DH - Pandemic flu: managing demand and capacity in health care organisations (surge) - 1 May 09

Source

This guidance on managing demand and capacity in health care organisations (surge) is available today (1 May 2009) to NHS organisations as planned. We are aware of the interest the organisations have shown in the guidance and encourage them to use the document in their on-going planning work.

The aim of the guidance is to support NHS and social care organisations to build on their existing preparedness plans and enable clinicians to work within an ethical framework during a pandemic, when there may be a significant increase in demand for care.

This document is intended to provide staff with guidance on the following:

• operational issues around the increase in demand for services
• supporting clinicians with the decision making processes on triaging patients

To help in the face-to-face application of this guidance by those responding to patients with influenza symptoms, a package of clinical pathways and decision parameters will be available in the next few days. These will include:

•   swine flu community assessment tools for adults and children under 16
•   swine flu hospital assessment tools with Inpatient pathways for adults and children under 16 years
•   a GP authorisation voucher for the supply of oseltamavir liquid medication for under 1’s
•   general supporting information

The PDF document below is not fully accessible and is provided for printing.

• Download Pandemic flu managing demand and capacity in health care organisations (surge) (PDF, 1884K)

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