The BIOPICCC project is based on an academic research project, carried out in collaboration with a number of non-academic partners representing agencies and communities concerned with how to ensure continuity of care for older people during extreme weather events.
The older population is growing in numbers and extreme events are occurring now, so this is an urgent issue. Looking ahead, population trends and projections for future weather patterns suggest it will continue to be very important.
The BIOPICC project has developed in stages.
BIOPICCC was funded as a 3-year research project (November 2009 - October 2012) by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, within a major research network on Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing Climate. The project developed strategies to help ensure that the infrastructures and systems supporting the health and social care for older people (aged 65 and over) will be sufficiently resilient to withstand harmful impacts of climate change in the future, up to 2050.
The research was conducted by a multidisciplinary team, based at Durham University and Heriot-Watt University. The team had expertise in engineering, hazard modelling, social and geographical science and health and health care research.
The team worked in partnership with representatives of local communities and service agencies in two case study areas in England, and with national strategic agencies. The project is cited in the National Adaptation Plan 2013 and by the NHS Sustainability Unit.
The ‘first generation’ BIOPICCC toolkit, has now been updated in light of new information from Stages 2 and 3
With funding from the NERC-PURE Associates scheme, members of the team from Durham collaborated with Public Health England (PHE), to pilot a draft set of materials for use by Local Authorities and their partners concerned with continuity of care during extreme weather events (EWE).
Our research in stage 1 had shown that it can be challenging for local agencies to prioritise strategic planning on this issue and involve staff at all levels of the organization to prepare for such events.
We agreed with PHE a summary of key preparatory actions that are likely to build resilience to all types of extreme weather (heatwaves, floods, extreme cold). These were based on existing guidance from PHE and Defra, but were simplified as a single list of basic actions.
The draft advice was designed in a way that might be included in routine management and planning meetings, to minimize demands on limited time and resources. Also it could be adapted to local needs and conditions.
We tested the draft advice in discussion with local authority partners in three parts of Northern England. Key findings were:
- Across the case study areas much of the existing national advice and guidance was being considered, cascading information in the form of extreme weather protocols/severe weather plans though the local authorities. PHE guidance has helped adapt local practice for a more preventative and proactive approach, though some participants seemed not to be aware of some aspects of the existing PHE guidance on EWE preparedness.
- Participants thought there is a case for simplified, all-weather advice and guidance to be cascaded to practitioners working in health and social care systems. Some suggested that different types of alerts for different types of extreme weather events were confusing.
- It remains a challenge to compile, and make accessible, up to date ‘at risk’ registers of vulnerable groups including older people who are most at risk during extreme weather. Informal information sources remain important in identifying those most at risk.
- More could be done to involve service users and local communities in preparing for EWEs to help safeguard continuity of health and social care for groups such as older people. More use might be made of existing information sources for service users and their neighbours.
- The participants (some of whom were from rural areas) commented on the need for suitably adapted strategies in sparsely populated areas, different from those used in urban areas.
- Most of our information was collected from participants working at managerial level. There was interest in parts of our draft advice relating to those delivering health and social care. However, some senior adult social care managers questioned how far frontline staff have the capacity to embed awareness of EWE forward planning in their working practices, especially given the pressures resulting from public expenditure cuts.
With funding from Durham University Geography Department, members of the BIOPICCC team, together with Catherine Max Consulting (http://www.catherinemax.co.uk/) followed up with partners involved in the original BIOPICCC programme and also with contacts from other local authorities who had made use of the BIOPICCC toolkit in their work.
This involved two phases:
1) A telephone survey of local agencies using the toolkit, reported here.
A telephone survey was carried out in September 2015. It asked about longer term impacts of BIOPICCC and collected information from 7 local organizations who originally took part in the BIOPICCC project and/or had made use of the BIOPICCC toolkit after the project finished.
Key messages included:
2) A stakeholder event to share recent experience and new knowledge, reported here.
To access the BIOPICCC toolkit, please use the following link: BIOPICCC toolkit
For further information on the BIOPICCC toolkit, please contact Dr Jonathan Wistow