Health Emergency Response
Who is CPRG
Canterbury Primary Response Group (CPRG) is a collaborative group of health professionals and provider organisations tasked by Te Whatu Ora Health NZ to lead the Waitaha Canterbury district’s primary care emergency planning, response and recovery. CPRG meets regularly and issues updates to primary care providers as well as communicates with Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury, Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) and other relevant organisations in Canterbury.
A Canterbury-wide health response was planned in 2005 when the district turned its attention to the Avian Influenza threat. This was exercised in full when H1N1 Swine Flu arrived in New Zealand in late April 2009. Dr Phil Schroeder, Kelly Robertson and the team led the primary health response in Canterbury where there was widespread use of flu centres (Community-based Assessment Centres, or CBACs) to both treat and protect the Canterbury population.
In 2010 it was recognized that further emergency planning was required for primary health to be of help in the event of other emergencies or natural disasters. Dr Schroeder and the Canterbury Primary Response Group were called to lead the primary health response and recovery following the February 22, 2011 earthquake that devastated Christchurch.
Since then CPRG has managed many other emergency events and led the development of a comprehensive set of plans that would be implemented in the event of a future emergency and to help coordinate a whole-of-health response should it be required. The CPRG Emergency Plan can be found here. An A4 flyer presenting the CPRG organisation can be found here.
Our aim
CPRG’s aim:
- To support Canterbury general practice and community pharmacy to continue to provide healthcare services to their communities during and after emergency events.
This will be achieved by:
- Promoting readiness, resilience and recovery planning to minimise the impact of an emergency event affecting primary healthcare.
- Monitoring the hazardscape and communicating potential risks to primary healthcare providers and key partners.
- Establishing a collaborative and coordinated emergency primary health care response, contributing to a whole-of-health emergency response.
- Considering equity to drive every aspect of support to primary healthcare, including delivery of emergency services and maintenance of essential business-as-usual services during emergency and recovery periods.
The CPRG team
Canterbury Primary Response Group consists of a core group of clinicians and managers to support the planning and implementation of an emergency response in Canterbury. In an emergency event, the wider Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) may be activated. The EOC is supported by Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury, Pegasus Health, Waitaha Primary Health PHO, and Christchurch PHO.
Martin Carrell
Emergency Management Manager
Martin has been working in primary care emergency planning and response for several years. His role in CPRG evolved out of the COVID-19 response where he was Logistics manager. He led the establishment of COVID testing clinics and participated in all aspects of the COVID response in the region. The role supports planning by CPRG and facilitates interaction between CPRG, the EOC site, Christchurch, Pegasus and Waitaha Primary Health PHOs, and Te Whatu Ora Waitaha, bringing a vital primary care perspective to emergency planning and response.
Dr Justin Fletcher
GP Clinical Lead
Justin Fletcher is a general practitioner with a developing interest in emergency response. Justin joined CPRG at the beginning of 2022 after becoming involved in the COVID-19 response while working at community testing centres from early 2020. He is a member of the COVID Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and provides a primary and community perspective to emergency planning and response. He continues to combine his role as clinical lead with an ongoing position in a general practice clinic.
Dr Kim Burgess
GP Clinical Lead
Kim Burgess has a long connection with CPRG, having been part of emergency planning and responses since before the Christchurch earthquakes. Kim has an interest in population health and continues to combine her role as clinical lead with general practice.
Deb Hart
Pharmacy Advisor
Deb is a liaison pharmacist with CPRG, Pegasus and the Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group, an organization tasked with developing and delivering enhanced pharmacy services in the community.
Bill Eschenbach
Rural Liaison
Bill provides a strong rural perspective to CPRG. As Chief Executive of Waitaha Primary Health PHO, Bill has extensive emergency planning, response and recovery experience. He brings strong cross-system linkages and rural primary care knowledge.
What – or who – is the Primary Emergency Operations Centre (EOC)?
CPRG is responsible for activating, or assembling, the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), which is the team of people on the end of the emails and phones whose aim is to help make sure general practice and community pharmacy are able to look after their patients in an emergency event.
What is an emergency? A health emergency may be a natural or man-made event that suddenly or significantly disrupts the care and treatment of patients; or changes or increases demand for an organisation’s services. It may have no warning, such as an earthquake, or come with prior warning, e.g. a pandemic.
The Primary EOC sits within a structure of other EOCs (such as Hillmorton Hospital, Christchurch Hospital, etc.), under the umbrella of Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC), all with the objective of managing the emergency response for the Canterbury health system. EOCs are based on the Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS). More information on CIMS can be found here: https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/resources/coordinated-incident-management-system-cims-third-edition/
The Primary EOC structure for the COVID-19 response was:
CPRG Forums