[BCM] [KKH] [E1] [C6] Composing BCM Team

Composing BCM Team

 

Introduction

An effective Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) depends not only on policies, plans, and procedures, but also on the people responsible for implementing them. ISO 22301:2019 emphasises the importance of leadership, governance, organisational roles, responsibilities, and authorities to ensure that the BCMS is effectively established, implemented, maintained, and continually improved.

Without a well-defined BCM team, continuity planning can become fragmented, resulting in delayed decision-making, poor coordination, and ineffective incident response.

For KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), the composition of the BCM team is particularly important because of the complexity of healthcare delivery.

The hospital provides specialised maternity, neonatal, paediatric, emergency, surgical, and diagnostic services that operate continuously and rely on close coordination between clinical, operational, and corporate support functions.

During a disruptive event, the hospital must rapidly mobilise personnel with the authority, expertise, and resources to maintain patient safety, restore critical services, and coordinate recovery activities.

This chapter describes the recommended BCM governance structure, team composition, roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships for KKH.

While the exact structure may vary depending on organisational needs, the principles presented align with ISO 22301 and reflect recognised good practices for healthcare organisations operating in Singapore.

 

Purpose of the BCM Team

The BCM Team is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and continually improving the Business Continuity Management System across the organisation.

Its primary responsibilities include:

• Developing the BCM programme.
• Coordinating Business Impact Analyses (BIA).
• Conducting Risk Assessments (RA).
• Developing Business Continuity Strategies (BCS).
• Preparing Business Continuity Plans (BCP).
• Coordinating training and awareness.
• Organising exercises and testing.
• Supporting incident response.
• Monitoring BCM performance.
• Reporting programme status to senior management.

Rather than operating independently, the BCM Team works collaboratively with clinical departments, support services, corporate functions, and external stakeholders to embed resilience throughout the hospital.

 

BCM Governance Structure

A successful BCMS requires governance at multiple organisational levels.

A recommended governance model for KKH is illustrated below.

Hospital Board / Senior Leadership

│

Executive Sponsor

│

BCM Steering Committee

│

BCM Manager / BCM Office

│

──────────────────────────────────

Department BCM Coordinators

Clinical BCM Representatives

Corporate BCM Representatives

ICT BCM Representatives

Facilities BCM Representatives

──────────────────────────────────

Department Recovery Teams

Incident Management Team

Business Recovery Teams

Disaster Recovery Team

This governance model ensures strategic oversight while enabling operational implementation throughout the hospital.

 

Executive Sponsor

The Executive Sponsor provides leadership commitment for the BCMS.

Typical responsibilities include:

• Championing organisational resilience.
• Approving BCM policies.
• Allocating programme resources.
• Supporting strategic decision-making.
• Reporting BCM matters to senior leadership.
• Promoting a resilience culture across KKH.

The Executive Sponsor should possess sufficient organisational authority to remove barriers affecting BCM implementation.

 

BCM Steering Committee

The BCM Steering Committee provides strategic governance for the BCMS.

Typical membership includes representatives from:

• Senior Management
• Clinical Services
• Nursing Leadership
• Information Technology
• Facilities Management
• Human Resources
• Finance
• Pharmacy
• Risk Management
• Corporate Communications
• Security
• Operations

Typical responsibilities include:

• Approving BCM policies.
• Reviewing BCM objectives.
• Endorsing recovery priorities.
• Monitoring programme performance.
• Reviewing exercise outcomes.
• Supporting continual improvement.
• Resolving cross-functional issues.

The Steering Committee should meet regularly and report significant matters to senior management.

 

BCM Manager

The BCM Manager is responsible for coordinating the hospital-wide BCM programme.

Responsibilities include:

• Managing the BCMS.
• Coordinating Business Impact Analyses.
• Facilitating Risk Assessments.
• Developing BCM methodologies.
• Maintaining BCM documentation.
• Coordinating awareness programmes.
• Organising exercises.
• Monitoring programme compliance.
• Reporting BCM performance.
• Supporting incident response.

The BCM Manager serves as the central point of coordination for all BCM activities.

 

Department BCM Coordinators

Every major department should appoint a BCM Coordinator.

Departments may include:

Clinical Divisions

• Obstetrics
• Gynaecology
• Neonatology
• Paediatrics
• Operating Theatres
• Intensive Care
• Emergency Medicine

 

Clinical Support

• Pharmacy
• Laboratory Medicine
• Radiology
• Blood Bank
• Allied Health

 

Corporate Services

• Human Resources
• Finance
• Procurement
• Information Technology
• Facilities Management
• Corporate Communications
• Security

 

Department BCM Coordinators act as the link between their departments and the BCM Office.

Responsibilities include:

• Maintaining departmental continuity plans.
• Updating Business Impact Analysis information.
• Supporting exercises.
• Coordinating department recovery activities.
• Reporting continuity issues.

 

Incident Management Team

The Incident Management Team (IMT) manages operational response during major disruptions.

The IMT is activated when an incident affects multiple departments or threatens hospital operations.

Typical membership includes:

• Incident Commander
• Clinical Lead
• Nursing Lead
• Facilities Lead
• ICT Lead
• Pharmacy Representative
• Communications Lead
• Human Resources Representative
• Security Representative
• BCM Manager

 

Responsibilities include:

• Assessing incidents.
• Declaring emergencies.
• Coordinating hospital response.
• Prioritising recovery activities.
• Allocating resources.
• Communicating with stakeholders.
• Monitoring recovery progress.

 

Business Recovery Teams

Business Recovery Teams restore individual business functions.

Each department should establish recovery teams responsible for:

• Implementing Business Continuity Plans.
• Recovering departmental operations.
• Managing manual workarounds.
• Coordinating with supporting departments.
• Reporting recovery progress.

