Draft Emergency Planning Policy & Procedures

Policy Statement

The purpose of this policy document is to address business continuity in the event of a major emergency, be it computer systems failure, viral outbreak, a terrorist attack, or severe short term staffing shortage.

The policies and procedures will be continually monitored and field tested to ensure appropriateness and robustness.

In addition to this Policy we also have a Business Interruption Policy which deals with Burglary, Telephone Systems Failure, Power Failure, Fire, Gas Leak, and biological/chemical hazards.

This Policy covers the following situations:

Topic / Section
Major Emergency (e.g. Terrorist attack) / 1
Infectious Disease Outbreak (such as Influenza or Avian Flu) / 2
Office staff unable to work / 3
Care Staff Unable to work / 4
Symal House closure or Branch Closure / 5
Symal House computer systems failure / 6
Internet Services go off line for an extended period of time / 7

The above list will be continually reviewed for completeness.

Westminster Homecare has specialist computer and infrastructure systems, requiring a tailored emergency planning approach. The following appendices highlight some of the Key Systems that are in place to deal with requirements specific to Westminster

Solutions / Appendix
·  Branch Buddying / 1
·  Critical Service User Monitoring and Alerts / 2
·  Alternative Communication Channels / 3
·  Systems Backup Strategy / 4

Section 1 - Major Emergency

Essentially a major emergency is something on a scale that needs special arrangements to deal with it, such as:

  • Serious transport accidents
  • Extreme weather - storms, flooding
  • Major crime / terrorism / public disorder
  • Explosion / fire / industrial accident
  • Toxic chemical spillage / radioactive release
  • Infectious disease outbreak

The emergency services, local authorities, health trusts, voluntary agencies and the utility companies all have co-ordinated emergency plans in place. The aim is to save life, contain the hazard, protect the public and return to normality as soon as possible.

Our responsibility is to provide Business continuity for our service users, and health and safety for all staff.

1.  Planning:

·  Our emergency coordinator (Sushil Radia) has a defined role with responsibilities for preparedness and response planning.

·  Critical activities undertaken, such as Care Delivery, Care Coordination, Back Office Payroll and Invoicing would have to continue during a pandemic. All other Internal resources would be re-allocated to ensure those activities are maintained.

·  Where Inoculation is provided, all staff will be advised of availability and where appropriate a rota will be drawn up to manage the process.

·  Suppliers have been instructed to setup their own robust Business Continuity plans (e.g. Suppliers of hygiene products, Broadband Suppliers, CM2000).

·  An additional pool of coordinators and care staff would be provided by our Branch Buddying System (see appendix 1 for further information). Furthermore each office has a list of approved sub-contracted Agencies for the supply of additional staffing.

·  In the event that domestic travel is restricted by a localized emergency, the following practice will apply:

1.  Service Users in the affected area will be contacted to assess and confirm needs.

2.  Service User contacts will be informed and where possible critical care delivery will be discussed with alternative sources (family, neighbors, etc)

3.  Care workers will be contacted to warn of emergency and restrictions.

·  If the Government advises against non-essential travel, then we would advice staff not travel in infected areas – offering office staff the option to work from home or operating out of a Buddying Office.

·  Tracking and monitoring of care delivery would become essential, using the CM2000 Call Logging system, and additional resources would be provided to monitor and react to alerts (see Appendix on Electronic Monitoring).

2.  Impact on employees and customers:

·  We will be guided by advice issued by Government, forecast and plan for employee absences during a pandemic. This could be the result of a number of factors including personal illness, family member illness, bereavement, possible disruption to other sectors for example closures of nurseries and schools or reduced public transport.

·  Demand for care services may increase. Our business model and arrangements to continue to meet those needs can be alleviated by our Branch Buddying system (See appendix 1). it is also likely that service users family members and neighbours may be asked to provide additional support.

