§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how closely co-ordination health authorities are with those bodies that would provide airlift relief in the event of a serious emergency. [174682]
§ Mr. HuttonIn addition to its own helicopter air ambulances, the National Health Service has long-standing arrangements to seek additional support, if required, from the armed forces. Further support is available, as and when required, through arrangements made at the local level.
§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how well advanced Government plans are for the co-ordination of NHS casualty units and coordination between hospitals in the event of a serious emergency. [174683]
§ Mr. HuttonNational health service organisations have well developed major incident plans, including mutual aid, and national guidance to NHS organisations requires that all major incident plans be reviewed and tested on a regular basis. The NHS has been conducting major incident training exercises for many years, often in conjunction with local emergency partners.
Initially, the ambulance service will co-ordinate the NHS response; deploy vehicles to the scene; and put hospitals on stand-by to take casualties. If the incident continues, local health services will take on further coordination of the response.
The NHS is an integral part of the integrated approach across government to protect the public and maintain essential services.