Every year many concerts, festivals, public meetings and major events take place in Ireland. Depending on the nature of the event such as: location, the number of attendees, and performers–these events present varying amounts of risk. The Health Service Executive is concerned with managing risks and advocates that event organizers put comprehensive event management plans in place. Healthcare arrangements for outdoor crowd events should be specified in the Event Medical Plan section of the event management plan by the event organizer. As part of the event notification process, event organizers engage with the HSE South Emergency Management Office which in turn liaises with the various care groups across the Cork Kerry region to inform them of events that may impact their service. Historically, event organizers have informed the Emergency Management office of events in a wide variety of formats and varying levels of information.

The HSE South Emergency Management Office engaged with Cork University Hospital (Major Trauma Center) to identify the information hospitals require from various events around the region. In addition, the Emergency Management Office liaised with a subject matter expert in Mass Gatherings from Australia to discuss key indicators/data points healthcare facilities could benefit from knowing in advance of mass gathering events.

A standardized Word document template was developed as a proof of concept that lists key data that healthcare facilities have identified as important for them to be made aware of as part of the notification process. This template now lends itself to be developed into an online editable form to enable event organizers to inform the relevant healthcare facilities of mass gathering events.

Health care facilities require timely and accurate information regarding mass gathering events to ensure appropriate plans and preparations are in place. A standardized notification template would assist in the preparation phase.