3.  Policies to be implemented during an emergency:

·  We will need to set up triggers, and procedures for activating and terminating the company’s response plan, altering business operations (e.g. reducing operations as necessary) and transferring business knowledge to key employees. This should include nominating deputies for key employees in advance, in case of absence.

4.  Resources to protect employees and service users:

·  We would provide all staff sufficient means of practical protection.

·  In the event of restricted movements of office and care staff - our enhanced communications and information technology infrastructures will aid and support by allowing them to gain access to appropriate Rostering System and other critical information via an internet connected computer. (see Appendix on Alternative Communications Channels)

·  Where appropriate, additional hygiene procedures will be introduced at all Westminster Offices.

5.  Communication and education of employees:

·  Dissemination of information about the emergency, to staff will be based on information available on the DH, HPA and WHO websites, and will be available via our usual office telephone numbers, and our website.

·  Communications will be culturally and linguistically appropriate.

·  We will disseminate our preparedness and response plan information to employees, including their role in this plan, via our website and Policies and Procedures Manual.

6.  Coordinating with external organizations

·  As a matter of top priority, appropriate stakeholders like Local Authorities will be kept informed of developments for adequate regional planning.

·  We will seek to share best practice with other providers, as well as the UKHCA, and Local Authorities.

Section 1 - Infectious Disease Outbreak

Pandemic events (such as Bird Flu) could result in a significant proprtion of staff being off sick, and with limited immunity amongst the population - it has the potential to spread rapidly. This section supplements the current emergency planning:

1.  Pandemic Planning:

·  Pandemic coordinator (Sushil Radia) has a defined role with responsibilities for preparedness and response planning.

·  Where Inoculation is provided, all staff will be advised of availability and where appropriate a rota will be drawn up to manage the process.

·  Current planning assumes that domestic travel will not be restricted, although the Government may advise against non-essential travel. In this case we would advice office staff not to travel in infected areas – offering the option to work from home or operating out of a Buddying Office.

·  Maintain up to date records of care workers, service users, families and next of kin and their contact details for all.

·  Up-to-date, reliable pandemic information will be provided by the Department of Health Website http://www.dh.gov.uk/pandemicflu.

2.  Impact of a pandemic on employees and customers:

·  We will be guided by advice issued by Government, forecast and plan for employee absences during a pandemic. This could be the result of a number of factors including personal illness, family member illness, bereavement, possible disruption to other sectors for example closures of nurseries and schools or reduced public transport.

·  As a general approach to reducing the spread of the infection across the country, we will reduce face to face contact with suppliers and other Branch Staff.

·  Demand of Care services may increase. Our business model and arrangements to continue to meet those needs can be alleviated by our Branch Buddying system (See appendix 1). it is also likely that service users family members and neighbors may be asked to provide additional support.

3.  Policies to be implemented during a pandemic:

·  We will need to seek advice from the Government when identifying infection stages, sick-leave absences, and when staff may return to work. Furthermore, we will confirm a policy for employees who are suspected to be ill, or become ill at the worksite (e.g. infection control response, sick leave policies).

·  Guided by advice from Government, establish policies for reducing spread of influenza at the worksite (e.g. promoting respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette, and asking those with influenza symptoms to stay at home).

4.  Allocate resources to protect employees and customers during a pandemic:

·  We would provide to all staff sufficient means for reducing the spread of infection through hand sanitizers, and any other reasonable hygiene products suggested by the DoH).

·  Where appropriate, additional hygiene procedures will be introduced at all Westminster Offices.

5.  Communication and education of employees:

·  Dissemination of information about the virus, to your workforce which is appropriate to the stage of alert (signs and symptoms of the virus, as well as modes of transmission), personal and family protection and response strategies (hand hygiene, coughing/sneezing etiquette, contingency plans). This will be based on the information available on the DH, HPA and WHO websites, and will be available via our usual office telephone numbers, and our website.

