Plans to test our incident response expected during April

March 18, 2022

With the Commonwealth Games coming to our region this summer from 28 July – 8 August, it is a requirement to test the incident response of all organisations who have a responsibility to protect and serve the public. External exercises have already been run to test emergency responders such as police, fire and ambulance, and we have been advised there will be a test involving our Trust at some point during April.

The aim of the exercise is to test local resilience across the Midlands, to ensure the region (and we) could cope with a major incident consisting of many causalities. Hence there will be an unannounced four day exercise in April run through our tactical team, which will require support from all areas. We will be expected to simulate the response for our services in real time, and will be completing a workbook with responses returned to the CCG.

To ensure your area responds appropriately and effectively please take an action now to ensure your team is familiar with the emergency planning polices and protocols relating to your service. At the start of the exercise a text notification will go out entitled ‘Exercise Exercise SWB Incident Alert’ with instructions of what you need to do. Please respond promptly as response times are logged.

If you are unsure what you should do in the event of a major incident, please speak to your line manager as a priority. The Trust has comprehensive plans in place for major incidents which are updated, checked and tested by the groups they relate to. It is everyone’s individual responsibility to know what they should do in the event of an emergency.