Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse
Sláinte
Health Service Executive
The Community, the HSE and Severe Weather
Peter Daly,
Chief Emergency Management Officer
HSE South
The Community,
the HSE
and Severe Weather
Weather emergencies are a
fact of life and they should not
come as a complete surprise!
There has to be a measure of
personal responsibility**
“But Papi always takes me skiing!!”
Four HSE Regions
Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte
Health Service Executive
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Severe Weather is
LOCAL not matter
how widespread
the bad weather.
The response may
not be just local but
it has to have a
significant local
input.
Major Emergency??
Severe Weather causes
significant issues for the
HSE in most of what it
does.
Impacts on Business
Continuity
What can’t stop?
• Trauma [ the 999 system]
• Maternity
• Dialysis
A lot more besides……
 24/7 Activity must continue
 Palliative/Hospice care
 Care of sick people in the
community, including young
chronically ill.
 Care of elderly
 Transplant
Types of Severe Weather Event
Experience shows that Ireland is threatened by different types of severe
weather including:
• Flooding
• Frost/Ice
• Heavy Snow
• Severe Winds
• Thunderstorms
•
Heatwaves have affected other countries in Europe in recent years and,
with ongoing climate change, cannot be entirely discounted from the
MEM Risk Assessment and Preparedness processes in Ireland. However,
they are not covered in the body of this document.
The Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption
Dialysis
08 Mar 2012
Duration of the bad weather
“Three week” Christmas
From the Weekend before Christmas until
the schools open in January
Some things can be put off for week but
not five weeks
10%
Many patients in the community must get
a visit every seven days
Prioritisation
of scarce recourses
Form of Triage
Transport for:
999 Calls
Essential Staff Acute Hospitals
Essential Staff Community Hospitals
Essential Staff Nursing Homes
Dialysis Patients
Specialist Palliative Care
GP out-of-hours service
Meals-on-wheels
Public Health Nurses
Mental Health Services
Home Support Services
Blood tests
Transport Difficulties
Have we the right
transport for this type of
weather?
Transport Difficulties
Have we the right
transport for this type of
weather?
The HSE considered various traction systems and each system
considered would require significant expenditure on both equipment
and training. The HSE bought Estate Vehicles with All Wheel Drive
capacity to replace some existing vehicles. This provides 4x4 type
capability in a vehicle that will be operated daily. The cost of the
vehicles are similar to traditional 2 wheel drive Estate cars representing
improvements in road safety in severe weather and off road conditions
without any additional expenditure over and above normal fleet
replacement.
As part of the NAS drive to improve road safety, the NAS has also
taken delivery of three new purpose built Driver training Vehicles to
support the national rollout of Driver training, initially for 180 new
Student Paramedics.
Identification of Vulnerable
‘We should
have a list of
the vulnerable’
us a list
Those recently discharged from Hospital
Those requiring urgent home based treatment
Those with mobility problems
Those living alone
Those in remote/hard to reach areas
Those requiring on-going medication, oxygen etc.,
Those who any disruption to their care plan
would cause undue hardship
Lists are dangerous!
Especially to those who are NOT on the list!
People who are normally not vulnerable can
very quickly become very vulnerable indeed
Cumulative Effects
oIncrease in Fractures
oDelayed presentation of fractures
oReduced Staff
oShortage of blood
oInterruption of essential supplies
•food
•laundry
•pharmacy
•Fuel
WATER
Self –help!
• Establish the real and most urgent needs of the
community
• • Set priorities for the response and be prepared to
defend these to the public and the media
• • Organise and maintain a protracted 24/7 response
• • Encourage and assist individuals and communities
to respond themselves
• (“Help Yourself and Your Family”,
• ”Help your Neighbour”)
Stress of 24/7 versus 9 -5
Every agency has this problem
VAT is not the only thing that is 21%!
And that does not include holidays – remember the
‘three- week’ Christmas
Can be impossible to contact key staff out-of-hours –
only advantage was that with the frost and snow they
were at home.
Unrealistic expectations on both sides
Self –help!
Highlight
of the bad weather ?
 Individual acts of kindness and goodness.
They way neighbours supported each other
and looked out for those who were badly affected.
The way in which HSE staff members of all
parts of the HSE, who made what can only be
described as heroic efforts to do their jobs.
Highlight
of the bad weather ?