CBI swine flu seminar - Steve Mellish - Preparing for and responding to the H1N1-09 outbreak

Preparing for and Responding to the H1N1-09 Outbreak Steve Mellish FBCI Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd. CBI/Marsh Swine Flu Seminar Friday 4 th September 2009

Agenda
Introduction
Background
Preparing for a Flu Pandemic
Responding to the H1N1-09 Outbreak
Lessons Learned …… so far
Preparing for autumn/winter
Conclusion

Introduction
850 stores (Main store and Convenience formats)
Online home deliveries
Sainsbury’s Bank
24 depots
150,000 employees
7,000 suppliers relationships
Approximately 19 million customer transactions per week
140 Years old this year!

Background
Business Continuity Management programme started in 1996
Fully embedded across the business due to:
Having Board level commitment
Approach taken is relevant and engaging
Right balance of risk and mitigation
Linked directly to company values
Proven to work when required!

The BCM ‘Life Cycle’ BS25999 - British Standard for Business Continuity Management understanding the organisation developing and implementing a BCM response exercising, maintenance and review determining BCM strategies BCM programme management

Preparing for a Flu Pandemic
Planning commenced in 2005 for H5N1
Close collaboration between business continuity and Company Medical Advisor
Main activities include:
Plan development
Plan and Teams’ rehearsals
Benchmarking
Procurement of some flu supplies
Liaison with external groups to ensure a consistent and ‘good practice’ approach

Preparing for a Flu Pandemic Operational Flu Pandemic Leadership Group Business Continuity Management Team Trading Supply Chain/ Logistics Retail HR Customer/ Communications IT Finance Strategic Tactical

Minimum colleague availability Maximum Colleague availability
Decision Support Tool
Stores
Shows the key tasks we would maintain in levels of priority depending on the number of colleagues available
Activities we absolutely MUST continue! Further activities that can be reduced and/or suspended Activities that can be suspended All activities below the red area would be less critical and labour would be redeployed, though it might not necessarily result in total suspension of all functions.

End-to-End Verification HR Trading Supply Chain Logistics Stores Commercial IT Finance Property Corp.Srvs

The BCMT was convened and has led the response by overseeing the deployment of the ‘Flu Pandemic’ BC Plan
Main activities to date include:
Information gathering and impact assessment
Tactical decision making
Plan reviews and updates based on revised assumptions
Colleague communications to raise awareness and keep things in perspective!

Some key actions and decisions made relating to:
Antivirals
Face masks
Hand Gels
‘ Bunker’ lists of products
Swine Flu FAQ’s
Absence recording & reporting
Remote working capabilities
Supplier communications

Lessons Learned ….. So far
Some of our key lessons learned so far include:
Having planned for it we have been responsive not (over) reactive
Company Medical Advisor involvement is highly recommended
Being consistent and timely in our communications
Maintain a close watch on developments
Focus on what we can do rather than what we can’t

Preparing for the autumn/winter
Assessing our plan against any change in the Government’s assumptions
Agree our ‘Trigger Points’ for taking action
Next ‘desktop’ exercise planned for late September
Reinforce the key messages
Further briefings for a regional managers
Monitor absence levels and spot trends
The BCMT remains on ‘High Alert’

Conclusion
Time and effort spent planning for a flu pandemic has been invaluable
Relatively low impact on the business to date
Planning and preparing for the autumn/winter increase is well underway
Good two-way internal communication is the key to success
Confident but not complacent

Thank You

CBI swine flu seminar - Steve Mellish - Preparing for and responding to the H1N1-09 outbreak

by Confederation of British Industry

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