Alexander Thompson

The aim of this research is to evaluate a measure of maturity for the emergency preparedness, resilience and response activities of health systems (including all facets of health such as acute care, community care, primary care, public health, and pre-hospital care). Specifically, this project aims to research the preparedness and response activities with regards to wildfire events in Australia and potentially one other field site. The research will analyse distinct healthcare systems within a geography to understand the impacts of wildfires as they relate to healthcare delivery and therefore the effectiveness of any related emergency preparedness, resilience or response actions, policies, or procedures.

Though understanding these effective or ineffective activities, a holistic methodology to identify the level of maturity and efficacy of health system emergency preparedness, resilience and response actions for wildfire events will then be developed.

Furthermore, this research aims to utilise this maturity methodology and apply it to an area within England, to understand how the health sector must prepare for the future risk of wildfires as catalysed by climate change.