Concern over flu pandemic preparations

Over half (56%) of hospital doctors and GPs also said they had not received any information from their NHS trust or the Department of Health on dealing with a pandemic. Of the 44% who had been given information, only 10% said it was very useful while 64% found it moderately useful.

Just one in five doctors felt the Government was moderately well or very well prepared for a pandemic, while 35% said they were indifferent about the state of preparedness. The study of 1,061 doctors was carried out for Hospital Doctor magazine.

When it came to their own levels of preparation, only 22% believed they were very well or moderately well prepared, while 37% said they were badly or very badly prepared. Half (54%) had read appropriate clinical guidelines, but a quarter said they had not prepared and needed to do more.

There are fears that a mutation in the bird flu virus could trigger a flu pandemic across the world with huge implications for healthcare and the economy. In the worst case, around a quarter of the UK population could be affected, with the number of estimated deaths in England and Wales being put at anywhere between 50,000 and 750,000.

Flu pandemics have occurred sporadically throughout history, with three in the last 100 years. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that a new flu pandemic is both "inevitable" and "imminent".

'Better prepared'

The Government's National Director of Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, Professor Lindsey Davies, told the 'Pandemic Flu Conference' in central London yesterday that the UK was relatively well prepared.

She said: "The plain fact is that we are already one of the better prepared countries in the world." She claimed it was possible to get the impact of pandemic flu down to the level of a bad seasonal flu outbreak.

She added: "We have an opportunity to really get ahead of this. If we think carefully and act sensibly, we may be able to do things to mitigate the impact."

Professor Davies admitted that it was not yet known if antivirals would be effective and it would be unlikely that a vaccine would be available for the first wave of pandemic flu in the UK due to the time it would take manufacture after identifying the flu strain. Antivirals, of which more than 14 million treatment courses are being stockpiled in the UK, were "not a panacea", she added.

She went on to say that public health measures such as good hygiene and the use of masks among health workers would provide a good defence. However, she said it was "highly, highly unlikely" that there would be mandatory restrictions on travel in the event of an outbreak, although people may be advised to avoid large crowds and only take essential journeys.

Information leaflets

A Department of Health spokesman said: "We have asked every PCT (Primary Care Trust) and hospital trust in the country to draw up a local contingency plan - setting out how they would respond in the event of a flu pandemic.

"An information pack has been sent to every GP practice in the country - to help them answer patients worries about pandemic flu. We have also developed a range of information leaflets for health professionals and members of public advising them about pandemic flu. This is supplemented by information available on the Department of Health website."

He said it was vital that doctors kept up to date with developments in pandemic flu planning locally, nationally and internationally.

Earlier this month it emerged that the annual market wide business continuity exercise, led by the Tripartite UK financial authorities (HM Treasury, the FSA and the Bank of England), would assess the preparedness of the financial services sector to manage a flu pandemic.

The exercise will run from 13 October to 24 November, with a report expected early next year.