MEDWAY COUNCIL COMAH OFF-SITE EMERGENCY PLAN ...

ABRIDGED - Medway Council Off-site Emergency Plan – National Grid Grain LNG Ltd.
Annex A - 5
OUTLINE RESPONSIBILITIES
KENT and MEDWAY – NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE
The role of NHS Lead (Gold)
In response to a major incident requiring the establishment of NHS Lead (Gold),
NHS Lead (Gold) will direct and command the response of all NHS resources in
Kent and Medway. It will focus on strategic management of the NHS during the
incident by ensuring NHS service delivery for both the incident and normal
services. DH (2007, Strategic command arrangements for the NHS during a major
incident.
A Strategic Coordination Group is the multi-agency group that meets to coordinate
the response to an emergency. Its representation reflects the membership of the
Local Resilience Forum. It is normally chaired by the Police and held at Police
Headquarters in Maidstone. Where a SCG is established, NHS Lead (Gold) will
provide the mechanism for communication between the SCG and NHS Trusts via
NHS Lead (Gold).
NHS Lead (Gold) will provide the upward and downwards communications link
between Department of Health and NHS Trusts in Kent and Medway via
communication with South East Coast Strategic Health Authority.
The establishment of NHS Lead (Gold)
In the event of a major incident the first point of alert will normally be the NHS
Emergency Response Management Team (ERMT). The ERMT will contact the
PCT director on call in the locality where the major incident has occurred and jointly
decide on the level of response that is required, including the decision to establish
NHS Lead (Gold).
Where it is agreed that a major incident is of sufficient scale to require the
establishment of NHS Lead (Gold) the ERMT will contact the Eastern and Coastal
Kent Emergency Response Team (ERT) who will deploy to the Incident Control
Centre Trinity House, Ashford and set up the Incident NHS Lead (Gold)
Director Roles following the establishment of NHS Lead (Gold).
Where NHS Lead (Gold) is established there are three roles that on call PCT
directors will be required to fill:
• NHS Locality Incident Coordinator. This director will deploy to the Incident
Control Centre at the PCT in whose area the major incident has occurred.
They will coordinate the locality response to the major incident and report to
the Incident Strategic Coordinator at NHS Lead (Gold).
• NHS Incident Strategic Coordinator and NHS Lead (Gold). This director
will deploy to the Incident Control Centre at Trinity House, Ashford where
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