Support and advice during major incidents affecting the population within the Lanarkshire area
A major incident is defined as any sudden, unexpected incident involving grief, loss or shock, which has the potential to interfere with an individual's ability to function either at the time or later.
A major incident in MIST terms can result from:
- an incident involving mass casualties within the Lanarkshire area
- an incident involving residents of North and South Lanarkshire but occurring elsewhere
- an incident occurring elsewhere in the world resulting in the evacuation of casualties or refugees to the UK
- a relatively minor incident involving only a few, or even a single casualty, but which affects a large number of people in the community; for example classmates of a child
About the team
MIST is drawn from the staff of both North and South Lanarkshire councils and from NHS Lanarkshire.
The role of MIST
- support to people involved in the incident and their families
- support to the wider public affected by the incident
- support of a short term nature
Support can be any or all of the following:
- practical assistance, for example accompanying a partner or family member to hospital, arranging assistance or transport
- information about what happens in particular situations and the role of other agencies
- advice including on benefits and who to contact for particular assistance
- guidance including being there for the victims and relatives, helping them through the immediate aftermath of an incident
MIST are not trained trauma counsellors and counselling is not one of their roles. This is a specialist area of activity and can be accessed through local GPs.
