The number of people ill and dying from swine flu in England is increasing.
Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, has told the National Health Service (NHS) to prepare for the possibility of thousands of people dying from the disease this winter.
Financial experts have predicted that swine flu could potentially cause the economy to shrink by five per cent.
Schools currently on holiday may face major disruption when they return after the summer break, and employers are having to revise their business continuity plans.
Councils are playing an increasingly important role in this developing emergency.
Many are already providing important facilities for the distribution of medicines and are on heightened alert in the provision of care for the elderly and support for families.
There is no doubt that when it comes to emergencies the public sector works effectively in partnership.
This partnership working needs to become a norm so that communities get ongoing, coordinated and effective responses to their needs outside of emergency situations.
The NHS is discouraging people who think that they might have swine flu from going to doctor surgeries and hospitals. This is not only to protect people who may be debilitated through other illness, and thus more vulnerable to swine flu, but also to manage capacity.
It is interesting to see the use of technology in health care, with NHS Direct, a telephone and internet based public interface, being used to act as a triage service.
People who think they may be suffering from swine flu, or their friends/relatives and so forth, phone NHS Direct to check out their symptoms and to get advice. Some may be referred to a doctor, while some are given advice and reassurance. Some are directed to distribution centres, often in council premises, to get the appropriate medication for swine flu.
Communication between public sector agencies has increased.
The increasing use of, and public trust in, a technology based triage information and advice service is something that the public sector needs to note and build upon after this pandemic has been successfully tackled.
We have seen the spectacular growth of call centres in the private sector and many councils now have their own call centres.
Indeed, each public sector body tends to have their own call centre acting in isolation.
While there are issues about the information and advice call centre staff can provide, there is a general consensus that call centres are useful and efficient.
How much more efficient and effective could they be, however, if there was one call centre for the public sector for each city or town?
With web based information and training, call centre staff could answer many caller queries at the first call, or connect them to the appropriate organisations for more detailed advice or support.
While the pressure is on for the public sector from swine flu, it is important that lessons learned from partnership working are not overlooked but built upon to improve the public sector’s service to the community in the future.
*Malcolm Morley is Chief Executive of Harlow District Council and can be contacted via the Editor, email info@lgfocus.com.au The views expressed in
this article are not necessarily those of
his employer.
