XVII.9.1.2 OSL Standard Workflow

 

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Introduction

10.  The OSL Standard Workflow defines the key phases and critical components of an OSL response during health emergency operations.

20.  The OSL workflow is articulated around 6 different stages:

• OSL Response Readiness
• Rapid deployment & dispatch of first OSL response capacities
• Assessment and planning of OSL Operations
• Implementation of OSL response
• Monitoring and review of OSL response
• Transition or end (exit) of OSL response

30.   The OSL workflow integrates with the standard operation push/pull approach:

• During the first phase (acute), OSL deploys the first teams, equipment and supplies on a PUSH approach based on standard OSL scenarios for a given emergency and/or through a response plan prepared in advance during the preparedness and readiness stage.  (re. XVII.9.1.3.2 Assessment and planning page 3). The PUSH approach is conducted on a "no regrets" basis and forms a set of immediate actions that are undertaken to ensure appropriate resources are deployed in anticipation of more detailed needs assessments being made.
  

• During the second phase of the OSL response, OSL will have increased its operational capacity to the site. This team will have conducted the required initial OSL need and capacity assessment providing a comprehensive understanding of the actual response needs and gaps.  This assessment and the foreseen action plan will be formalized in a draft OSL CONOPS and integrated into the first Health Response Plan defined by the Incident Manager (IM) and IMT. From this moment on, planned and forecasted resources and supports are PULLED and driven from the field (demand driven).

OSL Response Readiness

40.    OSL builds adequate human resources capacity, emergency stockpiles, standardized tools, technical skills and operating mechanism to rapidly deploy and set up the appropriate response capacities where WHO is intervening during Health emergencies.

50.    The OSL network (re. XVII.9.1.1 OSL Roles & Responsibilities​) is headed by the OSL Chief in HQ. It maintains operational readiness systems and mechanisms to respond effectively to emergencies. This includes:

60.    Human resources:

• Maintaining an interdisciplinary operation support and logistics roster of internal WHO emergency logisticians and field operation supports experts with adequate deployment mechanisms to dispatch teams to emergency sites on 24h notice;
• Maintaining a similar OSL external roster of OSL professionals with the required expertise to cover all technical OSL positions and roles for the duration of the emergencies;

70.    Emergency commodities:

• Developing advanced commodity plans to enable fast dispatch of equipment and teams in PUSH phase of responses;
• Maintaining stocks of emergency commodities (kits and essential items) that can be deployed within 72h of initial request. The stock content is regularly revised to meet emergency responses needs.
• Developing a 24/7 emergency shipment capacity with the required expertise to dispatch commodities in the fastest and most efficient mode when and where it is required.

80.   Technical capacity:

• Developing and maintaining Emergency SOPs, standard templates, action sheets, guidance documents for OSL key processes and areas of intervention.
• Developing and maintaining OSL essential learning and briefing packages;
  

90.   Partnership:

• Establishing formalized Partnerships with relevant logistics actors to ensure logistics surge capacity and effectiveness when response needs exceed WHO capacity;

100.  In countries /WCO:

• Training of WCO teams on the implementation of the essential emergency activities within the first 72 hours of the response such as rescue operations, rapid OSL need assessments, establishment of coordination mechanisms and exchange of information, reception and deployment of emergency teams and equipment, etc.

Rapid Deployment & Dispatch of first OSL response capacities

110.   This stage consists in emergency vigilance, OSL response activation, deployment and dispatch of the first response capacity.  The latter operates through the mechanism of triggering and implementing the precursory and expeditionary capabilities of the OSL.

120.  Emergency vigilances. OSL, in coordination with other WHO units actively monitor emergencies threats and alerts. Designated OSL staffs (in region and HQ) are liaising with the WHO emergency alert monitoring system (DVA team) for epidemics and other emergencies.

130.   Alert/activations: expeditionary (precursory) approach:

140.   It is essential to an effective operational response to consistently have OSL present and operational at the site of intervention as early as possible to provide immediate support though the setup of emergency tactical capabilities.

150.  If there is no certainty that the necessary logistics capabilities exist on the ground, OSL will deploy of its network members to guarantee the presence of technical capacity to enable the setup of WHO response.

