Severe weather planning

ARE YOU WINTER READY? SEVERE WEATHER PLAN? Have you updated your SEVERE WEATHER

HSE Emergency Management O ce highlights importance of HSE managers and sta planning for severe weather

The HSE Emergency Management O ce updated the Severe Weather Planning Guidance document in October 2021 which will help HSE managers and sta to develop and update their local severe weather plans. It includes checklists and advice and you will find it at www.hse.ie/emergency management/ severeweather. Given the reality of climate change and the real risk of severe weather events it is vital that HSE managers and all sta plan and prepare so that our ability to deliver health services during periods of severe weather is not compromised.

If you are a HSE manager please check the updated Severe Weather Planning Guidance document and:

• update your existing severe weather plans, include any learnings from 2020 and ensure all your sta are aware of them.

If you are a HSE sta member please ensure:

• you are familiar with severe weather plans for your area or department and discuss these plans with your line manager as needed.

HSE managers have to plan to ensure that all key services are resilient to severe weather and mitigate the impact that it may have on the dayto-day activities of the HSE. We must keep in mind that Severe Weather will not just impact HSE services; it will impact on other associated businesses - those providing service support and those in our supply chain, in Ireland and globally. The format is flexible and has the adaptability to cater for the diverse range of HSE services and facilities. The document is to provide the individual manager with the freedom to plan within his/her domain without the prescriptive constraint of an imposed template. Each manager is required to address the document and develop Severe Weather preparedness for his/her area of responsibility. New challenges exist such as dealing with COVID-19 requirements, and plans now need to incorporate the associated constraints on service capacity during a severe weather event.

HSE sta battling the 'Beast from the East' in February 2018. The huge snowfall had a massive impact on the health services and managers are being urged to make sure their Severe Weather Plan has been updated.

HSE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICES CONTACT DETAILS

HSE National Emergency Management O ce

Contact: Assistant National Director for Emergency Management Postal Address: HSE National O ce for Emergency Management, Stewarts Care Limited, Stewarts Hospital, Mill Lane, Dublin 20, D20 XT80 Email: nemo@hse.ie Phone: 01 6201658

HSE East Major Emergency Management O ce

Contact: Chief Emergency Management O cer East Region Postal Address: Major Emergency Management O ce, Phoenix Hall, St. Mary's Hospital Campus, Phoenix Park, Dublin 20, D20 CK33 Email: emergency.planning@hse.ie Phone: 01 7959840

GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

The document includes checklists which are a practical way to support managers and sta to plan for a severe weather event. They cover a range of areas including assessing your starting point, carrying out a risk assessment, communications, preparing for the impact of such an event on sta ng and on patients or the people who use our services, Estates and Maintenance and engaging with the Area Crisis Management Teams.

The HSE Severe Weather Guidance will assist individual managers to put in place appropriate measures to deal with the following areas during a Severe Weather event:

• Coordination of activities to minimise the e ect of Severe Weather • Anticipating the impact of the requirements of COVID-19 on severe weather episodes • Ensuring e ective communications systems are in place • Maintaining the delivery of essential services • The implementation of contingencies where necessary • Monitoring and maintenance of adequate phased sta ng levels within all clinical and non-clinical areas, including the redeployment of sta to critical areas where required • Ensuring sta awareness of its service’s contingency arrangements and those of other

HSE services during a Severe Weather event.

The document comprises two parts: Checklist and Guidance Document. Neither are standalone and both documents are structured around planning, response and recovery. The Checklist should be completed in association with the guidance provided. The Checklist and supporting documentation can be expanded to include each individual service’s criteria as appropriate. This document should be listed as an appendix to the service’s Major Emergency or Site Specific Emergency Plan and reviewed/updated accordingly. All Area Emergency Management O ces are available to provide managers with support and advice to complete the process of updating existing severe weather plans.

HSE South Emergency Management O ce

Contact: Chief Emergency Management O cer South Region Postal Address: Emergency Management O ce - HSE South, Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, Western Road, Cork, T12 WP62 Email: emo@hse.ie Phone: 021 4921622

HSE West Emergency Management O ce

Contact: Chief Emergency Management O ce West Region Postal Address: Regional Emergency Management Unit, Clinical and Administrative Building, Block A, Merlin Park Hospital, Old Dublin Road, Galway, H91N973 Email: emergency. managementwest@hse.ie Phone: 091 775933