FOI 25-226 Multi-Agency Exercises
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 25-226 Multi-Agency Exercises
- Request Date
- 27 May 2025
- Response Date
- 12 Jun 2025
- Information Requested
1. How many multi-agency exercises have been conducted by your organisation within the last 3 years (1st May 2022 to 30th April 2025 inclusive).
2. What proportion of these multi-agency exercises were:
i. Tabletop / Scenario Based
ii. Live Exercises
iii. Other (please state).
3. Please detail how post-exercise findings are fed back into the organisation and how any changes to policies and procedures are implemented as a result of this feedback.
4. What proportion of multi-agency exercises in the last 3 years:
i. Involved more than two CCA 2004 category one responder organisations (please detail) ii. Involved CCA 2004 category two responders (please detail) iii. Involved organisations from the voluntary and faith based sectors (please detail).
5. Please detail how the aims and objectives of the exercise are determined and communicated to the parties involved.- Response
- How many multi-agency exercises have been conducted by your organisation within the last 3 years (1st May 2022 to 30th April 2025 inclusive).
The Resilience team has planned, facilitated and/or attended/participated in 218 multi-agency exercises during 1st May 2022 – 30th April 2025
Important Information to Consider The information on multi-agency exercises is NOT held centrally for the Scottish Ambulance Service. The figure provided is for the Resilience Team within National Risk and Resilience Department (NRRD)who generally co-ordinate our input to multi-agency exercises. However, other business areas (such as clinical, EPDD, universities, Command Training, local regional activity & SMARTEU) may also participate in other such exercises which are not recorded.
- What proportion of these multi-agency exercises were:i. Tabletop / Scenario Basedii. Live Exercises iii. Other (please state).
Of the 218 exercises referred to in Q1, 119 were Tabletop/scenario based, 72 were live exercises and 17 others (hybrid or workshop type discussions)
- Please detail how post-exercise findings are fed back into the organisation and how any changes to policies and procedures are implemented as a result of this feedback.
Any significant issues/learning would be discussed internally and if appropriate, escalated to Resilience Committee. The Scottish Ambulance Service has recently approved the establishment of an Exercising and Learning Group which will help co-ordinate the learning from exercises.
- What proportion of multi-agency exercises in the last 3 years:i. Involved more than two CCA 2004 category one responder organisations (please detail) ii. Involved CCA 2004 category two responders (please detail) iii. Involved organisations from the voluntary and faith-based sectors (please detail).
- Of the 218 exercises referred to in Q1, 215 exercises included at least 2 CCA Cat 1 responder organisations. Whilst we engage with a range of partners which would include local authorities, SEPA, Territorial Health Boards, MCA etc, it would predominantly be Police Scotland & Scottish Fire & Rescue Service
- Although we do not routinely track this data, it is estimated that just over 50% of these exercises referred to would involve CCA Cat 2 responders
- We do not routinely track this data. However, through Local Resilience Partnership (LRP) exercises, there has been an involvement of third sector providers such as St Andrews First Aid, British Red Cross, 4x4 voluntary organisations etc.
- Please detail how the aims and objectives of the exercise are determined and communicated to the parties involved.
Exercises are planned collaboratively, so the associated aims and objectives are determined by the involvement of the multi-agency planning team. The aims and objectives are generally communicated to participants of the exercise through joining instructions provided by the multi-agency planning team. Alternatively, these can be cascaded via an internal briefing
