Outdated Emergency Preparedness Guidance
42 items
2 sources
Outdated, fragmented, and overly long emergency preparedness guidance, lacking emphasis on recovery and identification of vulnerable people.
Cross-Source Insight
Outdated Emergency Preparedness Guidance has been flagged across 2 independent accountability sources:
8 inquiry recs
34 PFD reports
This issue has been identified by multiple independent accountability bodies, suggesting it is a recurring systemic concern.
Inquiry Recommendations (8)
HIDD-79 — Department of Health to review Circular 71, clarifying Major Incident declaration terms
Recommendation: The Department of Health shall review DHSS Circular 71 in consultation with emergency and medical services to reflect all lessons learned but in particular in relation to procedures for declaring a Major Incident. The Department of Health shall specifically require …
Unknown
CR16 — Mass rescue operation plan
Recommendation: HM Coastguard should develop a mass rescue operation plan that includes command and control, co-ordination, external stakeholders, medical and law enforcement roles, and public and external affairs.
Response Pending
CR5 — Mass Persons in Water Triage procedure
Recommendation: Those involved in maritime search and rescue should adopt formally the Mass Persons in the Water Triage procedure to govern the operational response to a maritime search and rescue incident when the number of people requiring rescue exceeds the capability …
Response Pending
P2-44 — Consolidate and update emergency preparedness guidance
Recommendation: The current guidance on preparing for emergencies is contained in several documents, all of which are unduly long and in some respects out of date. We recommend that the guidance be revised, reduced in length and consolidated in one document …
Gov response: The government accepts this recommendation. We will fully factor it into the outcomes of the resilience review. As a first step, we will publish the revised local responder guidance on 'Identifying and Supporting Vulnerable People' …
Accepted
In progress
MAI-123 — GM Resilience Forum tri-service plan reviews
Recommendation: The Greater Manchester Resilience Forum should oversee, at least every six months, a regular tri-service review of the Major Incident plans used by Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service. The purpose of …
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a written statement to Parliament on 3 November 2022 following publication of Volume 2, acknowledging the findings on emergency response failures and stating the government would work with emergency services to …
Accepted
Delivered
MAI-46 — Guidance on Major Incident plan review frequency
Recommendation: His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, the College of Policing and the Home Office should issue guidance for all police services on how often operational plans for responding to a Major Incident, including a terrorist incident, …
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a written statement to Parliament on 3 November 2022 following publication of Volume 2, acknowledging the findings on emergency response failures and stating the government would work with emergency services to …
Accepted
In progress
MAI-99 — Review licensing guidance on event healthcare
Recommendation: The Ministry of Housing Commuities and Local Government should review the guidance given to all licensing authorities on the decisions they make in relation to venues that hold events, and on what level of event healthcare services may be required …
Gov response: The Home Secretary made a written statement to Parliament on 3 November 2022 following publication of Volume 2, acknowledging the findings on emergency response failures and stating the government would work with emergency services to …
Accepted
Delivered
COVID-M2.10 — Pandemic Decision-Making Framework
Recommendation: The UK government and devolved administrations should set out in future pandemic preparedness strategies how decision-making will work in a future pandemic. This should include provision for COBR to be used as the initial response structure and set out how …
Gov response: No formal response published by this government.
Unknown
PFD Reports (34)
Stuart Gilchrist
Concerns: Restaurants and food establishments are largely unaware of useful anti-choking devices, and there is no clear responsibility for advising them to stock such potentially life-saving equipment.
Overdue
Jean Langan
Concerns: The absence of a real-time database for hospital helicopter landing sites and a lack of readily available manager contact details present significant risks to safe helicopter operations.
Responded
Luke Albiston O’Donnell
Concerns: The public is largely unaware of the life-threatening fire risks posed by lithium-ion batteries from electronic devices stored in homes. There is a critical lack of communication and media coverage on this danger.
Responded
Champagauri and Dipak Bhatt
Concerns: Fires are caused by moisture ingress into condensate pumps. There's inadequate data sharing and analysis for white goods fires, poor manufacturing standards for components, and inconsistent risk assessment methodology.
Responded
Samsam Ateye
Concerns: The existing policy for COVID-19 testing prior to cardiac surgery requires review to ensure patient safety and prevent future deaths.
Responded
Christine McDonald
Concerns: Failure to use emergency response codes left first responders unprepared for critical situations, compounded by training difficulties in simulating unexpected emergency scenarios.
Overdue
Levi Alleyne
Concerns: Ambulance operators lacked clear procedures and accessible contact information for electricity distributors during electrical hazards, leading to significant delays in cutting power. This confusion risked both bystander and emergency service safety and delayed life-saving treatment.
Overdue
Vinnie Dodds
Concerns: There is no national guidance for managing large babies in pregnancy without diabetes, and counselling for shoulder dystocia lacks clarity on rare risks of foetal or maternal death.
Responded
Zainab Hashim and Tafaoul Abdulkarim
Concerns: Residents in council-owned blocks of flats were unaware of the "Stay Put" fire policy, and communication methods have not changed despite this proven lack of awareness, risking future deaths.
Responded
Nicholas Winterton
Concerns: The nationally recognized risk level for Mycobacterium Chimaera infection is inaccurate and outdated, leading to inadequate informed consent and a low threshold of suspicion among clinicians.