160.  When an Emergency is declared:

After consultation with the Operations group lead and in coordination with the OSL chief, the Regional OSL Team Leader will designate an OSL field op's focal points (from regional team and/or HQ team)

170.  The OSL focal point will quickly assess the situation and evaluate the operational needs.  This includes:

• Gather and consolidate all available information from situation reports, WCO logistics team members, partners, media, country fact sheet, disease fact sheet, etc.
• Review standard response scenarios and OSL priorities for this type of emergency.
• Assess and review WCO OSL capacity.
• Review emergency stock inventory.
• Review OSL roster to identify potential candidates
• Evaluate the OSL support required for this emergency.

180.  The OSL focal point will propose:

• OSL first actions plan and priorities (TOR of the OSL staff or team deployed)
• The deployment of one or more OSL emergency officers when required;
• A list of emergency items and kits to be deployed;

190.  The TOR of proposed OSL deployment team or individual and the list of equipment is based on standard response scenarios. The OSL RO TL reviews and validates the proposal and submits it to the Incident manager (IM) and/or the WR. IM and/or WR validates the TORs and deployment plan.

200.  Deployment of first response team:

210.  The first OSL personnel deployed to the emergency event site will:

• Assess the preliminary logistics capacity and OSL needs (ONA);
• Set up the essential services required to enable the first response activities (Offices, staff accommodations and transport)
• Manage receipt and distribution of the first emergency supplies (clearance, warehousing, distribution planning and transport)
• Support the Incident management team in drafting of the first Health response plan to ensure integration of the logistics components
• Draft the first OSL Concept of operations (CONOPS).

220.  Because the above activities must be conducted simultaneously, OSL may propose the deployment of at least 2 to 3 experts (One OSL ops and/or supply officer and one OSL Team Leader) depending on the magnitude of the emergency and the given operational context.

230.  At this stage, personnel deployed are confirmed members of the OSL internal roster as OSL senior emergency officers or team leaders who have been trained and certified.

240.  Briefing: All OSL staff deploying for an emergency response should follow the OSL Briefing and Deployment Processes that outline stages and action steps for all OSL personnel. This includes mandatory trainings e.g. security, staff wellbeing, OSL technical areas and Incident Management Systems (IMS), ethics in emergencies, and other practical information e.g. medical, geo-political and economics, history geography and other information included in standard travel advice.

Assessment and planning of OSL response

250. Assessment & Analysis: The foundation of a strong and impactful health emergency response is based on solid needs and capacity assessment to support planning and forecasting exercise.

260.  OSL plays a key role in the global emergency assessment by providing the management team with:

• The logistics needs assessment that defines the logistics set up required;
• The existing logistics capacity assessment that will help determine the capacity to be acquired/deployed and set up.
  

270.  Global Logistics need assessment is based on:

• The type of emergency
• The magnitude of the emergency
• The geography and demography of the affected area
• The country health system and infrastructure capacity
• The global health response plan, the role given to the WHO and its partners
• The congruent Logistics standard support plans.
  

280.  The existing Logistics capacity assessment evaluates:

• The existing infrastructure in term of office capacity, accommodation, staff transportation and communication;
• The existing supply capacity in term of market availability, international and local transport, custom clearance, warehousing and logistics partners already on site;
• The existing health logistics capacity and expertise available (WCO, Partners, Private sector);

290.  The global logistics needs assessment and the existing capacity assessment guide the writing of the OSL Concept of operations (CONOPS) that is contributing to the Strategic Response Plan (SRP), the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and Resource mobilization plan.

300.  Design of CONOPS: The OSL CONOPS is part of the health response strategic document. The formal OSL plan of action defines the main objectives, activities and priorities set in a precise time frame. It organizes the 3 OSL pillars: i) supply chain management, ii) operations support, and iii) health logistics, as well as the OSL coordination.

