The importance of an unambiguous strategy

¶15.14. Future pandemic preparedness strategies should cover key risks, with a range of potential countermeasures and setting out the overall aims with clear goals or objectives. Such strategies will then be capable of being adapted into coherent pandemic response plans, made for the UK government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive and other key responders, to a specific pathogen – whatever its characteristics and likely impacts on individuals and society. Those plans should provide a detailed set of actions for those responsible for responding to an emerging crisis.

Lesson 3: Set clear strategic objectives

¶15.15. Having a set of plans in place – for governments and those responsible for aspects of the response to an emergency – is a necessary, but not sufficient, measure with which to confront a crisis. It is also essential that, as soon as possible after the outset of an emergency, the government agrees and communicates its objectives for the response. These objectives should provide the necessary framework within which decisions are made and plans implemented. Structures, expertise and administrative support will only ever facilitate good decisions when those responsible are clear on what they are trying to achieve. The strategic objectives of any organisation are therefore a crucial factor in its success or failure. They provide the necessary basis for the design of policy, clarity in decision-making and the preparation of adequate plans to deliver the desired outcomes.

¶15.16. A strategy should articulate problems and solutions clearly and accurately. It should set out clear strategic objectives, taking into account diverse views and experiences. It should be set early and reviewed continually. If necessary, changes can be made as new information comes to light or circumstances change. Not doing this will have a detrimental impact on the quality of decision-making. Without such objectives, policy-makers in government and those responsible for implementing policy have no framework within which to make decisions. Decisions are therefore more likely to be made on the basis of short-term tactics rather than longer-term strategy and a coherent set of goals.

¶15.17. Once the general direction and the most important goals in a strategy have been outlined, a plan can be developed. This should be a detailed set of actions, which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and with clear timeframes, reflecting the best available advice (including from scientists or other relevant experts) and considering the impact on the public. In a civil emergency like a pandemic, with all the related pressure, such plans are critical to a timely response – particularly when the unexpected happens (such as a new variant) and plans must change in order to protect the public.

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¶15.18. In the context of preparing for a pandemic (and other civil emergencies), governments must set clear objectives and ensure that these are supported by genuinely adaptable plans that can be tailored quickly. That will enable those tasked with responding nationally, regionally and locally to set complementary objectives that pull in the same direction and will provide clarity to all who are involved or subject to the decisions made.

Lesson 4: Set a framework for decisions

¶15.19. To be most useful, a strategy should facilitate decision-making and the ongoing refinement of detailed plans for the emergency response. With the vision set out in the strategy, plans can then focus on the criteria for assessing, for example, how to escalate interventions, and indeed when the crisis has ended in order to move to the recovery phase.

¶15.20. The strategy should also set out the general principles that will guide decision-makers and advisers. Setting those principles is a matter for governments, based on expert advice, but they could include minimising different types of harm, ensuring fairness, protecting the most vulnerable and proportionality based on a careful analysis of risk and benefit.

¶15.21. There are inevitable trade-offs between competing interests in an emergency, such as protecting the most vulnerable by infringing the freedoms of those at less risk. Those responsible for these intensely difficult decisions in any emergency will be greatly assisted by having, ready for use, a framework that sets out potential responses, as well as the likely social and economic consequences – in the short, medium and long term – of applying them.