Overdue
Andrew Westlake
Concerns: Airline staff lacked policy and training for identifying and safeguarding mentally unwell, vulnerable passengers, leading to disembarkation without support in a foreign country.
Responded
Anthony Williamson
Concerns: Concerns persist regarding reduced coastguard and lifeguard cover on the Cornish coastline, with no transparent, published plan on mitigation strategies or current service levels available to the public.
Responded
Jan Klempar
Concerns: Reduced lifeguard cover on Cornish beaches lacks a clear, publicly available plan detailing coverage levels or how shortfalls will be mitigated by other emergency services, increasing safety risks for bathers.
Responded
Flora Shen
Concerns: The DLR emergency response system is overly complex, requiring multiple steps for passengers to activate, and relies heavily on the public to notice and report track hazards, as CCTV cannot monitor all areas simultaneously.
Overdue
Gillian Davey
Concerns: The complete absence of professional lifeguard cover on Cornish beaches poses a significant risk of further loss of life. A lack of transparent planning for resuming this essential service leaves the public vulnerable.
Responded
Michael Pender
Concerns: The complete absence of professional lifeguard cover on Cornish beaches poses a significant risk of further loss of life. A lack of transparent planning for resuming this essential service leaves the public vulnerable.
Responded
Thomas Reilly
Concerns: The lack of a formal, structured intervention system at suicide hotspots, relying on ad-hoc approaches, raises concerns about consistent prevention of self-harm.
Overdue
Saeid Hedayat
Concerns: West Sussex County Council's drain clearance risk assessment was inadequate, failing to account for specific blockages and lacking regular review or warning signs for known flood risks, despite available data and increased storm severity.
Responded
Matthew Lewis
Concerns: Confusing and inconsistent call handler instructions to police officers during a hanging incident created ambiguity between scene preservation and life preservation, risking unsuccessful rescue attempts.
Responded
Christopher McGuffie
Concerns: Railway stations lack immediate and effective alert systems for detecting and reporting persons on the line.
Responded
Ellie Knowles
Concerns: A venue maintains a license for high-risk events but lacks a robust internal protocol requiring consultation with police and council licensing officers before planning similar future events.
Overdue
Mavis Reeves
Concerns: The analogue Careline system caused significant delays for emergency services due to connection times, a single phone line, and key safe access issues, potentially unknown to residents.
Responded
John Wilson
Concerns: The product recall process was inadequate, relying on unrecorded standard mail that failed to inform the deceased, and lacked further robust efforts like registered post or follow-up visits, despite known increasing fire risk with product age.
Overdue
Joshua Smith
Concerns: Emergency services exhibited delayed and uncoordinated response, difficulty in pinpointing location, and failed to follow joint command protocols (JESIP), contributing to critical delays.
Overdue
Zane Gbangbola
Concerns: Inadequate and misleading safety guidance for internal combustion engine equipment used in confined spaces, coupled with the misleading use of the HSE logo, increases the risk of harm.
Overdue
Nathan Charman
Concerns: The winter maintenance policy and decision-making process inadequately addressed extreme or "microclimatic" road conditions, and the incident failed to prompt a formal review or learning.
Responded
James Robertson
Concerns: Carers were not required to accurately log check times, delaying understanding of events. DNACPR status was not on shift handover notes, and the emergency resuscitation pack lacked essential equipment.
Overdue
George Hines
Concerns: Defects in the pull-cord alarm system were unaddressed, residents were responsible for smoke detector maintenance, and smoke detectors were not linked to the emergency control room, delaying fire alerts.
Overdue
Davina Tavener
Concerns: Current aviation regulations fail to mandate critical medical equipment like defibrillators and airway adjuncts on aircraft, significantly reducing a passenger's chance of survival during in-flight cardiac arrest despite such equipment being available and simple to operate.
Responded
Lucy Moffatt
Concerns: Window restraints were found to be misleadingly insecure, easily defeated, and establishments lacked proper key restriction, further compounded by CQC inspectors' unawareness of a critical Department of Health alert.
Responded
Janet Richardson
Concerns: The deceased fell into the sea during a rescue medical evacuation.
Response: Newmarket Promotions Ltd's legal representatives state that the control of ship-to-ship medical evacuation procedures lies with the rescue authorities, not their client. They note the Coroner's recommendations have been forwarded …
Response: Cruise Maritime Services International Limited (CMI) maintains its existing ship-to-ship medical evacuation procedures are appropriate, noting the inquest concluded the rescue method was reasonable. They will, however, follow the new …
Overdue
Martin Daffydd Barker
Concerns: There appears to be no national guidance on how independent medical service providers, particularly those covering large public events, should operate, posing a risk to patient safety.
Response: North West Ambulance Service clarifies that for day-to-day services, they cannot and should not act as "gatekeeper" for NHS hospital standby numbers for independent medical providers. They state these numbers …
Response: The Department of Health is satisfied that processes for independent providers contacting and accessing Salford Royal Hospital are now clear. The Department plans to share this case with the CQC …
Overdue
Jessica Ashton-Pyatt
Concerns: The emergency response was uncoordinated, lacked consultant leadership, and critical equipment like the defibrillator was uncharged with missing pads, compromising immediate patient care.
Overdue
Rita Britten
Concerns: Lack of clear national guidelines for effectively managing choking emergencies in overweight/obese individuals, where conventional abdominal thrusts are compromised, creates a significant safety risk.
Responded