Olympics 2012

Health Protection Preparedness & Response

Mike Catchpole

Mass Gatherings – Key Planning Steps

Risk Analysis What might happen?

Surveillance How will we know when it happens?

Response What will we do when it happens?

A Proportional Response

Evidence from recent Olympics suggests risk of infectious disease or other significant hazard to health is low

But

• Absolute increase in population and increase in population density and mixing

• Population movement – potential for exposure to non-endemic disease

• Target for terrorism

• Changes in services and behaviour (food supply, sexual behaviour)

• Low threshold for action

Core Elements of Preparedness for London 2012

• Enhanced Public Health Surveillance

• ED and OOH Reporting, ITU reporting, Event Based Surveillance

• Augmented international surveillance and risk assessment

• Additional capacity for expert advice and information

• Enhanced response to outbreaks and incidents

• Revised strategic emergency plans

• Revised staffing policies

• Major exercise testing

4

Health Protection Agency Data Flow Chart

Infectious Disease Surveillance Reports

1. NOIDS 2. Lab Reporting 3. Syndromic 4. USII 5. Mortality 6. International

Olympic Venues

Olympics Coordination Centre

Event Based Surveillance

Notification of disease / event

Colindale Ops Cell

SitRep

9X Regional operation Cell

SitRep

HPA Public Health SitRep

SitRep

Microbiology Services

Communications / Media

Environmental Hazards: Chemical, Radiation, Air quality

SitRep

Devolved Administrations Public Health Bodies

LOC London Operations

Centre

COBR-OPG Coordination of all

Government Activities

MOC (LOCOG) Coordination of all Games operations

DH Daily Health SitRep

NOCC Safety and Security

Coordination

Other Government Departments / Organisations:

Defra / EA FSA

Business as usual data flows

Information requests

Significant public health incident

HPA Olympic Surveillance

Post Olympics ReflectionsKey Lessons

• Significant time and effort required over many months (years)

• Robust but flexible planning

• Teamwork (sense of humour)

• Don’t reinvent the wheel – maintain normal practice as much as possible

• Ensure an understanding of normal business

• Early stakeholder engagement is critical

• Clarify arrangements for formulating, agreeing and disseminating public health advice across partners

• Learn from others (observer programme and legacy)

• Testing and exercising

 

Proportional?

• Significant investment in new system development

• Significant additional burden on staff (long hours, temporary secondment to new roles)

• No significant threats detected

• Augmented systems provided evidence of absence…

• Important legacy of new systems e.g. Emergency Department reporting

• Test of systems required for response to national emergencies