Planning for the unexpected is now a crucial part of any organisation’s make-up. Preparedness acts to avert, alleviate and eradicate consequences of emergencies and to strengthen resilience.
The recent swine flu pandemic is the latest example of putting these contingency plans into action. There has not been an excessive level of infection in the UK, however, should another influenza pandemic occur there is no way of predicting when that might be, nor the level of illness that may result.
To deal with such crisis situations, it is paramount that robust and resilient plans are prepared to ensure the continuation of essential services.