PANDEMIC ALERT - JULY 2009 UPDATE

The swine flu pandemic continues to gather pace.

The World Health Organization (WHO) advises that the current situation regarding the  outbreak of swine influenza continues to evolve rapidly. 
(Source The World Health Organization and the Health Protection Agency)

In UK alone, in the week to 19 July 2009 there were 100,000 reported new cases – double the figure for the previous week.  The weekly consultation rate reported by the NHS is already around three times the peak for normal annual flu and is rising rapidly.  UK deaths attributed to swine flu currently stand at around 30, compared with more than 800 worldwide.

One possible scenario released by the UK government suggests that up to 30% of the UK population could be simultaneously affected in September or October this year.  Given the age distribution of swine flu cases, the proportion of of the workforce affected would be even higher.

The Health Protection Agency is continuing to monitor events and is providing expert advice and support to the UK government, NHS and other
organisations.

While many countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 by the WHO is a strong signal that  pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalise the organisation, communication and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING

Most contingency plans focus on keeping an organisation going following disruption to premises, systems and supplier arrangements.  The big continuity issue in the face of a Pandemic is loss of a significant proportion of staff – many organisations’ most valuable asset.

A continuity plan designed to cope with the indiscriminate but significant loss of staff needs to address:

• A real understanding of not only the critical activities needed to continue vital business objectives but also the key staff procedures needed to sustain these activities.
• The ability of remaining staff to undertake wider roles in a staffing crisis; requiring pre-planned authorisations and training.
• Succession planning in depth.
• The potential use where appropriate of remote or home working.

Our clients operate in environments where the need to sustain contingency operations with as little as 10% of the normal staff complement is understood and catered for in the contingency plans we help them to develop.  We are therefore well placed to help organisations face the possibility of working under pandemic conditions.”