children - West London Mental Health NHS Trust

FLU pandemic
Experts believe a flu pandemic is overdue.
The trust, like all NHS organisations is involved in
planning for the possibility of a flu pandemic.
Clinical
Focus
MHM spoke to Trevor Farmer, the trust’s lead for flu planning.
What is a flu pandemic?
A pandemic occurs when a new
influenza virus, which people have
no immunity to, emerges and starts
spreading as easily as normal flu,
resulting in several, simultaneous
epidemics worldwide with many more
people becoming ill and the mortality
rate being much higher. Unlike ordinary
seasonal influenza that occurs every
winter in the UK, a pandemic flu could
occur at any time of the year.
How often are there pandemics?
Pandemics have occurred around
every 20 to 30 years, but it has been
almost 40 years since the last one
happened.
How long does a pandemic last?
It tends to last for about 15 weeks
although it may be followed by further
‘waves’ during the following months.
How serious were previous
pandemics?
The most severe pandemic was the
Spanish flu of 1918-19, which spread
around the globe in around four to
six months and killed 40-50 million
people over two years. The highest
death rate was seen in people aged
20-45. The ‘Asian flu’ pandemic of
1957 and the 1968 ‘Hong Kong flu’
were much less severe. But they still
caused significant illness in young and
older people, and around 1-4 million
deaths between them.
How likely is it there will be
another?
Most scientists believe we are due
another pandemic, although no one
is certain when it will happen. There
are concerns that the bird flu strain
H5N1 may mutate into the next
pandemic influenza virus. Since it
emerged in 2003, more than 334
people around the world have been
infected, of whom 205 died. However,
most human deaths have occurred in
Asia, in communities where people
live in close proximity to poultry.
Human infection has been rare and
the virus has not acquired the ability
to pass easily from person to person.
However, the H5N1 virus could cause
a pandemic if it were to combine
with a human flu virus or adapt to the
human body and develop the ability to
spread easily among humans.
How prepared are we?
The World Health Organisation has
spearheaded the development of
contingency planning for a future
pandemic. It has published a global
influenza preparedness plan, and
also has a network of more than
one hundred centres that monitor
flu outbreaks around the world
and check for the emergence of an
unusual influenza virus.
National governments have also
drawn up contingency plans. The
UK’s national frameword for
pandemic flu sets out how
government and the emergency
services would try to limit the spread
of a pandemic to minimise the
damage it causes to people’s health,
the economy and society as
a whole.
What does the UK plan entail?
The government plans to stockpile
enough of the antiviral drug Tamiflu to
treat half the population. Although this
drug is not a cure, it should reduce
the severity of the infection and help
limit the spread of the pandemic
while a vaccine is developed.
Two major drugs companies are
contracted to develop vaccines
against the culprit virus. But it will
take several weeks or months after
the virus is identified to develop and
distribute these.
Other measures include ordering
14.7m courses of antibiotics to
treat infected people who develop
complications, such as pneumonia,
and buying around 34m disposable
respirators and 350m surgical
facemasks for health and social care
workers. A national flu helpline
will also be set up to give people
advice and identify those who need
antiviral drugs. To limit the spread of
infection, schools could be shut and
public gatherings may be cancelled.
Individuals may also being advised to
sneeze into tissues, which should be
disposed of as soon as possible, then
wash their hands.
What has the trust been doing?
Planning has been ongoing in the
Trust. We have been looking at a
number of issues such as how we
would maintain our supplies and
which of our services it would be
a priority to maintain with fewer
staff available and many ill patients.
The trust has worked up a plan
which includes input from each of
the SDUs and this plan is updated
regularly in light of guidance from the
Department of Health and from the
PCTs and other neighbouring trusts.
Safeguarding children
is everyone’s business
WLMHT is a child friendly
organisation. There are policies in
place at the trust to make sure we
are providing good quality care
for service users and this includes
safeguarding their children and
family. Children are welcome to
visit inpatients, provided the visit
is in their interests, and the trust
has been working to increase the
number of child visiting rooms and
to improve the ones already in place.
Cressida Zielinski, the trust’s
named nurse for child protection
says, “The needs of children must
be paramount, even if you are
working with adult service users.
It is crucial that you find out from
service users if they are responsible
for any children. If a parent is
hospitalised you need to think
about any children and the impact
this might have on them.
“Staff must share all information
or concerns they may have about
children so that we are all working
in their best interests. It is for this
reason that the trust has built up
robust connections with our local
authorities.”
Dr Clare Lucey has taken on the new role of trust wide named doctor for
safeguarding children and she will be supported by a local named doctor
from each of the SDUs. Once these appointments are made they will be
publicised. Dr Lucey says, “Safeguarding children is a crucial component
of delivering safe effective services in the trust. This has been recognised
through our named professionals, clinical leads, awareness training at
induction, the introduction of mandatory training, regular clinical audits and
a focus on building a supportive structure for good quality child visiting.”
“
If you have
a concern about a
child doing nothing
is not an option.
”
Lord Lamming
New safeguarding children
governance structure
The trust has recently reviewed its
safeguarding children governance
structure to bring it into line
with the restructure of the trust.
afeguarding children is now on
the agenda of each of the SDUs to
make sure it is an integral part of
all clinical work done.
For more detailed information please see
the safeguarding children section on the
Exchange which can be found under Trustwide
Information which is on the home page.
16 MENTALHEALTHMATTERS MENTALHEALTHMATTERS 17