Exercise tests preparedness for Ebola in Northern Ireland

The Public Health Agency (PHA) and Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) held a comprehensive exercise to enable a review of Ebola preparedness in Northern Ireland.

Senior health professionals from the DHSSPS, PHA, Health and Social Care Board, the five health trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service participated in the exercise.

Dr Lorraine Doherty, Assistant Director of Public Health (Health Protection) at the PHA, said, “Although the risk to the public in Northern Ireland is very low, this exercise enabled us to review our preparedness and response arrangements should there be an Ebola case in Northern Ireland.

“From today’s event we can be reassured that we have robust and practical plans in place to deal with Ebola in the unlikely event that someone presents here with the illness.

“We will also evaluate what went well and what we need to improve upon. This exercise is just one small part of our ongoing contingency planning for Ebola.”

The exercise tested risk assessment procedures and the subsequent patient management and transportation arrangements for a suspected Ebola case in Northern Ireland.

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Posted by Newry Times News on Oct 28 2014. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry