Nationwide pandemic flu exercise

NHS advice on infection control.

The exercise tested the responses to both the healthcare issues and the wider consequences.  Most central government departments, the devolved administrations, all of the English regional resilience forum areas and most of the local resilience forum areas were involved. 

Winter Willow One, on 30 January, was a national-level tabletop exercise, looking at the policy issues raised by the first cases of pandemic flu in the UK. Winter Willow Two, on 16–21 February, tested the UK response at a local, regional and national level during the height of a pandemic.

Strategic Coordination Groups met at local level, feeding situation reports to the Regional Civil Contingencies Committees. Regional situation reports in turn informed the national level Civil Contingencies Committee meetings; Baroness Andrews represented Communities and Local Government at these meetings. 

Peter Betts, Director of Fire and Resilience at Communities and Local Government, attended the Civil Contingencies Committee officials’ meeting.  Peter said: “The exercise was a challenging and constructive experience which will improve central and local government’s planning and procedures for handling a flu pandemic.  It highlighted yet again the value of good partnership working between players at local, regional and national level.”

Dawn Whittaker, Assistant Chief Fire Officer at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, took part in the exercise. Dawn said: “As a result of the exercise we have raised an action plan for the FRS locally to enhance the local FRS pandemic flu plan, our local arrangements and communications.”

A full exercise report will be available to participants in the summer.