Leading During A Public Health Crisis

Leading teams during the COVID-19 pandemic had unique challenges often requiring timely decisions based on emerging new information to then rapidly implement changes. The usual scaffolding for system changes lagged behind the implementation. The command and control of crisis management blended with traditional health leadership styles as the emergency response became protracted and building sustainable teams became a focus of the response. This paper presents the results of a survey of the leadership cohort at the Centre for National Resilience, a large quarantine facility in northern Australia, that managed over 30,000 people requiring quarantine and isolation. Methods: A grounded explorative theory approach was implemented, with descriptive data analysis and thematic analysis of an online Leadership survey in conjunction with site data and information specific to the leadership structure. Results: The core challenges for leaders were identified as establishing a workforce combining health and non-health resident care roles, rapid changes in legislation, communication, site logistics, and resident management and support. Conclusion: The survey highlights lessons for sustaining high-performing leadership in future protracted health emergencies such as the importance of peer support, attention to work-life balance, sharing positive work outcomes, early, clear communication and collaboration, and the need for flexibility and adaptability.