A resilient NHS for London 2012

Abstract

London will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Hosting the Games brings with it both opportunities and challenges for the capital and country. The National Health Service (NHS) in London has a crucial role to play in the delivery of a safe and secure Games. It must also protect its business as usual services and be prepared to respond to any enhanced or additional threats and hazards that may be created by the presence of the Games. NHS London leads a programme of work to ensure that the NHS fulfils its responsibilities during the Games. The programme’s Health Resilience workstream has adopted a structured planning process to assess risks, identify gaps in the capability of the NHS, and ensure those gaps are addressed prior to the Games. It acknowledges that training, exercising and testing play vital roles in capability. This work aims to ensure that London’s health services will respond in a timely, proportionate and appropriate manner to any incident during the Games. This paper gives an overview of the Olympic context within which this resilience work is taking place, and details the planning processes and relationships employed in planning for such a major event.