PRIVATE HOSPITAL MAJOR EMERGENCY PLAN

A CD is available which will allow a private hospital to quickly upgrade their existing plans, either by using some sections of the Major Emergency plan to update their own plans or migrating to the Major Incident Plan plan, adding those requirements which may be specific to the locality.

If you have an enthusiastic Emergency Planning Officer, he/she could adapt the Major Incident Plan plan to a specific plan for your hospital within a few days or Major Incident Plan could come and assist you with the migration to speed up the process. This has been the course adopted by HCA International for their London hospitals, which include the Harley Street Clinic, The Wellington, London Bridge, Lister, Portland and Princess Grace who now all have a highly functional Major Emergency plan linked together by a common format but specific to their individual sites.

The Major Incident Plan private health care plan available is based on a generic plan commissioned by the Department of Health for NHS Acute Trusts. It is now available for private health care providers throughout the UK at very reasonable rates. It is based on the NHS plan, but geared more appropriately to the support role private hospitals will provide. The local Resilience Forums and London Resilience certainly see the close involvement of the private sector in supporting the NHS in a large scale emergency.

Additionally, the new Civil Contingencies Bill will make it mandatory for health care providers to provide Business Continuity plans as well as Major Incident plans. The CWC Major Emergency Plan satisfies both requirements.