North West Hospital and Health Services’ health delivery and service management has been fortified against future natural disasters or emergencies following the launch of a new Disaster and Emergency Incident Plan (displan).

Delivering services to 12 facilities covering more than 300,000 square kilometres of remote land, Health Service Chief Executive Sean Birgan said it was imperative that plans were in place to navigate any future disasters to ensure minimal disruptions to health care delivery across the region. 

“This plan and associated arrangements are used in the leadership and management of any disaster impacting or potentially impacting anywhere in the North West HHS area. It is very reassuring to have an updated and contemporary plan for the entirety of the health service,” Mr Birgan said. 

“The plan has been re-written after the Covid 19 pandemic and includes lessons learned throughout this period. The displan is an important document that enables us to keep all our staff safe whilst we deliver high quality health service to our community during times of disaster.” 

North West HHS Manager of Emergency Preparedness James Gustus said the completion of the displan was reliant on a consultative process involving staff and using lessons learned from previous disasters including the early 2023 Gulf Country floods. 

“Having such significant disaster in our HHS service area recently provides for many learning and development opportunities. Our organisation has learned so many things from these events, which are now reflected in the plan,” Mr Gustus said.

 “Importantly, this plan has been prepared by a planning committee comprising multiple stakeholders who have significant roles in disaster management operations, and like every good plan, this one will be reviewed from time to time to ensure it stays comprehensive and effective as we identify other risks through experience and analysis.”