Contents
A Scottish framework for responding to an influenza pandemic
The Scottish Government has now published A Scottish framework for responding to an influenza pandemic . It is the key pandemic flu document for use by Scottish planners in the NHS and other organisations.
This framework sets out the Scottish Government's strategic approach to dealing with an influenza pandemic, provides information on the potential impact, sets out key planning assumptions and proposes a planning framework. It updates the previous pandemic flu plan, published in October 2005, expanding it to illustrate the breadth of planning across many different sectors.
Guidance on preparing maternity services
This document identifies key issues and provides a guidance framework to enable and support the decisions on prioritisation that maternity services providers in hospitals; general practices and community care will need to take during a pandemic, covering the period from conception to just after birth.
Scottish Guidance on Health Workforce
Local planning for pandemic flu is well underway across the health and community care sector and individual NHS Scotland organisations should refer to local pandemic influenza groups for details of plans. This Human Resource Guidance supplements local plans.
This covers in more detail the workforce and human resource issues that may arise in a pandemic. It is designed to give an overall framework for NHS services to build on/work within and should be read alongside the overall planning documents. It covers NHS services and their links to community care.
The supplementary information below is intended to offer general guidance for consideration in local contingency planning.
Guidance on preparing mental health services in Scotland
This document has now been issued to NHS Boards and partners. The guidance is designed to ensure that people with mental health problems receive support and protection whether in the community, in residential or inpatient settings during a pandemic.
Planning for pandemic influenza in adult community care - An operational and strategic framework
This document has been published to encourage and support local authorities and others who provide community care services in planning for a human influenza pandemic. It provides background information on pandemic influenza, the impact, and potential implications for community care services. It also highlights the issues that local authorities and other community care services providers will need to consider, for example, managing staff absences, training and education.
Planning for pandemic influenza in adult community care - Guidelines for community care staff
This leaflet has been published to inform staff working in community care how they can protect themselves, their families and people they work with in the course of their daily work, in the event of an influenza pandemic. It should be read alongside the aforementioned operational and strategic framework.
Guidance on the provision of healthcare in a community setting in Scotland
This guidance has been produced to support those involved in the organisation and delivery of community based healthcare to develop their operational plans. The document, which should be read in conjunction with other planning documents, identifies issues for local planning and provides advice throughout on specific actions that NHS Boards and other organisations can take to develop their operational preparedness for an influenza pandemic.
These checklists have been produced to help NHS Boards plan for a flu pandemic. The checklists detail actions which can be taken to ensure the resilience of hospitals and acute care facilities.
Guidance to medical practitioners for death certification
This guidance is intended to assist medical practitioners with their clinical responsibility for the appropriate certification of deaths in the event of an influenza pandemic, should such an event occur. The intention is to provide some information that will assist in the certification process and to give medical practitioners the confidence to act appropriately when operating in an altered environment.
Responding to pandemic influenza - The ethical framework for policy and planning
The Committee on Ethical Aspects of Pandemic Influenza (CEAPI) has been set up to advise on the ethical issues in health and social care and in public health arising from an influenza pandemic. The UK Committee includes members from Scotland and is chaired by the Very Reverend Graham Forbes, Provost of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. Representatives from the Scottish Government also participate as observers.
The ethical framework, which is published on a UK basis, is designed to assist planners and strategic policy makers with ethical aspects of decisions they face before, during and after an influenza pandemic. It may also help clinicians and other health and social care professionals with decisions they need to make in the same context.
Overarching Government strategy to respond to pandemic influenza - Analysis of the scientific evidence base
Public confidence in the UK Governments' pandemic influenza strategy depends on it being based on a credible and wide-ranging evidence base, which has been objectively analysed. This paper summarises this work. It aims to provide a 'snap-shot' of the available scientific evidence underpinning the spectrum of possible strategies to respond to pandemic influenza.
Clinical guidelines for patients with an influenza like illness during an influenza pandemic
This document contains provisional guidelines for health professionals regarding the treatment of pandemic influenza, agreed by experts from the British Thoracic Society, the British Infection Society and the Health Professional Agency in collaboration with the Department of Health.
General Medical Council - Pandemic Influenza
This document has been prepared by the GMC. It is a revised version of Good Medical Practice - Pandemic Influenza to help doctors be clear about what the GMC will regard as good practice during a pandemic.