The National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre prepares and coordinate personnel for international and domestic deployment. It also focuses on enhancing the capacity of clinicians in the Northern Territory to manage local emergencies.
Under the AUSMAT concept, NCCTRC has trained more than 700 doctors, nurses, allied health and logisticians to an international standard as medical disaster responders.
Australia has access to the nation’s more experienced clinical staff in the event of a health emergencies.
The NCCTRC works on a regular basis with government agencies, in particular, the National Emergency Management Agency, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and the Australian Centre for Disease Control. It has formal representation on national working groups such as the AUSMAT Working Group, through Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and the Deployment Working Group through the National Emergency Management Agency, and the Emergency Medical Teams Initiative at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva.
Underpinning the AUSMAT’s deployable human resource is the world-leading logistics capability which includes a 4,000 m² EMT Type 2 field hospital.
Expecting the unexpected
The National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) prepare and coordinate personnel for international and domestic deployment. AUSMAT teams deploy rapidly with Australian Defence Force assistance and are designed to be self-sufficient once they reach a disaster zone. The experienced teams consist of doctors, nurses, paramedics, firefighters and allied health staff. The NCCTRC provides disaster management and response leadership, through investment in surge capacity, response capability, teaching, training and education, along with research.
Deployment activation pathway
All AUSMAT deployments are with the approval of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and are formally tasked through the National Health Emergency Management Standing Committee (NHEMS).