Health professionals

Health care providers (including hospitals and general practice) need to ensure that they have contingency plans to deal with an influenza pandemic. General practice, hospitals and primary health care will be at the forefront of the response to a pandemic with increased clinical workloads, and a need to strengthen and maintain infection control to reduce the chance of cross-infection of pandemic influenza from cases to patients and other staff. At the same time, all agencies and providers will be under pressure from staff absenteeism.

Individual agencies (including government agencies and essential services) are responsible for ensuring their own business continuity plans make provision for maintaining high priority activities, staff and infrastructure in the face of predicted increased absentee rates associated with pandemic influenza.

For more information see:

• General practice
• Resources