The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team recently held the latest iteration of its deployment training programme; ‘The Deployment Peer Learning Programme’ and launched new resource hub on the Global Health Network aimed at enhancing the knowledge, skills and confidence of UK-PHRST deployees and partners to effectively work effectively during emergency deployments.

The newly launched resource hub seeks to bolster existing learning activities and resources such as the UK-PHRST’s long-established annual deployment training programme by providing comprehensive tailored resources for public health specialists looking to refresh their skills.

The annual peer-learning programme

Unlike previous years, this year’s training programme capitalised on UK-PHRST and partners' collective deployment experience by taking a peer-learning approach, where new and experienced deployees learned from one another. The training followed a blended learning design consisting of online sessions and a three day in-person event. Twenty-three participants attended, including UK-PHRST staff, UK-PHRST reservists, Field Epidemiology Training Programme fellows and members of partner organisations including Africa CDC and World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (AFRO). Partner organisation members were vital to enhancing the learning experience for all as they provided their unique operational and regional perspectives on outbreak response.

The participants took part in a deployment simulation scenario in a country known as Central land. Here, the trainees were faced with the aftermath of a tropical storm and a cholera outbreak impacted by climate-related factors. Learning was grounded in participants’ lived experiences and enabled them, through reflective discussions and opportunities, to explore new approaches in a supportive environment. Participants also developed skills in areas such as crisis leadership, risk communication, and conflict resolution. This year’s programme also included new themes such as emergency coordination in complex crises, understanding political dynamics, hierarchies, and decision-making in uncertainty.

Open access resource hub

Further, as part of our commitiment to supporting the sustainable long-term impact of our activities, UK-PHRST has developed and launched a new dedicated resource hub. Drawing on the work with our partners across our triple remit of deployments, capacity strengthening and research, the resource hub is a place to share freely-accessible, co-developed, evidence based tools and guidance for anyone looking to enhance their knowledge and skills to effectively engage in outbreak response activities.

The new hub represents UK-PHRST's commitment to knowledge sharing and collaborative learning, enabling public health professionals globally to access the insights and practical guidance developed through our extensive partnership working and experiences. The resource hub will be continuously updated with new materials and insights as they are developed, ensuring access to the most current guidance available.

Tanu Soni, UK-PHRST Capacity Strengthening Officer and Deployment Training Co-Facilitator said: “Public health emergencies are not just technical challenges —they also involve politics, power struggles and emotional responses. I am glad that this year’s peer-learning programme embraces this complexity through experiential learning, with emphasis on soft skills and knowledge sharing. Participants will also have the chance to further explore these dimensions through our new Global Health Network online resources hub.”

Sarah Armstrong, Learning Design Manager at UK-PHRST and Lead for Deployment Peer Learning Programme said: “I am delighted that the participants felt more confident in managing complex situations and stakeholder relationships by the end of the programme. We will continue to build on the insights gained through the peer learning approach and explore further innovative learning approaches in our future deployment preparation activities.”