Command, control and communication (C3) during the COVID-19 pandemic; adapting a military framework to crisis response in a tertiary UK critical care centre

S D Hutchings; J Perry; A Mills; F Bartley; M Bartley; C L Park

doi:10.1177/1751143720982191

Command, control and communication (C³) during the COVID-19 pandemic; adapting a military framework to crisis response in a tertiary UK critical care centre

J Intensive Care Soc. 2022 May;23(2):162-169. doi: 10.1177/1751143720982191. Epub 2021 Jan 11.

Authors

S D Hutchings^{1

2}, J Perry¹, A Mills¹, F Bartley¹, M Bartley¹, C L Park^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
² Academic Department of Military Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK.
³ Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, Pre Hospital Care and Anaesthesia, UK Defence Medical Services, Birmingham, UK.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 imposed significant strain on critical care services worldwide. The South London region experienced the largest numbers of critical care admissions in the United Kingdom with King's College Hospital one of the busiest centres. This article outlines, using a descriptive narrative, the significant changes that occurred within King's Critical Care as a result of the pandemic and the decisions that were taken to provide effective co-ordination and control to the expanded service, in part drawing on the military experience of two of the authors. The wider context of crisis and major incident leadership and management is also discussed contrasting different approaches used in civilian and military settings.

Keywords: COVID-19; leadership; major incident planning; management.