Preparedness of Residential and Nursing Homes for Pandemic Flu

Fell, Greg

BACKGROUND: Work is being undertaken across a wide range of agencies to ensure a high level of preparedness for pandemic influenza. In England, the Department of Health has published a range of guidance to support this. The impact of pandemic flu on care homes, especially if unprepared may have a major knock on effect on the rest of the health and social care system. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: A rapid survey was undertaken of a small number of care homes in West Yorkshire to assess preparedness. The homes were both local authority and privately owned. RESULTS: It was apparent that little preparation had been done at the time of the survey. A range of readily implementable ideas that may help this sector prepare was identified. CONCLUSION: Planning for pandemic flu in this sector will require effort and coordination across a range of sectors; it might best be coordinated through Local Resilience Forums.