Truthfulness, acknowledging uncertainty and understanding the workforce are key leadership elements, say senior health leaders.
“When people try to communicate uncertainty as certainty, that’s when you get into trouble,” said Professor Raina MacIntyre.
When Professor Sir Edward Byrne reflects on his time in the UK at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he recalls how much the country was unprepared for it. He speaks about the healthcare workforce and what he learnt about this critically important sector.
“There were ridiculously low numbers of ventilators in the country and not enough personal protective equipment to provide basic protection for staff,” Professor Byrne told a UNSW Sydney symposium about leadership in health during challenging times. “Almost every final year nursing medical student and clinical academic went up to the clinical frontline overnight.”