“The Emergency Planning team in NHS West Sussex is responsible for planning the health response to situations such as pandemic flu, transport incidents, fires, evacuations and risk to the health of vulnerable groups due to extreme weather conditions such as heat waves and heavy rainfall. 

Vulnerable groups like the elderly and the very young, people with mental illnesses such as Alzheimer's, those in long-term care and those suffering from chronic illnesses are most at risk at such times and frontline services in the community must be prepared to change care plans urgently at times of high alert. 

Since 2007, the team has used a shared emergency planning NHSmail account for urgent communications to NHS organisations and Residential Care and Nursing Homes across West Sussex. 

During the initial outbreak of the swine flu pandemic of 2009, the algorithm, or guidelines, for treating suspected cases in the containment phase of the pandemic changed on a daily basis and we had to ensure that health professionals in West Sussex were armed with the latest information. 

Using the NHSmail SMS feature, we were quickly and easily able to contact emergency planners in the organisations we support, to alert them to the changes in the algorithm and direct them to the Health Protection Agency website for the updated guidelines.

In addition, the community pharmacies that provided the anti-viral collection points in West Sussex were set up with NHSmail accounts so they could securely and swiftly email information about patients that had been treated to the Swine Flu Coordination Centre - before NHSmail the information was sent by fax or post.

We also use NHSmail to alert Residential Care and Nursing Homes across West Sussex when there has been a change in the heat wave alert level.  As we use NHSmail we are able to offer all our residential homes the opportunity to be alerted by email, SMS or fax, and because all three messages can be sent from the same account it is ideal.  Some take the opportunity of all three modes of contact.  The local authority asked us to take the lead on this project, specifically because we were set up with NHSmail – we were seen as best placed to send the alerts out quickly and efficiently.

NHSmail ensures messages get to the people that have a direct impact on patient care a lot quicker.  On receipt of a weather warning email from the Met Office we send a text from NHSmail to our contacts.  This gives them a heads-up that the alert level has changed and they can then implement their emergency plan.  Managers and Community Ward Matrons for example can get in touch with their frontline staff who can implement daily calls or visits to anyone they are aware of that are vulnerable - someone suffering from Alzheimer's for example may not remember to drink water, dress in appropriate clothing or keep the room they are in cool without assistance.

I would absolutely recommend other emergency planning teams around the country to set up a similar system using NHSmail.  Using the service, alerts can quickly, easily and efficiently be communicated to teams involved in the provision of emergency care”.