Section 3 – Office Staff Unable to Work

·  In the event that our office staff are unable to gain access to their respective local office, then our Branch Buddying solution will be activated (see appendix 1)

·  Westminster Homecare can also offer key staff the option to work from home using our remote access technology (in use today by some of our on call staff).

·  Our office processes are capable of being run with the minimum of staff, through adequate training to allow redeployment of roles.

·  Each office has a list of approved sub-contracted Agencies for the supply of additional staffing.

Section 4 – Care Staff Unable to Work

·  In the event of a severe albeit temporary shortage of care staff, our Branch Buddying solution will apply (see appendix 1).

·  Concurrently a needs assessment would be undertaken to ensure that service users are prioritized. Our rostering and call monitoring systems allow for this.

·  Each office has a list of approved sub-contracted Agencies for the supply of additional staffing.

Section 5 – Symal House or Branch Closure

·  In the event that the Symal House or Branch office is not accessible (e.g. evacuation / office locked down) the Buddying Branch (see appendix 1 & 4) will allow coordinators to continue to run key applications.

·  Incoming call redirection to Buddying Branch or mobile (activated at BT switch)

Section 6 – Symal House Computer Systems Failure

·  The Backup server (see appendix 4) is used to store daily “Backups” of critical systems within the Westminster Group of servers. In the event of a Symal office disaster (e.g. fire), the backups will be restored to mirror the Symal Servers. The remote branches are then allowed to run Terminal Services Sessions into the Backup Server to access Homecare Roster and other key applications.

·  The telephone systems will be diverted (activated at BT switch) to either a mobile or Buddying Branch (see appendix 1) phones.

Section 7 – Internet Services Offline

·  Dialup modem connections are provided at each branch for Roster System and e-mail access.

Appendix 1 - Branch Buddying

Westminster Homecare operates a number of offices/branches around the UK. These Branches are geographically spread such that In the event of severe temporary shortage of office staff or care workers (in any one area), we can implement our Branch Buddying solution:

·  Care workers will be paid extra costs to travel to the area with a shortage.

·  Office systems (like telephones and Rostering Systems) are simply switched over so that office staff can operate out of a Branch Buddying office.

·  Care coordinators regularly share their tasks with other buddying branch coordinators to familiarize themselves with the area, care workers, services users and any unique local practices.

Appendix 2 - Critical Service Users Monitoring and Alerts

We use CM2000 to monitor visit care delivery to our service users. The system is also used to closely monitor and raise alert for late care delivery of vulnerable service users – such that if the care worker does not login within 15 minutes of the scheduled times, an alert is raised via computer popup message or via text messaging (during out of office hours).

Appendix 3 - Alternative Communication Channels

Postal services may be disrupted along with telephone communication services, so Westminster Homecare has developed the following web based services:

·  Westminster Homecare developed (in-house) the following web services, allowing care workers to securely, access their on-line account, offering them the ability to print the latest Rostering schedules, print historical pay listings, and check, prior to payroll, their pay detail report.

·  On-Line services to Service Users, or more specifically concerned family members, who can login to our secure on-line service, which offers them the latest planned care schedules showing who’s going to visit the service user and when.

·  We will use our website as a means of providing information about the emergency, to our staff

Appendix 4 - Computer Systems Backup Strategy

Westminster Homecare uses its Wembley office as a backup data centre. This backup site also acts a Branch Buddy (see appendix 1) to the Symal House office.

Key Features

·  In the event that the Symal House office is not accessible (e.g. evacuation / office locked down) – the Backup Server in Wembley will allow users to run key applications (e.g. Sage, Homecare Roster) as well as access to data files.

·  The Backup server is used to store daily “Backups” of critical systems within the Westminster Group of servers. In the event of a Symal office disaster (e.g. fire), the backups will be restored to mirror the Symal Servers. The remote branches are then allowed to run Terminal Services Sessions into the Backup Server to access Homecare Roster and other key applications.

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Draft Emergency Planning Policy May 2008