Severe Weather Warning – Risk of Flooding
May 31, 2018
There is a high probability of torrential rain and thunderstorms from 5pm today, which are likely to produce significant rainfall and have the potential for flooding causing disruption to the delivery of services.
Please refer to our Trust Severe Weather Plan for appropriate preventive action.
Colleague preparation
It is expected that colleagues make every effort to attend work as planned including on call arrangements, as we will continue to run a 24 hour service during this time. Please ensure you consider putting the following in place as part of your planning arrangements.
- Consider alternative for care arrangements should schools and other care services close
- Ensure you have sufficient fuel in your vehicles and make all the necessary road safety checks to optimise your journey
- Dress appropriately for the weather; appropriate footwear for walking if necessary and readily available snacks
- Keep updated with the situation of the roads and the availability of public transport
- Consider car sharing with colleagues.
For individuals the severe weather plan recommends:
Flooding in Community
Staff who are visiting patients in the community where floods have occurred, are requested to contact the patients and seek to make alternative arrangements for care. Where it is felt that a patient’s safety is at risk due to not being able to provide care, this must be reported to the senior Fire Service Office dealing with the incident.
Where patients are evacuated to alternative accommodation, there should be liaison with the Fire Service and the Council officers coordinating the move to ensure that the on-going care for these patients may be redirected.
Flooding of premises
Where Trust property is affected by flooding, a risk assessment needs to be undertaken to determine the next steps. These could be isolation of the affected areas but other activities continue around it, temporary decommissioning of the facility, decant of staff, patients and equipment from the area to a safer, more clinically appropriate facility. For further guidance, please see the Trust Policy on Evacuation & Shelter.
Should any flooding occur, colleagues should report to the Capacity Manager on extension 4880 and out of hours to the CNP Duty Manager on Bleep 6126 at Sandwell Hospital and bleep 5401 at City Hospital.