1.1	Plan for an increase in the required physiotherapy workforce. For example: • allow additional shifts for part-time staff • offer staff the ability to electively cancel leave • recruit a pool of casual staff • recruit academic and research staff, staff who have recently retired or are currently working in non-clinical roles • work different shift patterns (eg, 12-hour shifts, extended evening shifts)
1.2	Identify potential additional staff who could be deployed to areas of higher activity associated with COVID-19 admissions (eg, infectious disease ward, ICU and/or high dependency unit and other acute areas). Prioritise staff for deployment who have previous cardiorespiratory and critical care experience.
1.3	Physiotherapists are required to have specialised knowledge, skills and decision-making to work within ICU. Physiotherapists with previous ICU experience should be identified by hospitals and facilitated to return to ICU.12
1.4	Physiotherapists who do not have recent cardiorespiratory physiotherapy experience should be identified by hospitals and facilitated to return to support additional hospital services. For example, staff without acute hospital or ICU training may facilitate rehabilitation, discharge pathways or hospital avoidance for patients without COVID-19.
1.5	Staff with advanced ICU physiotherapy skills should be supported to screen patients with COVID-19 assigned to physiotherapy caseloads and provide junior ICU staff with appropriate supervision and support, particularly with decision-making for complex patients with COVID-19. Hospitals should identify appropriate physiotherapy clinical leaders to implement this recommendation.
1.6	Identify existing learning resources for staff who could be deployed to ICU. For example: • eLearning packages (eg, Clinical Skills Development Service for Physiotherapy and Critical Care Management)18 • local physiotherapy staff ICU orientation • PPE training
1.7	Keep staff informed of plans. Communication is crucial to the successful delivery of safe and effective clinical services.
1.8	Staff who are judged to be at high risk should not enter the COVID-19 isolation area. When planning staffing and rosters, the following people may be at higher risk of developing more serious illness from COVID-19 and should avoid exposure to patients with COVID-19. This includes staff who: • are pregnant • have significant chronic respiratory illnesses • are immunosuppressed • are older (eg, > 60 years) • have severe chronic health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes • have immune deficiencies, such as neutropenia, disseminated malignancy and conditions or treatments that produce immunodeficiency12 It is recommended that staff who are pregnant avoid exposure to COVID-19. It is known that pregnant women are potentially at increased risk of complications from any respiratory disease due to the physiological changes that occur in pregnancy. There is not enough currently available information on the impact of COVID-19 on a pregnant woman or her baby.
1.9	Workforce planning should include consideration for pandemic-specific requirements such as additional workload from donning and doffing PPE, and the need to allocate staff to key non-clinical duties such as enforcing infection control procedures.12
1.10	Consider organising the workforce into teams that will manage COVID-19 versus non-infectious patients. Minimise or prevent movement of staff between teams. Liaise with local infection control services for recommendations.
1.11	Be aware of and comply with relevant international, national, state and/or hospital guidelines for infection control in healthcare facilities. For example, World Health Organization ‘Guidelines for infection prevention and control during health care when novel coronavirus infection is suspected’.19
1.12	Senior physiotherapists should be involved in determining the appropriateness of physiotherapy interventions for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in consultation with senior medical staff and according to a referral guideline.
1.13	Identify hospital-wide plans for allocation/cohorting patients with COVID-19. Utilise these plans to prepare resource plans that may be required. For example, Table 2 below is an example of a resource plan for ICU physiotherapy.
1.14	Identify additional physical resources that may be required for physiotherapy interventions and how the risk of cross-infection can be minimised (eg, respiratory equipment; mobilisation, exercise and rehabilitation equipment; and equipment storage).
1.15	Identify and develop a facility inventory of respiratory, mobilisation, exercise and rehabilitation equipment and determine the process of equipment allocation as pandemic levels increase (ie, to prevent movement of equipment between infectious and non-infectious areas).
1.16	It should be recognised that staff will likely have an increased workload with a heightened risk of anxiety both at work and home.12 Staff should be supported during and beyond the active treatment phases (eg, via access to employee assistance programs, counselling and facilitated debriefing sessions).
1.17	Consider and/or promote debriefing and psychological support; staff morale may be adversely affected due to the increased workload, anxiety over personal safety and the health of family members.12

COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019, ICU = intensive care unit, PPE = personal protective equipment.