff. It is written in line with:

the service’s responsibilities under Health and Safety laws
local authority responsibilities for emergency and disaster management under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004
its registration requirements and regulations
any specific requirements made in response to national emergencies such as the Covid -19 outbreak

There are separate policies for the responses needed for different kinds of emergency.

See:

Accident Reporting (Care Homes / Domiciliary Care)

Contingency Planning: Heatwaves (Care Homes / Domiciliary Care)

Contingency Planning: Lift Breakdown (Care Homes)

Contingency Planning: Winter Weather (Care Homes / Domiciliary Care)

Coronavirus (Covid-19) Management (Care Homes / Domiciliary Care)

Delays and Missed Visits Contingency Planning and Arrangements (Domiciliary Care)

Emergency Contacts and Responsible Persons (Care Homes)

Emergency Planning. Responding to Shortages of Supplies

Fire Safety (Care Homes / Domiciliary Care)

First Aid at Work (Care Homes / Domiciliary Care)

Gas Safety (Care Homes)

Ill, Injured, Dead or Unresponsive Service Users (Domiciliary Care)

Infection Control Management (Care Homes / Domiciliary Care)

Media Relations

Water Supply Management (Care Homes)

{{org_field_name}} has plans in place in the events of accidents, emergencies and disasters so that it can respond to them quickly and effectively. At such times it expects its managers and staff to know exactly what to do and that preparations are made to cover all eventualities.

Types of Emergency

Emergencies that might result in the implementation of {{org_field_name}}’s contingency plans can be internal or external.

External

Emergencies that might occur because of external events beyond the control of the service, but which could result in a disruption of the service include:

area power cuts
catastrophic events that require emergency measures in response such as terrorist incidents, outbreaks of fire, explosions etc
extreme weather conditions in summer eg heatwaves or winter eg snow and ice
flooding of the areas in which services are located
infection control and public health emergencies, which might impact the service directly or indirectly
transport emergencies eg because of industrial action, road works or major accidents.

Internal

Emergencies that might occur in the service or during the course of service delivery that might be, but not necessarily the result of external emergencies include:

accidents and injuries to service users and/or staff
equipment failure
fire
medical emergencies and sudden illnesses
outbreaks of infectious illnesses such as Covid-19
shortages of essential supplies such as food, medicines, cleaning materials and equipment.

Emergency Contingency Planning

The service’s contingency plans will depend on the nature of the emergency and the impact that it has on the safety and well-being of the service e users and running of the service. Where there is a risk of the service being disrupted by external events, as with the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak, the service provider will follow all national and local policy guidance and regulations.

{{org_field_name}} is aware of and will co-ordinate with any local authority emergency plans which cover large-scale, serious emergencies in the area, for instance serious floods or disasters.

When there is any emergency as described above, the service will refer to its Business Continuity Plan which is based on assessing risks and impacts. The Plan is regularly updated and monitored. The assessment identifies threats and risks to the continuity of the service delivery and the contingency plan will outline steps to be taken to reduce the risks and ensure the continuity of the service.

See. Emergency Planning. Business Continuity Risk Assessment and Contingency Planning Framework for a tool to help develop emergency plans.

Procedures

To deal with different kinds of events the service will adopt the following measures.

It will ensure that there are sufficient staff to respond to the emergency and to maintain service continuity, by for example, redeploying or bringing in extra staff.
It will ensure that there sufficient suitably trained, certified first aiders and appointed persons to respond to accidents and injuries that require immediate attention.
It will keep fire procedures, arrangements and policies up to date, include those for evacuation of the building.
It has installed carbon monoxide (CO) alarms as advised by its fire prevention advisers and has trained staff to recognise the symptoms of CO poisoning emergencies.
It will be aware of any flood alerts and warnings and will work with local authorities and emergency services to be prepared to take any appropriate action in the event of local flooding; including evacuation and relocation plans.
It will report any outbreak of infectious disease immediately to the appropriate health protection authority and follow its guidance and recommendations for controlling the outbreak.
It has risk assessments and contingency plans to respond to shortages of essential goods and services resulting from the emergency
It has plans and procedures in place in the event of an alert or breach of security, or in the event of an attack or aggression directed at a member of staff.
It has on call back-up arrangements to have staff on duty in the event of an emergency or if they require extra help.
It ensures that all its computer systems have back-up provision so that essential data is not lost in the case of an IT failure.
It will notify the care regulator of major incidents that disrupt the running of the service as required by its notification procedures and local authorities/ commissioners as required to meet any contractual requirements.

Extreme Weather Emergencies

To reduce the risk of emergencies due to winter, cold, icy and or stormy weather, the service will:

ensure that staff have a current list of emergency contact phone numbers for electricity, gas and water suppliers
ensure heating equipment is installed properly and that a trained specialist has inspected and serviced it every year
discourage the use of extra heaters wherever possible
have a back-up heating plan in case of power cuts
grit paths and steps.

To reduce the risk of emergencies due to summer or extreme heat wave conditions, the organisation will:

take steps to ensure that the premises are kept as cool as possible
have adequate numbers of fans available
follow local resilience heatwave plans.

Emergency Contacts

Emergency phone numbers are as follows.

In the event of a medical emergency, staff should administer first aid as appropriate and call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
In the event of a fire emergency, staff should raise the alarm, evacuate the building, and call 999 and ask for the fire brigade.
In the event of a security emergency or a violent attack, staff should call 999 and ask for the police.

Training

All emergency plans will be drawn up with staff involvement and communicated to staff on induction, during regular training and through any appropriate means of communication such as at staff meetings and briefings, etc.

All staff should be made aware of any emergency numbers to ring and back-up arrangements.

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}

Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}

Next review date: this policy is reviewed annually (every 12 months). When needed, this policy is also updated in response to changes in legislation, regulation, best practices, or organisational changes.