SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ADVISORY CELL (STAC) – GETTING TIMELY PUBLIC HEALTH ADVICE TO MULTI-AGENCY FRONTLINE RESPONDERSQ

摘要

This presentation outlines the arrangements for convening a Scientific and Technical Advisory Cell (STAC) and the central co-ordinating role that the Health Protection Agency can take in this process. STAC is part of the command and control structure for major incident response in the UK (figure 1). The presentation also reflects on recent experiences of the authors as part of the first national STAC, which was convened to support the frontline response to the July 2007 floods, lessons learned from this experience, and progress with their implementation.