EXERCISE WINTER WILLOW - PANDEMIC INFLUENZA
Exercise Winter Willow will be delivered in two stages. Stage 1 will take place on 30 January 2007, with Stage 2 following on 19 & 20 February. The aim of Exercise Winter Willow is to enhance the UK's ability to manage the effects of an influenza pandemic by practising and validating response policies and the decision-making process at National, Regional and Local levels.
The objectives of the exercise are:
- To familiarise Ministers and officials involved in the central response with the policy and response issues that would arise at UK alert levels 2 - 4 of a pandemic at WHO Phase 6
- To familiarise key players throughout the UK with the level of interaction between different tiers of government in such circumstances, at both National, Regional and Local levels
- To simulate and analyse the impact upon the Critical National Infrastructure and other relevant sectors such as medicine distribution, and their influence on the delivery of the UK national response
- To test information flows, real-time modelling and access to timely expert advice during a pandemic
- To identify gaps in our response arrangements and preparedness in order to inform the future development of policy, plans and procedures
- To inform the development of future exercise activity, both within the UK Government and more widely
Stage 1 will comprise a national-level tabletop exercise meeting of the Civil Contingencies Committee and Ministerial Group on Civil Contingencies, which will simulate UK alert level 2 (first UK cases) of WHO Phase 6. This will be supported by a credible and realistic scenario developed from that which was used in Exercise Shared Goal.
Stage 2 will follow up the decisions taken during Stage 1 with a full national exercise held over two days designed to exercise the UK response at local, regional and national levels during UK alert level 4 (widespread cases) of WHO Phase 6. The Civil Contingencies Committee (Officials), SE Emergency Action Team, and Civil Contingencies Committee and Ministerial Group on Civil Contingencies will meet on both days.
The exercise will build on lessons identified following Exercise Shared Goal, but will be far wider in scope in order to deliver increased realism to a much broader range of responders across the UK.
Anyone wishing more information regarding the exercise should contact Harry Scott, National Emergencies Planning Officer, NHSScotland, tel. no. 0131 244 2431.