Swine Flu Advice – Information for Heads of Department
This page outlines the communications protocol relating to swine flu. The University is required to work in close collaboration with a number of different agencies, and it is most important that all our communications are managed within this consistent framework.
Heads should familiarise themselves with, and follow, the protocol below when receiving any reports of cases of swine flu and when communicating about the situation.
1. Staff
If a member of staff reports that they have swine flu, please send their details to swineflu@shef.ac.uk. This is a confidential email address managed by the Occupational Health Service.
Please include the following details if you have them: name, job title, department, current contact details (e.g. home and/or mobile phone number), plus any details given about treatment or contact with GP/health professionals.
Please also seek any employment advice from your HR Adviser.
2. Students
If a student reports that they have swine flu, please send their details to the University Health Service (health.service@shef.ac.uk). Please include the following details if you have them: name, department, current contact details (e.g. home and/or mobile phone number), plus any details given about treatment or contact with GP/health professionals.
3. Sending out information about a case of swine flu
There may be a need to inform colleagues, students and close contacts about any reported cases. When there is a confirmed case of swine flu, the University needs to work closely with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in agreeing how and when this should be communicated and what advice should be given. The HPA will have been alerted automatically when the case was confirmed and the University will be in close contact.
In order to ensure the correct flow of information, and unless advised to do otherwise, please do not send departmental emails or announces until these have been cleared with our Communications Team via Carrie Warr (c.warr@shef.ac.uk, ext 28017).
Colleagues and contacts should follow the advice on this website, which has links to official HPA and NHS advice. The web pages above will contain the most up to date advice for staff and students.
4. Sending out advice, information about plans and preparations etc.
Advice and information for both staff and students is given at this site (http://www.shef.ac.uk/swineflu) and links to official advice from the HPA and NHS are clearly signposted from those pages. Please point people to these sources, rather than giving interpreted advice directly. If you believe there is extra advice that should be included, please email the swineflu@shef.ac.uk address.
Some faculties and departments are well advanced with plans for business continuity and these should be actioned by the Head of Department or relevant manager. If in any doubt, please contact any of the following:
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