Disaster ready

A plan before the flood, cyclone or fire

A flood, cyclone or bushfire can close a clinic for days. Prepare ahead, then work through an extended closure in phases.

Prefer YouTube? Watch it there. Sample names only.

Why have a plan

The RACGP Standards expect every practice to keep a written emergency response plan covering natural disasters, pandemics and extended closures: who does what, how you reach staff and patients, and how you keep running or close safely. Review it and drill it once a year.

Source: RACGP, Managing emergencies and pandemics. clinic-admin helps you prepare; it does not make a clinic compliant or accredited.

Prepare ahead

1
Protect the cold chain. Plan for a short outage and a multi-day one: a backup power source, or an agreed nearby practice that can store your vaccines. Know who moves the stock and who logs the temperatures.
2
Line up your patient channels now. Decide in advance where you will post a closure: your website, social media, online booking, Healthdirect Service Finder, on-site signage and the phone message. Keep patient contact details current so an SMS actually reaches them.
3
Keep records disaster-ready. Encourage patients to keep a current My Health Record shared health summary, and to have a face-to-face visit within 12 months so they stay eligible for telehealth if they cannot get in.
4
Subscribe to official warnings. Free SMS or email alerts from your state disaster service and local council. In Queensland, that is disaster.qld.gov.au plus your council’s alert service.
5
Upload your plan to the Documents library in clinic-admin, so the Accreditation Readiness business continuity check can find it.

When it happens: the extended closure playbook

First 2 hours

Safety and stabilise. Confirm everyone is safe. If it is safe to reach the clinic, move the vaccine fridge to a generator or take vaccines to a nearby fridge. Set up one communication channel for staff. Decide: closed today, several days, or unknown.

Next 24 hours

Patients and community. Contact patients booked today and tomorrow first, then regular pharmacies and nearby GP clinics. Post a temporary closure notice on your Google Business listing, Facebook and booking page.

Days 2 to 3

Operations and recovery. Daily staff check-in. Confirm your practice software backup is intact. Contact your insurance broker and photograph everything before clean-up. Set a target reopening date, even a tentative one.

This is the “Extended closure (disaster or emergency)” playbook in the Crisis Playbooks section of clinic-admin. Drill it with your team once a year.

Try the demo clinic More walkthroughs

14-day free trial, then A$55 per clinic per month. Questions: info@clinic-admin.com

Sources

clinic-admin.com · operational software for Australian GP and specialist clinics

Terms · Privacy · Data Processing