NHS Resilience Emergency
Capabilities Unit
The NHS Resilience Emergency Capabilities Unit (ECU) is a service specified by NHS England and delivered through a contract between NHS England and an NHS Ambulance Service acting as the host organisation.
The ECU is commissioned to coordinate a set of pre-hospital emergency capabilities across English NHS Ambulance Trusts and support improvements to casualty management during complex incidents.
ECU’s key performance indicators
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are agreed under the contract and each year a detailed work programme is set by NHS England for national delivery under the contract.
The contract, its KPIs, and the work programme combined represent the ECU’s NHS commission.
The current NHS specified pre-hospital emergency capabilities include:
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN)
- High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID).
- Marauding Terrorist Attack (MTA)
- Conventional Rescue (safe working at height, confined space, water rescue)
- Mass Casualties
These capabilities and their mitigation of risks within the UK National Risk Register define the remit of the ECU’s work.
