Emergency Management Policy

Applicable to: This Policy is applicable to all Health Services Providers.

Description: The purpose of this Policy is to set minimum standards required to ensure that a clear, consistent and comprehensive approach to emergency management is undertaken across the WA health system. The Policy requires that Health Service Providers have arrangements in place to respond appropriately in an Emergency.

The number, scale, and complexity of emergencies requires that the WA health system have robust and integrated emergency management arrangements in place to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from, emergencies, disasters and other disruptive events.

To facilitate this, pursuant to section 24 of the Health Services Act 2016, the Director General has delegated power to issue directions under section 28(1)(a) of the Health Services Act 2016 to relevant positions in the Department of Health for the purposes of coordinating a timely response to emergencies, disasters and major events. In doing so, the Director General or delegates will be able to direct any WA health system entity within the WA health system, in accordance with the delegation and section 28 of the Health Services Act 2016. Entities within the WA health system must comply with such directions.

This Policy is a mandatory requirement under the Public Health Policy Framework pursuant to section 26(2)(d) of the Health Services Act 2016.

This Policy supersedes MP 0073/17 Emergency Management Policy, IC 0170/13 Training Requirements for Hospital Response Teams and Emergency Management Personnel and OD 0595/15 Business Continuity Management.

Date of effect: 22 October 2021

Policy Framework

Supporting information