310.  The CONOPS describes per pillar and for the coordination the following activities and functions:

• Service packages that are being put in place: objectives, activities and priorities
  
• Key performance indicators that will be monitored
• Assumptions, the risks and mitigating measures put in place
• Supplies required and organization of the supply chain (supply strategy)
• HR needs associated with each pillar
•  Budget estimates
  

320.  CONOPS annexes are comprised of a response procurement plan, an operational running cost forecast & budget, a team structure, an OSL exit or transition plan, asset and equipment inventories provided by relevant IMS team stakeholders and a field security & risk assessment provided by the WHO Field Security team.

330.  In the field, the OSL TL finalizes the CONOPS using the standard format. This document is shared with IMS pillar leads and OSL regional and global management for input.

340.  It is validated by:

• The IM or the WR in absence
• The regional OSL TL (technical validation)
  

350.   Live CONOPS development:  The CONOPS is a live document updated based on real-time emergency data and the strategic plan revision exercise.

Implementation of OSL response

360.   Operational setup: OSL experts are deployed according to the most recent CONOPS to implement and support agreed response activities.

370.   Immediate priorities are determined based on the standard response scenario and adjusted based on the on-site initial OSL need assessment and the health response priorities defined by the IMT.

380.   Priorities are given to:

• Support life-saving activities
• Set up the required operational capacity for the WHO, MOH and key partners' emergency response tea
  

390.  For the 0-8 days period and later, before the definition and validation of the CONOPS, OSL TL determines the OSL priority activities daily or weekly as necessary.  Additionally, the OSL TL will discuss operational requirements with the regional/HQ OSL focal point and validate them with the IM during the IMT meeting.

400.  To enable the implementation of the above activities, the standard OSL functional chart is presented in eManual XVII.9.1.1 OSL Roles & Responsibilities.

410.  Generic OSL positions are described in detail at E.manual XVII 8.1 Generic Post Descriptions for IMS Roles. In addition to setting up the OSL capacity on the ground, the job description and terms of reference of personnel assigned to the IM team will be modified to match the response needs. However, during an emergency response, flexibility prevails, and personnel are expected to perform according to priorities assigned to them by the OSL Team Leader.

420.  Upon arrival at the event site, OSL personnel are expected to place themselves under the supervision of the OSL TL and the Incident Manager in their respective Incident management teams and to follow onboarding processes established at the event site by the Admin and Fin IM team Pillar.

430.  Integration within WHO: OSL is committed to fully integrating and collaborating with the relevant WHO leadership structures established for each emergency response and at the three levels of the Organization (Country, Regional and headquarters). OSL processes, personnel, tools and programming are designed and implemented to support common approaches and harmonized responses.

440.  Working with the MoH: OSL commits to work with MoH by ensuring joint leadership and a common approach, working towards the acquisition by the MoH log team of the autonomy to support the health response (exit strategy). Integration and sharing of information and knowledge is the norm while working with MOH partners. Further, it is recommended to support operational readiness and integration of MOH personnel with OSL IMS teams when there is a risk of no conflict of interest.

450.  However, specific sensitive activities and information involving high-value assets and personnel must be handled sensibly to avoid the Organization's exposure to moral, diplomatic or financial risks and other liabilities. Further, OSL assets must be kept under the responsibility of the IMS teams until transferred officially to other response entities upon OSL team withdrawal.

460.  Coordination with Partners: OSL works before and during emergency responses must be in coordination with and in support of health and logistics partners.

470.  This includes close collaboration with health logistics and supply chain partners, including National Governments (e.g. Ministries of Health, Customs & Border Control. National Regulatory Authority), other UN agencies and cluster leads (e.g. OCHA, UNCHR, UNICEF, WFP, etc.), international and local NGOs (e.g. ACF, ALIMA, MSF sections, IRC, etc) and civil society organizations and Communities. If the cluster system is activated, OSL teams actively participate and contribute to relevant clusters (e.g. Health Cluster, Logistics Cluster, Shelter Cluster, Wash cluster, etc.).

480.  Two main logistics domains need to be coordinated and supported:

• Supply: WHO is responsible for monitoring, coordinating and supporting the global pipeline of critical items to limit the risk of shortage.  Based on the global needs forecast, WHO will set up the partner's pipeline monitoring mechanism, coordinate, and ensure the MOH provides the required support/facilities for the importation process.
  