Examples include:

• Pharmacy Recovery Team
• Laboratory Recovery Team
• Neonatal Recovery Team
• Operating Theatre Recovery Team
• Emergency Department Recovery Team

 

ICT Disaster Recovery Team

Healthcare delivery depends heavily upon technology.

The ICT Disaster Recovery Team is responsible for restoring:

• Electronic Medical Records
• Clinical Information Systems
• Laboratory Systems
• Radiology Systems
• Network Infrastructure
• Communication Systems
• Data Centres

Responsibilities include:

• Activating Disaster Recovery Plans.
• Restoring critical systems.
• Monitoring cybersecurity incidents.
• Recovering digital services.
• Supporting clinical operations.

 

Facilities Recovery Team

Facilities personnel support recovery of hospital infrastructure.

Responsibilities include:

• Emergency power.
• Medical gas systems.
• Water supply.
• Air-conditioning.
• Building access.
• Fire protection.
• Engineering systems.

These services are essential to maintaining safe clinical operations.

 

Corporate Communications Team

Effective communication is essential during emergencies.

Responsibilities include:

• Internal staff communications.
• Patient notifications.
• Media management.
• Family communications.
• Regulatory notifications.
• Public information.
• Social media monitoring.

Communication should remain accurate, timely, and consistent throughout an incident.

 

Human Resources Support Team

Human Resources plays a critical role in workforce resilience.

Responsibilities include:

• Staff deployment.
• Welfare support.
• Emergency staffing.
• Attendance monitoring.
• Employee communications.
• Volunteer coordination.

Maintaining staff wellbeing is essential during prolonged incidents.

 

Competencies Required

Members of the BCM Team should possess appropriate competencies.

Examples include:

• Knowledge of ISO 22301.
• Understanding of healthcare operations.
• Incident management skills.
• Risk assessment capability.
• Communication skills.
• Leadership.
• Problem-solving.
• Decision-making.
• Team coordination.
• Crisis management.

Training should be provided regularly to maintain competency.

 

Authority and Responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities should be formally documented.

Examples include:

Role	Primary Responsibility
Executive Sponsor	Strategic leadership and resource allocation
BCM Steering Committee	Governance and programme oversight
BCM Manager	Programme coordination and BCMS management
Department BCM Coordinator	Departmental planning and recovery coordination
Incident Commander	Overall incident management
ICT Recovery Lead	Technology recovery
Facilities Lead	Infrastructure recovery
Communications Lead	Internal and external communications
Human Resources Lead	Workforce continuity
Clinical Department Heads	Continuity of clinical services

Clear accountability improves coordination during emergencies.

 

Example BCM Organisation for KKH

 

BCM Function	Example Representative
Executive Sponsor	Chief Executive Officer / Senior Executive
BCM Programme Manager	BCM Manager / Risk Management Lead
Clinical Representative	Head of Obstetrics
Nursing Representative	Chief Nurse
Neonatal Representative	Head of Neonatology
Emergency Department Representative	Head of Emergency Medicine
Pharmacy Representative	Director of Pharmacy
Laboratory Representative	Head of Laboratory Medicine
ICT Representative	Chief Information Officer or ICT Director
Facilities Representative	Director of Facilities Management
Security Representative	Security Manager
Communications Representative	Head of Corporate Communications
Human Resources Representative	HR Director
Finance Representative	Chief Financial Officer or Finance Director

The actual appointment of individuals should reflect KKH's organisational structure and governance arrangements.

 

Practical Example

 

Consider a ransomware attack that renders the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system unavailable.

The BCM governance structure enables KKH to respond in a coordinated manner:

• The Incident Management Team assesses the incident, activates the hospital's emergency response procedures, and establishes overall priorities.
• The BCM Manager coordinates continuity activities across departments and monitors implementation of Business Continuity Plans.
• The ICT Disaster Recovery Team isolates affected systems, activates disaster recovery procedures, and restores priority clinical applications.
• Department BCM Coordinators in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Labour Ward, Children's Emergency Department, Pharmacy, and Laboratory Services implement approved downtime procedures to maintain patient care.
• The Facilities Recovery Team ensures that supporting infrastructure such as power, medical gases, and environmental controls remain fully operational.
• The Corporate Communications Team provides timely updates to staff, patients, healthcare partners, and relevant authorities.
• Human Resources coordinates staffing arrangements, manages workforce welfare, and deploys additional personnel where required.

Because roles and responsibilities have been defined before the incident occurs, KKH can maintain critical healthcare services while recovery activities proceed in a structured and coordinated manner.

 

The effectiveness of a Business Continuity Management System depends largely on the people responsible for implementing it.

A clearly defined BCM governance structure ensures that leadership, accountability, decision-making authority, and operational responsibilities are established before a disruption occurs.

For KK Women's and Children's Hospital, a multidisciplinary BCM team that includes representatives from clinical services, nursing, pharmacy, laboratory medicine, information technology, facilities management, corporate services, and senior leadership provides the expertise necessary to manage complex healthcare disruptions while maintaining patient safety and continuity of care.

By defining governance arrangements, documenting roles and responsibilities, developing staff competencies, and establishing effective coordination mechanisms, KKH creates a strong organisational foundation for its ISO 22301-compliant BCMS.

The BCM team described in this chapter will lead the implementation of the Business Impact Analysis, Risk Assessment, Business Continuity Strategy, Business Continuity Plans, training, testing, and continual improvement activities presented in the subsequent chapters of this eBook series, enabling the hospital to strengthen its resilience and sustain the delivery of critical healthcare services under all operating conditions.