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Blog posted by: Scott Douglas, Communications, Department for Business & Trade (DBT), DBT Scotland, 10 October 2024.

Prior to joining the Civil Service, I had several roles that gave me experience of crisis comms management. I have always liked that aspect of my work and enjoyed the demands and challenges that came with responding to adverse events with little or no notice.

As such, I’m always looking for ways to learn more about crisis management, and to gain more experience where I can – and it’s for that reason that I signed up for the Government Communication Service (GCS) Crisis Comms Surge Team.

The Surge Team was created to offer extra capacity to government departments in times of crisis, but it also aims to offer training and learning experiences to its members to broaden their knowledge in this field.

From the start of my membership with the Surge Team, I was able to take part in digital training courses, crisis response exercises, and exclusive webinars led by global crisis experts. I was also given opportunities to support colleagues across government during real crises and took up a secondment within Cabinet Office helping in the initial response to the Middle East conflict.

Working with the team gave me first-hand experience of how the UK Government responds to major international incidents, and it was amazing to be able to work so closely with teams across Whitehall as we responded to breaking developments in a swift, accurate, and coordinated manner.

This work then led me to work with the central GCS team to develop the new GCS Crisis Comms Planning Guide. The guide outlines essential steps and considerations for developing a robust communication plan to address potential crises.

This was a fascinating experience which allowed me to work with departments across Whitehall as we created crisis comms plans for a range of potential scenarios – from extreme space weather to terrorism and cyber attacks.

I know there will be many other GCS members across government who, like me, have experience of crisis communications and want to use this knowledge to help out. Joining the Surge Team is a great way to share that experience and support colleagues in other departments when it matters most.

For more information on the team and how to join, email crisiscomms@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.