• Health logistics:  It is the role of OSL to coordinate and support its health logistics partners in setting the health facilities and implementing the health logistics quality standards.
  

490.  Effective coordination of Partners is central to OSL work. It implies sharing information and knowledge and setting up agreements supporting health emergency operations. It is further described in E.manual XVII.9.1.5 Working with Partner Organisations.

500.  Resource Management & Accountability: During an emergency response, OSL is critical to WHO resource management accountability.

510.  While working in accordance with WHO's 'No-Regrets' policy, OSL supports the implementation of processes, systems and tools to enable operational activities to be implemented with the highest possible levels of accountability and transparency, as well as the best compromise in terms of performance, value and quality.

520.  These modalities should also include the respect of Humanitarian principles relevant to IASC localization commitments towards reinforcing rather than replacing local and national capacities when required and possible.

Monitoring and review of OSL response

530.   Monitoring & accountability: To effectively support WHO resource management and accountability, OSL ensures that effective monitoring systems, processes and tools are implemented within the IMS.

540.   Performance Measurement: Key performance standards of OSL activities are established in the ERF and relevant OSL SOPs. They are monitored and reported through regular Situation Reports (SitRep) and CONOPS KPIs to maintain high operational management standards and identify corrective and preventive adjustments.

550.  Team performances: Performance of OSL emergency roster personnel deployed is monitored and assessed formally by their immediate supervisor in the IMS team organigram (global evaluation) and their OSL team Leaders (technical evaluation) upon input of Regional and HQ OSL Focal Points if relevant.

560.  OSL Team leader performance is monitored and assessed by the Incident Manager or the WR in charge of the IM team. A formal performance assessment must occur before leaving the event site, as described in the Emergency Roster.

570.  Information Management: OSL actively contributes to WHE and IMS Team situation reports that can be used for internal (at all three levels of the organization) and external communications (as appropriate). OSL ensures an adequate flow of information amongst all relevant stakeholders, especially key partners. Information and knowledge sharing are central to OSL's mission in emergencies.

580.  Risk Management:  The WHO risk matrix integrates Duty of Care (DOC) and No Regret Policy (NRP), for risk management is central to OSL roles and activities. For OSL TL, risk management implies standards waivers, delegation of authority, etc.).

590.  Sensitive decisions in these matters should be documented and recorded transparently to be auditable and covered under the no-regret policy.

600.  Real-Time Learning & Continuous Improvement: All OSL personnel are responsible for sharing knowledge. OSL personnel must share in real-time and during de-briefing sessions operational lessons learned to improve response systems and operations.

610.  OSL facilitates knowledge transfer to new staff by establishing overlapping roles between personnel when possible and promoting a "buddy system" and mentoring as described in the WHE Learning and Development Strategy.

620.  If learning activities cannot take place during emergencies, they are included in After Action Review and End of Mission Reports for later review during transition and exit phases.

Transition or end of OSL Response

630.  Exit/Transition Planning: An exit/transition plan is added in the CONOPS when the IMS response is mature enough to identify steps to ensure the effective exit or transition of emergency OSL resources, roles and responsibilities. 

640.  Exit/Transition implementation: In most cases, OSL resources, roles and responsibilities either end (such as in the case of a completed emergency response operation) or are transferred to the WCO (such as in the case of a protracted crisis response), once the PULL phase is mature enough. The CONOPS Exit/Transition plan is adjusted based on the operational context and the agreements of entities taking over OSL responsibilities. Required documents, assets and commodities are transferred under the IMS approval and oversight during the exit or transition process.

650.   Debriefing: Debriefing of OSL personnel is mandatory. End-of-mission and debriefing documents must be provided to the relevant stakeholders according to the terms of OSL deployment.

660.   After Action Reviews (AAR): An internal OSL After Action Review is conducted in conjunction with IMS AAR during or at the end of each operational response to collect learning gained during the response and to create action steps to be taken to improve future OSL responses.

670.   OSL team supports WHO Monitoring & Evaluation specialists to lead this process.  OSL team leaders and other designated response staff will contribute to WHO after action review.