UPDATED: A test of the Emergency Department at St Mary’s Hospital in Newport is underway this morning (Thursday) with a mock major incident.
Isle of Wight NHS Trust is a ‘category one’ emergency responder to major incidents. This covers both the Ambulance Service and St Mary’s Hospital. It is a statutory requirement that ‘category one’ responders test their ability to respond to major incidents.
A test of the Emergency Department at St. Mary’s Hospital is taking place today between 09:15 and 11:45. The incident involves mock ‘patients’ made up to look like real casualties. The ‘casualties’ will arrive over a two hour period at the Main Entrance at St Mary’s Hospital. The casualtieswill not be arriving in ambulances with ‘blue lights’ or sirens sounding.
Hospital staff were notified at 09:15hrs by telephone that a major incident has been declared and they can expect casualties to start arriving within 15 minutes. Casualties will be met by hospital staff at the main entrance and moved through the area to a temporary triage area in the Beacon Health Centre.
Although additional staff will be involved in handling the incident there will be some changes to the way minor injuries are handled for around three hours this morning. A temporary clinic has been established in the Fracture Clinic on the ground floor at St. Mary’s. Patients attending the Beacon Health Centre should still enter via the main entrance at St. Mary’s and book in at the Beacon Health Centre reception desk. However, depending on the nature of their condition, they may be asked to walk round to the temporary clinic for treatment.
Alan Sheward, Executive Director of Nursing and Workforce with the lead responsibility for emergency planning at Isle of Wight NHS Trust says:
“It is important that we test our systems for responding to a major incident. We are doing this today whilst offering as near normal service for real patients and we will endeavour to minimise any inconvenience to patients who we hope will understand the need for us to undertake this important exercise.”
UPDATE @ 12:00 – The mock incident exercise has now concluded.
