Emergency Planning Officer

Job overview

The Emergency Planning Officer will join a small team at SWFT  whose role is to ensure that the Trust is best prepared to plan for and respond to a wide range of potential incidents which could affect delivery of essential services.

Please note that interviews will be held on the 26th June 2025

Main duties of the job

As a key member of the Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) Team, the post holder will play a key role in delivery of a wide range of tasks to support the Trusts emergency planning programme.

The post holder will be required to lead on the provision of a wide range of planning and training activities aimed at ensuring that SWFT maintains it’s statutory duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, and any associated Emergency Preparedness, Resilience & Response (EPRR) guidance. This specifically includes leading on elements of the National Core Standards for EPRR which is an annual assurance review of the Trust.

The postholder will also be required to manage and lead across the Trust on Business Continuity Management (BCM) planning and training. This will necessitate engagement with senior managers and clinical leads as well as providing regular briefings to the Corporate EPRR Working Group and the Trust Risk, Health and Safety Board. The EPO will be expected to engage with all Divisions at Associate Chief Operating Officer and senior manager level to ensure compliance with current national BCM guidance, that all relevant plans are up to date and approved and that any necessary training – including exercising of plans – is carried out.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Relationships:

The Postholder will be expected to deputise for the EPRR Manager in their absence.

The post holder will be expected to represent the Trust at Regional and local health resilience meetings with NHS England and the ICB

The postholder will be expected to represent the Trust on a variety of groups as part of the Trusts commitment to multi-agency resilience through the Warwickshire Local Resilience Forum

Due to the nature of the role, the postholder will be expected to be confident of directing, engaging and communicating with and providing accurate and timely information to the following as required:

• Executive Team at SWFT
• Associate Chief Operating Officers and their teams
• Nursing leads, Clinicians/practitioners and a wide range of staff at different levels across the organisation
• EPRR teams based at: Trusts forming part of the Foundation Group, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire, Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust, Coventry and Warwickshire ICB, West Midlands Ambulance Service, UK Health Security Agency and NHS England
• Multi agency partners such as Warwickshire Police, Fire and Rescue Service and local authorities

Key Result Areas:

Knowledge, Training and Experience

To have extensive experience of working in an EPRR or emergency planning environment preferably within the NHS

To be able the demonstrate an expert level knowledge and understanding of current best practice within Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) for NHS organisations –

Demonstrate extensive knowledge and experience of EPRR, Major Incident and Business Continuity processes and specifically to understand and act upon current, relevant legislation, policies, procedures and guidance in relation to emergency planning – specifically:

• The Civil Contingencies Act 2004
• NHS EPRR Framework 2022
• NHS England Incident Response Plan and current EPRR guidance

To be able to demonstrate a detailed understanding of SWFT’s role as part of NHS and multi-agency resilience at local, Regional and National level.

Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the NHS England business continuity management toolkit and the principles included in ISO 22301

The postholder should be able to demonstrate a detailed understanding of the National Core Standards for EPRR and their importance to the Trust EPRR function to include:

• Details of individual standards, specifically those relating to Business Continuity Management
• Validation and approval of evidence
• Support to the EPRR Manager at all stages of the Core Standards process

Communications and Working Relationships

To be able to establish effective working relationships at Executive and senior management level across all Divisions of the Trust and with key stakeholders

To be confident in negotiating and delivering on specific deadlines for projects with Divisional senior management across the Trust.

To have a detailed understanding of the divisional structure of the Trust and its composite parts

To communicate effectively and consistently both with colleagues and callers to the service whilst retaining the ability to remain calm in difficult situations

Communicate a range of complex or sensitive information effectively with staff and stakeholders both in planning and training as well as when liaising with others in the event of an incident.

Provide Tactical EPRR advice and guidance to a diverse group of staff including Executives, Divisional leads and senior managers at the Trust as well as other Emergency Planning staff across all Health providers in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Be confident in dealing with Commissioners and Regional colleagues on EPRR issues – particularly Business Continuity Management – and especially in liaison with Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Commissioning Board and Regional and National NHS organisations.

