Strong Governance, Trusted Leadership and Clear Communication: A Descriptive Narrative of an Australian Public Hospital Response to COVID-19

This paper provides a critical reflection of an Australian healthcare organisation’s approach to managing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A strong focus is placed on the importance of both staff and patient mental health and wellbeing which is underpinned by clear governance, communication and leadership. The challenges of working in uncertainty are widely acknowledged and documented, and operating as a health service provider during this time surfaced many unknowns. This paper seeks to improve our understanding of the influence of governance structures, communication and leadership when functioning in uncertain times. Key learnings that may be considered by other multifaceted organisations include; governance structures that recognise the importance of involving subject matter experts to reinforce organisational trust in hierarchical decision making, establishing systems that facilitate structured and informed decision making that is supported by visible communications, valuing agility and responsiveness in the workforce through shared listening and information sharing, and consistent front and centre messaging of organisational priorities to reinforce the natural flow of human behaviour change.