§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what contingency arrangements he has made to enable hospitals in Worcestershire to find sufficient beds in the event of(a) a major influenza epidemic, (b) a serious motorway accident and (c) a terrorist incident; and if he will make a statement. [88011]
§ Mr. Lammy[holding answer 19 December 2002]: All primary care trusts and acute trusts have produced specific plans, which address any rise in activity across local health communities, including that potentially caused by influenza.
Both motorway and terrorist incidents have been covered in Worcestershire acute hospitals national health service trusts major incident plan. Following the events of 11 September 2001, the deputy Chief Medical Officer issued specific guidance on planning for mass casualty incidents. These plans had to include robust arrangements for mutual aid across health partners. A recent audit of the primary care trust's plan by the Department commended the arrangements in place for mass casualties.