Ambulance Services (Hansard, 19 April 2004)

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of insurance cover for ambulance personnel in the event of death in a terrorist attack. [166408]

§ Mr. Hutton
Normal cover arrangements under the liabilities to third parties scheme, run by the NHS Litigation Authority, would apply to attendance at any major incident, including the site of a terrorist attack. Cross-Government discussions are also taking place with insurance industry representatives to clarify the general position in respect of personal insurance policies if staff are exposed to risks as a consequence of terrorist action in the course of their duties.

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department has taken to prepare ambulance personnel for dealing with a terrorist attack. [166409]

§ Mr. Hutton
All ambulance services have plans in place for responding to and dealing with a range of major incidents, including possible terrorist attacks. National guidance requires that those plans are regularly reviewed and practised.
All ambulance services have been issued with standard personal protective equipment and decontamination units and have access to spare equipment and drug countermeasure supplies. Standard operating procedures have been developed and implemented in conjunction with the Ambulance Service Association and each service has instructors and teams of staff specifically trained to operate and perform safely in a contaminated environment.
All ambulance staff are also receiving recognition and awareness training and additional investment has been made available to develop and maintain their capacity and capability. The Department is currently purchasing instruments to give early warning of radiation for all front line ambulance staff.

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many exercises simulating a major incident involving ambulance personnel took place in(a) England and (b) each region in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [166410]

§ Mr. Hutton
National guidance to National Health Service organisations requires that all major incident plans be reviewed and tested on a regular basis. Ambulance services have been conducting such exercises for many years, often in conjunction with local emergency partners. This includes testing their response arrangements to scenarios involving chemical, biological or radiological and nuclear materials. Such exercises are an integral part of testing local arrangements, identifying gaps and making continuous improvement. As such exercises are arranged and conducted at a local level, comprehensive information regarding numbers is not collected by the Department.