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National Capabilities Survey, 2008

The National Capabilities Survey NCS was launched in January 2008. The survey is part of the Government's programme to make the country more resilient to disruptive events. Conducted every other year, it provides an up to date picture of preparedness, and helps plan improvements.

Background

Aims and Objectives

The NCS provides an assessment of current levels of national resilience to inform national policies and prioritisation of investment in resilience. It will do so by gathering information from a wide range of resilience stakeholders, in several different sectors and at all levels of resilience planning.

The survey plays a key role in assessing the UK's readiness to respond to a range of assessed risks, be they terrorist attacks or natural hazards such as flooding. The results of the survey help to improve our understanding of national preparedness and inform priorities for future investment, exercises and policy development.

Approach

The NCS has been developed by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in collaboration with Lead Government Departments.

A range of questionnaires are issued, each tailored to their intended audience and designed with the aim of collecting specific information relating to capabilities. The survey is carried out every two years to ensure that we continue to improve our preparedness on the basis of up to date information.

2008 NCS Overview

The 2008 exercise was broader and more comprehensive in its scope, covering three strands:

• Local response: questionnaires were issued to over 900 groups of Category 1 responders under the Civil Contingencies Act. There was, overall, a 95% response to the survey which asked questions about a range of 'capabilities' relevant to local responders' responsibilities for emergency planning and response.
• Organisations providing essential services (including for example gas, electricity and water supplies) were asked questions concerning their ability to maintain business continuity in the event of disruptive events. Overall there was a 76% response to the Survey.
• Questionnaires were sent to the nine regional government offices in England and the Welsh Assembly Government. Also government departments with a leading role in the event of a crisis, or who need a crisis management capability, were asked about their planning, business continuity arrangements and functional capabilities.

The survey results are treated in confidence and have been used by the government to inform resilience planning.

• Results suggest an overall increase in planning activity across all sectors taking part in the 2008 NCS. Generally, the findings show an upward trend in generic resilience although it identifies scope to develop engagement between organisations at the local level. More specifically, the results suggest:
  1. There have been improvements in the planning for a human Influenza Pandemic, which parallels the programme of work currently underway to develop multi-agency LRF plans, to share best practise and to close any remaining gaps.
  2. Humanitarian Assistance appears more embedded in the work of various agencies. In comparison to the NCS 2006, there has been significant improvement in the levels of planning and preparedness with many respondents improving the provision made over the last two years.
  3. On flooding, the survey results show that emergency planning in the community has made much progress in the past two years. But the 2007 summer floods and the subsequent review work have shown the need to embed lessons learned through further improving emergency planning for flooding, improved guidance and stronger definitions of roles and responsibilities.
  4. The NCS results provide positive confirmation that recovery from a crisis is increasingly becoming an integral part of emergency planning, and that this is being supported by the National Recovery Guidance, published in October 2007
  5. Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) arrangements show increased planning and exercising of the capability reflecting the roll out of the New Dimensions programme in England and Wales.
  6. The NCS results suggest that the capacity to evacuate and shelter has improved since 2006. Greater training and exercising and the strengthening of mutual aid arrangements at local and regional level will allow this capability to develop further.
  7. The findings show an upward trend in business continuity activity amongst survey respondents, but there is still more to be done particularly in relation to the exercising of specific plans.
  8. A wide range of information for the public on preparing for an emergency is now available on the websites of local responders. All LRFs are using websites to deliver information and they are also using a range of other means of communications, including meetings and leaflets. Organisations have been active in ensuring that the plans they develop are regularly reviewed.

2006 Capabilities Survey >>

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