Scottish Executive National Framework for Responding to an Influenza Pandemic
The Scottish Executive National Framework for Responding to an Influenza Pandemic was published for comment on March 16. It is the key document for those planning the Scottish response to an influenza pandemic in the NHS and other organisations.
The plan updates the UK Health Departments' Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan issued in October 2005, to reflect developments in scientific advice, advances in national and local planning, developments in our communications plans and experience gained from pandemic flu exercises.
It sets out the Scottish Executive's strategic approach to dealing with a pandemic outbreak, provides information on the potential impact, sets out key planning assumptions and proposes a planning framework. The strategic aims, scientific advice and key planning assumptions are same as those in the UK plan, which was published on the same day, but focused specifically towards Scottish circumstances and reflecting planning activities which have taken place in Scotland. For the first time, this plan is a cross Government plan which illustrates the breadth of planning across a number of different sectors.
The full version of the plan can be found on the Scottish Executive website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/15125518/0 . Comments should be sent by email to pandemicflu@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or in writing to:
The Pandemic Flu Co-ordination Team
Health Department
Scottish Executive
3E.S.
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
The deadline for comments is 16 May and a final version of the plan will be published in the summer.