To represent the Trust on NHS and multi-agency meetings and develop positive working relationships with multi agency work colleagues.

To be able to utilise negotiation skills to ensure assurance returns are completed to timescale and, where necessary, that responsibility ius allocated when a composite return requires the input of multiple Divisional groups

To lead and manager multi-disciplinary task and finish groups on EPRR related issues across the Trust

Analytical and Judgement skills

Awareness of the complex legislative and statutory obligations for the Trust in relation to Emergency Preparedness, Resilience & Response (EPRR)

Ability to analyse, evaluate and interpret relevant National and Regional guidance and policy to support the production of operational procedures.

Lead on work to risk assess, evaluate, and audit levels of EPRR with reference to statutory requirements, guidance, best practice, and lessons identified from incident response and exercise scenarios.

To be responsible for analysing complex data and information in relation to EPRR which will require the post holder to report to the EPRR Manager and relevant Trust working groups and committees.

To be able to direct, challenge, review and interpret returns from Trust colleagues in relation to required assurance returns for the ICB and NHS England.

Analyse, interpret and produce reports on training and exercises to assess learning, satisfaction, and impact.

Have a high level of situational awareness to understand the pressures and demands on other Divisions and service areas.

To understand and demonstrate the need for confidentiality in specific areas of EPRR work

Lead on risk assessment, risk analysis and risk management in relation to Business Continuity Management and other EPRR activities

Lead on specific information/project analysis as directed by the EPRR Manager

Planning and Organisational skills

To lead on the review of relevant Trust polices specifically those related to Business Continuity Management

To provide strategic guidance and lead on the design, production, review and validation of Business Continuity Management plans for the Trust

Provide management and direction to Divisional colleagues on the production and review of Trust and service level contingency plans to ensure they are regularly reviewed and updated in a timely manner. To include:

• Review of any relevant legislation or guidance and ensure plans meet current best practice
• Analysis of current plans for fitness for purpose o Provide subject matter expert input to the planning process
• Ensure plans are compatible with current local and Regional EPRR initiatives
• Ensure plans are completed and reviewed within agreed timeframes

To lead on EPRR training, exercising and awareness raising sessions across the Trust.

Be confident of dealing appropriately with enquiries from other services, including Coventry and Warwickshire ICB and Regional and National NHS organisations.

To understand the legal requirements for the storage and accessibility of EPRR related information such as for formal incident debriefs, situation reports and incident reports.

Freedom to act

To direct and lead teams of senior managers and clinicians on specific EPRR related projects and service development including agreeing project outline, timescales, Divisional input and expected outputs

Demonstrable experience of working autonomously and managing conflicting demands in a multi disciplinary setting

Must be experienced in working in non-routine/unpredictable, high-pressured environments to support divisional and Trust needs

A proven track record of delivering objectives effectively on time and to specifications

Able to work independently and as part of a team with a clear understanding of when to escalate issues to senior management.

Manage and prioritise own workload.

Management Responsibility

To deputise for the Manager of the EPRR Team in their absence

To represent the Trust at NHS and multi-agency partnership meetings as required

To manage the design, implementation and validation of the Trust Business Continuity Management system

To chair the Trust Business Continuity Management Working Group

To implement and manage a system of audit for BCM for the Trust – to include project management, tender, and options appraisal.

As Chair of the IT and Communications sub group – provide the key liaison role with Innovate for the EPRR Team

To chair the Trust EPRR Working Group IT and Communications Subgroup

To ensure EPRR training and development opportunities are targeted and shared with relevant colleagues at all levels across the Trust including senior management

To provide advice and support to colleagues across the Trust in completion and review of incident response plans and procedures

Responsibility for Patient care

Provide Tactical level management and support to the development of systems to ensure continuity of clinical care during times of a Business Continuity, Critical or Major incident.

Incidental patient contact as part of daily duties where they might occasionally be required to assist and provide non-clinical advice / information to service users, eg, in a business continuity type incident.