Business Continuity Management
Business continuity management (BCM) is a process that helps manage risks which may affect the smooth running of the ambulance service, ensuring continuity of critical functions in the event of a disruption and effective recovery afterwards.
Each department of the East of England Ambulance Service has business continuity plans linking to the Trust critical functions. The Trust business continuity manager ensures that plans are completed and designed to support the Trust as a whole regardless of the incident causing the interruption.
The process followed by the Trust complies with the requirements made in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 which requires category 1 responders to have plans in place to continue critical functions, as far as practicable during an emergency.
The Trust business continuity plans are aligned as far as practical with British Standard 25999.
The Trust recognises that regardless of taking measures to minimise the likelihood and impact of disruption where it can there will always be events outside of its control such as adverse weather, pandemics and supply failures as well as loss of buildings, power, communications and information technology. Departments have assessed the risk of such events on their activities. Plans are designed to reduce the impact of such disruptions and ensure a prioritised recovery should such an event incur.
The Trust reviews and exercises its plans annually.
In summary, the Trust is doing its best to ensure that it delivers emergency, urgent and out of hospital care to the people of the East of England whatever the emergency.
Further information about business continuity can be found at:
