A round-up of recent Scottish Executive Health Department programme activity:
Pandemic Flu Programme Brief
The programme brief, which is the central reference document for the Scottish Executive Health Department's Pandemic Flu Preparations Programme, has been made available in the Health Professionals section of the Scottish Executive website Pandemic Flu pages. The document describes what work is being taken forward as a part of the programme along with the factors and considerations that have a bearing on the work. The brief defines the scope of work, objectives and standards to be reached; and the overall approach to managing the programme. It can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/AvianInfluenza/programmebrief
Vaccination Planning
A workgroup has been convened to develop guidance on operational vaccination planning arrangements. Chaired by Dr Chris Kalman, Director of Occupational Health, NHS Lothian, the group will consider how the vaccination of Healthcare workers utilizing existing stockpiles of H5N1 vaccine and the delivery of population-wide vaccination with a strain-specific vaccine could be carried out.
Service Prioritisation
The service prioritisation workstream now has an expanded scope. It will now be the Service and Patient Prioritisation workstream with a remit to deliver UK wide guidance on the prioritisation of healthcare services and on admission and discharge criteria throughout the patient pathway. It is also envisaged that the Service and Patient Prioritisation Project Board will support further work of this nature in the Critical Care sector.
Care in a community setting
Work is continuing to develop guidance on front line community health services for pandemic influenza. It is intended the guidance will become available this summer.