Care & Nursing Homes – Short Term Staffing Shortages and Implications for Evacuation Strategies and Operational Response

Thu, 11/18/2021 – 12:00

This joint National Operational Learning and National Protection Learning guidance note has been drafted to provide information for Operational Response and Protection teams. It explains how an increase in short term staffing pressures in care homes and nursing homes may impact, in a limited number of cases, on the evacuation plan and consequently on fire and rescue service operational response and tactical considerations.

It also encourages fire and rescue services to consider collaboration between Operational Response and Protection teams, and with other local agencies such as Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Local Authority departments to identify and monitor homes that are at particular increased temporary risk or need additional guidance and support.

Finally, it provides a brief refresher on some of the key principles of Progressive Horizontal Evacuation that is the most common evacuation strategy in care homes and nursing homes and some key considerations for incident commanders in the early stages of any incident..

To access the guidance note in full please click here.