At DHU Healthcare we like to introduce to the different roles and responsibilities that come together to provide the quality, compassionate care that we offer our patients.
Today, we would like to introduce you to Stuart Holman who is our Business Continuity and EPRR (Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response) Lead, helping to ensure that DHU can continue to deliver their patient care services even in the event of a business disruption or a regional or national emergency.
We caught up with Stuart to find out more about his role; here’s what he told us:
“My background is in policing and security, serving for 17 years in the RAF before leaving to work as a Security Analyst on the London Congestion Charging Scheme. I was responsible for implementing BS7799, the forerunner to today's ISO 27001. This included a position as Security Analyst for the London Congestion Charge Scheme introducing the forerunner for the ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) standards to the project. I then spent some time at the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston working as the security lead on a number of projects before moving into the private sector.
“Eventually, I found myself working for Pinkerton Global Risk Management and spent three and a half years embedded with the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu in Saudi Arabia, where I lived and worked until my return to the UK in the spring of 2022. It was during the latter stages of this contract that I received my first introduction to the healthcare sector, when I supported a project within the Royal Commission Hospital; it reignited my interest in business continuity, emergency planning and crisis management, so much so that when I got back to the UK, I successfully applied for the role of Emergency Planning Support Officer with Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The rest, as they say, is history. I've now been with DHU for two months and really enjoying my new role.
“Continue essential patient services during a major incident”
“EPRR is an essential part of any organisation, particularly one that is at the forefront of providing life-saving services at all times, regardless of any given circumstance. A national or regional emergency refers to any event with the potential to affect an organisation’s ability to deliver their service effectively. In the case of health services, this can be severe weather, a terrorist incident, something that has caused large scale injury or illness such as a major motorway accident, a chemical incident, pandemic or something internal such as severe pressure on services or a surge in demand.
“We have to have plans and processes in place to assure NHS England that we can continue to operate effectively and provide our essential patient services during a major incident. It is a guarantee that our plans are robust and tested thoroughly; last year we met an impressive 53 of the 55 standards ensuring we are 96%, or ‘substantially’, compliant. In the case of the ISO standards, there is work to do to maintain them, particularly with changes coming into place last December, but I am encouraged with the work we have done and continue to do.
“We need to be flexible”
“There are further challenges for us, including creating space for ourselves within our plans to develop creative solutions. It was Eisenhauer who said, ‘Having a plan is useless but planning is essential’; by that he meant that you have to have the flexibility to be able to deviate from a plan when scenarios unfold that you inevitably haven’t planned for.
“I’ve not been here very long, just a few months, but I have been very impressed with DHU as an organisation. From my interview which included Chief Executive Stephen Bateman and Managing Director of DHU 111 Pauline Hand, I’ve found it a very positive experience. I’ve worked in the private sector and never met the CEO at the door before this and that’s continued into my role. The open-door policy is exactly that, reporting directly which shows collaboration and candour that makes my job so much more straightforward.”