Sutton hospital staff ‘straight off the starting blocks’ in emergency planning exercise

When the red emergency phone rang in the department, staff responded instantly to this signal an emergency was about to happen.

It was, in fact, just the beginning of a ‘no warning’ emergency decontamination exercise which only a few people were aware was about to happen.

Within minutes, staff had been briefed regarding the situation and set about erecting a mobile decontamination tent, which is kept for outside of the department, attaching water hoses and donning protective suits in readiness for the arrival of these patients.

By now, staff were aware this was a planning exercise and not an actual emergency, but the urgency continued throughout, as the team tested their response from start to completion just as though it were real.

‘Patients’ are received, decontaminated using water and booked into the emergency department to receive treatment.

Mark Stone, trust emergency planning officer, said: “The object of this exercise is to test our preparedness – how quick and automatic the teams’ reaction and response is and to ensure everyone is fully aware of the procedures involved. We also regularly test the equipment to ensure it is fully operational in the event of an emergency.”

David Ainsworth, trust director of strategy and partnerships, said: “It is essential planning exercises like this take place.

“We want our patients to be reassured that in the event of an emergency that we have no control over, our teams are fully prepared – that each and every one of us knows what we have to do to ensure our patients are safe and cared for to the very best of our ability.”