UK Covid-19 Inquiry - Module 1 report: Scottish Government response

4. A UK-Wide Strategy

Recommendation Four – A UK-wide whole-system civil emergency strategy

Chair’s recommendation:

The UK Government and devolved governments should together introduce a UK-wide whole-system civil emergency strategy (which includes pandemics) to prevent each emergency and also to reduce, control and mitigate its effects.

As a minimum, the strategy should:

• Be adaptable;
• Include sections dedicated to each potential whole-system civil emergency – for example, one on pandemics with a clear explanation of the roles and responsibilities of the UK Government, devolved governments and their departments/directorates as well as local responders
• Consider a wide range of potential scenarios for each type of emergency;
• Identify the key issues and set out a range of potential responses
• Identify how the strategy is to be applied to ensure that any potential responses are proportionate to the particular circumstances of the emergency
• Include an assessment in the short, medium and long term, based on published modelling, of the potential health, social and economic impacts of the emergency and of potential responses to the emergency on the population and, in particular, on vulnerable people and
• Include an assessment of the infrastructure, technology and skills the UK needs to respond effectively to the emergency and how those needs might change for different scenarios.

The strategy should be subject to a substantive reassessment at least every three years to ensure that it is up to date and effective, incorporating lessons learned between reassessments.

Scottish Government response:

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation in principle. We recognise the importance of having preparations in place to prevent whole system civil emergencies and to reduce, control and mitigate their effects should they occur. We agree that there is a benefit in working together with the UK Government and devolved governments, and therefore, we are working with four nations counterparts on a four nations Concept of Operations (ConOps) and an exercise plan for UK-wide whole system civil emergencies, that will deliver the substantial points raised in this recommendation.

Whole system civil emergencies can have significant impacts on our country. We agree that it is important to clearly establish and set out the roles and responsibilities of those involved in emergency management during whole system civil emergencies. Emergencies can often occur with little or no warning, and so we welcome this opportunity to define and communicate our position on aspects of our emergency preparations.

Dealing with whole system civil emergencies, whether foreseen or unforeseen, requires a flexible and adaptive approach. Preparing Scotland, our suite of national guidance documents, is available for use by organisations involved in resilience and emergency preparedness. It seeks to provide a common philosophy which underpins our approach to resilience, while still providing flexibility to enable Scotland to respond to new hazards and threats, known as Integrated Emergency Management (IEM). IEM supports the development of flexible and adaptable arrangements to support the response to emergencies, irrespective of the scenario.

One example of a flexible arrangements is a Concept of Operations, or ConOps, a document which sets out arrangements in relation to emergencies and provides an opportunity to agree roles and responsibilities in advance of emergencies regardless of the scenario.

To achieve this recommendation in principle, we have committed to working on a four nations basis to introduce a shared ConOps, rather than a Strategy, as this is compatible with the well-established, well-utilised concept of IEM. The introduction of a four nations ConOps will establish and communicate the handling of civil emergencies whilst still allowing room for adjusting these plans for each emergency, as the impacts of these events can vary greatly between each occurrence.

Producing the ConOps on a four nations basis will allow knowledge exchange between all nations, resulting in a well informed and considered document. The four nations aspect will ensure a consistent approach across the UK, providing clarity to categorised (under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004) and non-categorised responders on their role in emergency preparedness.

To ensure the ConOps remains an accurate, reliable document, we are also committing to participating fully in the National Exercise Plan for Tier 1 exercises to help identify the possible gaps in planning and preparations for whole system civil emergencies (as discussed later in reference to Recommendation Six). This will allow us to address these gaps and incorporate updated preparations into the ConOps. The exercises will cover a multitude of risks and will identify lessons which are applicable across a range of scenarios. The combination of a four nations ConOps and exercise plan will ensure that our preparations for whole system civil emergencies are continuously improved.

The Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) is also developing a new ConOps to ensure that it delivers its functions according to clear and agreed policies and procedures and plays its part in facilitating an effective the Scottish Government response to a wide range of civil contingencies emergencies.

The SGoRR ConOps clearly sets out SGoRR’s role in the Scottish Government’s response to civil contingencies emergencies. Further, it sets out how SGoRR works with internal and external partners, including the UK Government and categorised responders.

As work on the SGoRR ConOps progresses, additional plans for emergencies that require deviations from or additions to the standard operating procedures will be developed. In line with our continuous improvement approach to risk assessment, the development of associated plans will be conducted on an iterative basis. As part of this work, the SGoRR Secretariat will engage on an ongoing basis with relevant stakeholders such as the UK Government and categorised responders to ensure roles and responsibilities are clear and agreed.

The Scottish Government is committed to putting measures in place to enable support to reach vulnerable people during emergencies. The Scottish Government actively supports partners in the development of the Persons at Risk Distribution (PARD) resource which enables the swift identification of, and support to, those most at risk during an incident.

Accountable Officer:

The Director General for Strategy and External Affairs, working with the Civil Contingencies Division within the Scottish Government will be accountable for the implementation of the Scottish elements of this recommendation.

Implementation timescales:

• A first version of the core ConOps for SGoRR will be completed by end of July 2025. It will subsequently be subject to regular reviews and adaptations to ensure continued fitness for purpose and additions of scenario-specific plans developed with consideration of the risk landscape.