| 11 June 2026
In March 2026, staff at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust took part in a crisis communications training exercise designed to test how they would respond under pressure.
The session brought together scenario-based activity, group decision-making and mock media interviews, giving participants the opportunity to apply their roles in a realistic setting. It was also explicitly linked to national expectations around emergency preparedness, including the requirement to effectively warn, inform and advise communities during incidents.
While focused on crisis communications, the exercise provides a clear example of how the Trust is using the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Resilience and Emergencies in practice, not as a standalone resource, but as something embedded in how people are trained and prepared for their roles.
Aligning the NOS to roles and training
At the core of the Trust’s approach is a deliberate shift to align the NOS directly with the roles responsible for incident response. This includes resilience practitioners, as well as operational, tactical and strategic commanders. By linking the NOS to these roles, expectations are clearer, grounding them in the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to perform the role effectively.
This is reinforced through how training is designed and delivered. Rather than treating the NOS as a reference point, they are used to shape development activity from the outset.
A training needs analysis and gap analysis against the NOS provided a baseline. From there, training was aligned to address identified gaps, ensuring consistency across different roles and levels of responsibility.
Rather than introducing the NOS in isolation, the Trust is also using the Level 6 Resilience and Emergency Practitioner Apprenticeship and NHS England Core Standards for Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response as part of its wider approach. This helps connect roles, training and national standards in a more practical way.
A key part of this is how the NOS are built into each training intervention. The relevant competencies are mapped to the session content and shared with participants upfront, including within joining instructions and at the outset of the training. This makes it clear how the training links to the standards and what individuals are expected to demonstrate in practice.
The crisis communications exercise reflects this approach. It was designed not just to test plans, but to build capability aligned to the NOS, requiring participants to apply their roles, make decisions, and communicate under pressure.
The impact so far
An important outcome of using the NOS in this way has been a stronger focus on competence. There is a clearer understanding among those involved in incident response of the need to demonstrate capability in line with their roles, particularly in light of learning from recent and historic post-incident reports and inquiries.
This has led to improved engagement and a better understanding of expectations. Those with a role in responding to incidents are more aware of the need to evidence that they are suitably qualified and experienced, in line with the NOS.
The standards also provide a practical foundation for designing training and exercising. Used in this way, they reinforce the importance of capability across all stages of emergency preparedness, response and recovery, ensuring that staff are not only aware of the standards, but able to apply them in practice.
To find out more about the National Occupational Standards for Resilience and Emergencies, visit skillsforhealth.org.uk/nos-for-resilience-and-emergencies/
For organisations interested in scenario-based training and exercising, our Scenario Informed Resilience Assessment offers a structured way to explore capability and support preparedness.