Department of Health

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6. The threat from terrorism

The deliberate release of infectious agents to cause harm to a population or to the troops of a military opponent has been the subject of extensive discussion, analysis and scientific papers over several years.

Photo of a man in protective clothing

The agents that have been most extensively studied and used in scenario plans include anthrax, botulism, bubonic plague and smallpox. It is thought that these have the highest priority because of their ability to be spread rapidly or cause high mortality. Contingency planning has existed for many years.

Expert analysis in the past has suggested that manufacture of such agents is straightforward but that producing them in a form which would harm large numbers of people would be technically more difficult. However, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington DC - and the subsequent cases of anthrax amongst office and postal workers in the US during the autumn of 2001 - have led to a revision of previous assumptions.

The possibility of a much more extensive terrorist operation, the absence of a specific warning, the deployment of terrorists who have no fear for their personal safety or survival, and the use of multiple simultaneous points of attack must now form part of the planning for countermeasures to protect the health of the population against deliberate release.

Emergency Planning Coordination Unit

An Emergency Planning Coordination Unit (EPCU) within the Department of Health is responsible for the coordination of contingency planning to maintain the state of readiness of the National Health Service to respond to major incidents. EPCU has been in existence for at least 10 years. The unit links in with emergency planning activity across Government and more widely through the EU, NATO and other organisations.

Part of this role includes the health responses to dealing with a terrorist threat or actual attack. EPCU provides information to the Home Office, which co-ordinates efforts against terrorism. Since the events of 11 September 2001 there has been a much greater emphasis on this work.

EPCU is working to ensure that emergency planning arrangements continue to work effectively in the recently restructured NHS. This includes assisting primary care trusts in undertaking their new responsibilities for emergency planning. EPCU works closely with the new Health Protection Agency, which also has a health emergency planning function.

Ongoing Progress

  • Consolidated guidance to the NHS on terrorist incidents including dealing with the deliberate release of chemical or biological agents.
  • Personal protective equipment and decontamination units for dealing with chemical incidents have been made available to NHS Trusts.
  • The Department of Health's emergency plans have been updated to ensure that they link into cross government emergency response arrangements.

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