Assessing impact and damage

Record the details of any injured team members and organise medical assistance as required.

If possible, hold a meeting with your full team within 48 hours following an event to:

• debrief on your practice’s response processes,
• offer avenues of support to all team members from internal or external avenues (e.g., counselling services)
• inform your team about your documented recovery process and schedule regular updates,
• update the team about colleagues who are injured,
• keep the team informed about what is now expected of them,
• reassure the team regarding job security and the important role they have just played.

Use this time to show support. Use open and honest communication.

Remember that your team members may be suffering in their personal life from the event. Speaking with people individually about their unique situations will help you to gather a better idea of how you can best move forward as a team.

If you now have less available team members due to the event, reach out to practices that you have built relationships with to potentially organise for some members of their team to assist at your practice temporarily. If you have a full team available, consider offering an overwhelmed nearby practice your team’s assistance.

Photograph and record any damage to your practice’s infrastructure, equipment and surroundings. Contact your insurer to make a claim prior to cleaning up and removing any damaged goods. 

If your practice has become unsafe to work from, you will need to either work from a temporary location (including online) or temporarily close your doors while you and your team get back on track.

Ideally, the information protection strategies you will have considered and implemented prior to an event will have ensured that any patient and business information affected has been backed up or can be accessed from a safe location.

Where required, seek specialist IT support to restore information and to request assistance locating lost information.

If you are unable to locate or access certain patient information, it is important to keep your patients informed. Contact all those affected to let them know what has happened and how you intend on proceeding (or, alternatively, when you intend on providing a follow-up update regarding next steps).