Emergo-Application Course (revised)
A two day exercise designed in real-time for A&E staff, and those from other hospital departments, to train against their emergency plans and capabilities of dealing with major incidents.
The Emergo-Application System is used as a training and exercise tool for decision making in complex emergencies in planning and managing the response to a major incident. It enables assessment of how different outcomes could have been achieved (for example, in terms of lives saved and quality of treatment) if different decisions had been made.
The events are run in real time within Acute Trusts, modelled against the specific hospital's services profile. The system looks atoperational response, casualty management, hospital management and includes other aspects such as environmental pollution, staff welfare and the short and long-term hospital needs.
Learning objectives
Through participation in this exercise delegates will develop:
- An appreciation of the need for clear and unambiguous exchange of information and co-operation between all responding agencies and hospital departments.
- An understanding of the constraints imposed by limited resources in the immediate aftermath of an incident.
- An appreciation of the consequences of decisions made in stressful situations.
- Recognition and understanding of the logistical difficulties of major incident management.
Assessment
A debriefing session at the end of the course identifies key issues relating to the hospital's major incident plan. The event is not designed to test the individual participant's abilities within their own specialism; it is designed to facilitate participants' identification of strengths and weaknesses of the hospital's plan, enabling a positive but critical review of the plan by all those involved on the exercise.
A written report of the event is issued to the chief executive of the hospital and a copy is sent to the training division of the Health Protection Agency's Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
It has been agreed by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat that Emergo training is a suitable vehicle for a 'live exercise' under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) providing the organisation takes forward the lessons identified.
Who should attend?
As well as hospital control team members, it is beneficial to have representatives participating from many other disciplines within the organisation that would be involved in the hospital's response to a major incident. We welcome, for example, representatives from medical imaging, porters, catering, security, hotel services, pharmacy, pathology, haematology, and administration.
What is expected of participants?
A profile of the hospital identifying the number of beds by specialty, number of theatres and how many of these would be available for general or specialist activity. It is also essential for the trainers to have an understanding of the specialities available within the hospital including any specialist diagnostic capability, such as CT scanners, and the availability of regional specialities and support hospitals including their distance from the hospital site.
Contact for course details and booking
This course is free to delegates.
For further information please contact your Regional Health Emergency Planning Advisor (RHEPA) or email emergencyresponse.training@hpa.org.uk
Emergo training information leaflet (PDF, 647 KB)
Last reviewed: 7 April 2008