MAJOR INCIDENT PLAN - NHS Cumbria

31 HELPLINES31.1 The Incident Control Team may decide to set up a helpline in addition to general firstline information that may be supplied by NHS Direct, Police or other agencies. This may bebecause of circumstances such as:• An expectation of high level of public concern and anxiety• Needing to provide information to the public• A need for members of the public to ring in on a regular basis (e.g. patients isolated in theirhomes after immunisation)A helpline can be set up as required in the offices in the vicinity of NHS Cumbria IncidentRoom. This would need special instructions from IT/Estates department.32 TELEPHONE NUMBERS/ACCESS INFORMATION32.1 There are designated telephone numbers for the Incident Room which will be madelive during the incident. These numbers should not be given to members of the public or thepress.The Incident Room contains up to date copies of all relevant emergency planning publicationse.g. the Acute Trust Emergency Plans, Cumbria County Council General Emergency Planand specific Off Site Emergency Plans.33 RECORD KEEPINGPRESERVATION OF DOCUMENTS33.1 Following a major incident the Trust may be invited or required to provide evidence toan appropriate enforcement agency (e.g. the Health & Safety Executive), a judicial inquiry, acoroner's inquest, the police or a Civil Court Hearing compensation claims. In the course ofany or each of these, the Trust may well be obliged or advised to give access to documentsproduced prior to, during and as a result of the incident. Under no circumstances must anydocument which relates or may in any way relate (however slightly) to the incident, bedestroyed, amended, held back or mislaid.DEFINITION OF “DOCUMENTS”33.2 For these purposes "documents" means not only pieces of paper but alsophotographs, audio and videotapes, and information held on word processor or othercomputer. It also includes internal electronic mail. The vital message 'Preserve and Protect' –needs to be spread very quickly during a major incident and must reach those who mightquite unknowingly hold significant documents. The Chief Executive will issue appropriateinstructions and guidance on procedures to be adopted to preserve and store alldocumentation relating to the IncidentNHS CUMBRIAMAJOR INCIDENT PLAN – FRAMEWORK FOR RESPONDING TO A MAJOR INCIDENTPAGE 41 OF 46Version 3 (Dec 2008)