An emergency exercise to test responses, procedures and processes once Walsall Healthcare’s new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (UECC) is up and running has been set for tomorrow (Thursday 2 February).

Members of the public are being reassured that the exercise forms part of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) programme. The NHS needs to plan for, and respond to, a wide range of incidents and emergencies that could affect health or patient care. Exercises such as this are a vital way of testing arrangements in place in the event of an emergency or incident.

Tomorrow’s exercise will focus on a mass casualty scenario and will involve staff from the Emergency Department and wider departments and services along with police and paramedic colleagues.

Volunteers of the Casualties Union will also be playing vital roles on the day.

Mark Hart, Head of EPRR, said: “The aim of the exercise is to ensure the new UECC is “fit for purpose” to manage a major incident but also to give us all the chance to test ourselves so that the planning, delivery and learning from this large-scale exercise better equips us all for the future.”

The exercise will take place between 9am and 2pm on Thursday and all healthcare services will run as usual throughout.

Mark added: “Members of the public may notice increased levels of activity in the vicinity of the new UECC and we urge them not to be concerned. We thank everyone for their support while this important exercise takes place.”