GENERAL PRACTICE EMERGENCY PLAN QUICK LINK
COMMUNITY PHARMACY EMERGENCY PLAN QUICK LINK

Plan & Prepare

 

First Things First

  • Appoint a ‘lead’ emergency planner in the team or assign responsibilities for aspects of your facility’s health and safety.
  • Identify the emergencies you might need to plan for and discuss with your team the risks or hazards that are most relevant to your practice.
  • Find where your mains water is connected, where your electricity control box is, and where your gas shutoff valve is (if you have one); make sure your team knows where these are.
  • Complete your emergency plan and put it with your emergency kit (include a copy of your building and floor plan).
  • Draw up your emergency evacuation plan and post it where it’s visible.
  • Identify how emergency procedures will be tested; running emergency drills, debriefs.
  • Do you have sufficient medical supplies?
  • Getting an electrician in to plumb an outside power connection will be very useful if you need to connect an external power source like a generator.

As a business owner, you have a legal duty of care to your staff, including caring for them during and after emergencies. You can find helpful advice at the Get Ready website: Get your work ready for an emergency — Get Ready (NZ Civil Defence) — Emergency preparedness in New Zealand

 

Business Continuity Planning

In addition to an Emergency Plan, your business should have a Business Continuity Plan (BCP). BCPs focus on maintaining essential business functions during and after a disruption, while an Emergency Plan is concerned with the immediate response to incidents to minimise harm. Both plans are a key part of building your business resilience and are required to meet Foundation Standards (section 14.2).

 

Local Emergency Groups (LEGs)

Several years ago we visited practices and pharmacies to talk about the ‘LEG’ concept – Local Emergency Group. Every general practice and community pharmacy are grouped in geographically appropriate groups across the region. The intention is these LEGs will work together in an emergency to look after their communities. Do you have contact details for nearby healthcare facilities? What is your relationship with neighbouring practices and pharmacies? Get in touch with us at CPRG to find out which LEG you are in.