Pandemic Flu Policy

The actions described in this plan will be triggered when Alert Level 4 is declared by HM Government: 'widespread pandemic flu across the UK'. It is anticipated that Alert Level 4 will trigger the University of Oxford to halt lectures and examinations since these will be considered major causes of cross-infection. At this juncture, the Master of Balliol will trigger the implementation of the College’s Flu Plan:

1. All tutorials will be cancelled.
2. All students who can go home will be sent home; however, students from abroad may not be able to travel and some physically and socially isolated students living out may need to be brought into College.
3. All communal activities cease: Hall, Buttery, Pantry, JCR, JCR Bar, MCR Bar, MCR, SCR, and Library will close.
4. Balliol, Trinity, and St John’s will be 'buddy' colleges with their College Nurses and domestic staff assisting each other.
5. Only those students unable to return home for reasons of distance, family, or their own severe illness are permitted to remain in their rooms.
6. Staff with flu will be instructed to remain at home. In addition, some staff will have caring duties, of children or other relatives that may prevent them from coming to work, especially if schools close.
7. Housekeeping staff will cease cleaning rooms but will concentrate on removing rubbish (e.g. used tissues) and on cleaning the communal areas which flu victims will have to continue using in College: bathrooms and kitchenettes, especially hard surfaces and door handles and door edges which will be major sources of contamination. Appropriate training must be given and personal protective equipment must be worn and used.
8. All residents will be instructed to log into their computers every day. The I.T. Department will monitor log-ins and alert the Lodge to telephone any students not logging in. Software will be used to log activity and a lack of activity will provoke a telephone call and a visit from a volunteer (a graduate officer or a medical student who will assess the victim against a check-list) who will alert the College Nurse and the College Doctor if required. Students without a PC in their bedrooms will need to e-mail daily from one of the public access terminals in the Computer Rooms – again, an absence of contact will trigger an investigatory visit. If the two members of the I.T. Department both fall ill simultaneously then help will be sought from the I.T. Departments at our buddy colleges, and vice versa. If I.T. systems fail, it may be necessary to have a team of people knocking on the doors of everyone living in College, every day, to ask them if they are alright, making an assessment of their needs, calling for further medical help (if necessary) and also distributing supplies (tissues, medication, food, etc.).
9. Frozen ready meals, reheated in microwaves, and bottled water may need to be supplied to flu victims. Once Alert Level 4 is announced, these items should be stockpiled.
10. I.T. will be used to communicate the number and severity of flu cases to College Doctors in order that decisions may be made regarding the downgrading/upgrading of the Pandemic Flu Alert and the summoning of students back to Oxford.

The following preparations need to be made now in readiness for the implementation of the Flu Plan:

1. The College must ensure that every student is registered with the College Doctor or other General Practice in Oxford: this information will be recorded on the Record Cards held in Porters’ Lodge and in the College Office database. Failure to register with a doctor is now a decanal offence by the terms of the College Handbook.
2. As a matter of routine, students will be encouraged to bring with them their own thermometer and supply of paracetamol or ibuprofen. They can be given general advice on how to prevent the spread of flu (use and disposal of tissues, staying out of circulation, etc.), and how to be a flu ‘buddy’ – i.e. in effect, everyone keeping an awareness of flu amongst friends and colleagues.
3. General infection control training must be provided to Housekeeping Staff annually. First Aid training should include a section on flu.
4. Adequate volumes of PPE and other medical supplies must be held in stock (alcohol hand rub, aprons, masks, etc.). The Nurse is purchasing an oxygen saturation meter.
5. The I.T. systems must be tested.
6. The College Pandemic Flu Committee will meet at least annually, chaired by the Master. The Committee should include the College Nurse, the Dean, the Praefectus, the Domestic Bursar, Senior Tutor, I.T. Manager, the Accommodation Manager, the JCR President, the MCR President and the JCR and MCR Welfare Officers.
7. The Pandemic Flu Plan should be reviewed annually.

Written by Carl Woodall, then Domestic Bursar, in consultation with Douglas Dupree, Dean, and Alison Nicholls, College Nurse. Approved by Executive Committee on 23 January 2008.