Deployment to any type of disaster zone or other health emergency can be a stressful experience for both the deployee and their family.  To ensure that all deployees have an understanding of the nature of the deployment, the team objectives, safety, security, team roles, travel and logistics are provided at a comprehensive team briefing held prior to deployment. This may include an internal NCCTRC and AUSMAT team briefing and will always include a whole of government (WoG) team briefing with deployment partners coordinating the team’s deployment. Relevant deployment information is shared with the jurisdictional AUSMAT representatives. All members selected for deployment will undertake a pre-deployment psychological screen. The purpose of this screening is to ensure deployees have mentally prepared for the trip, and have spoken with their family prior to departure about the role they are about to undertake.   We also ensure that the Response Psychological team contacts all deployees upon their return and that continuous support is offered for as long as it may be required.  Team members will also do a post-deployment mental health screen. Previous experience tells us that no two responses are the same.   Some requests for assistance may be as a result of a natural disaster which has resulted in damage or destruction of local infrastructure or local health capacity.  In this scenario it may be the case that a full EMT Type 2* field hospital response may be required.  Some requests for assistance may be for a small assessment team in response to an infectious disease outbreak, as we have seen with COVID-19.  This type of response will be to offer expert technical, clinical and logistical advice to the host country and team members may be accommodated in a hotel rather than in the field and camping, as they would be with an EMT Type 2 response. Regardless of the type of response needed, safety and security of all personnel, appropriate accommodation, water and sanitation, food security and equipment and consumables needs are given the highest priority.  The NCCTRC maintains a cache of equipment and supplies to ensure that all AUSMAT teams have the capacity and resources available to be fully self-sufficient when responding to an emergency and to scale up or down the response capability to align to the needs. The NCCTRC understands that family members may have queries or experience difficulties whilst their loved one is away.  As part of any deployment, the NCCTRC makes contact with family and friends of those deployed.  We do this through a series of email updates to nominated next of kin (NOK) listed in database profiles throughout the period of deployment and will liaise regarding return arrangements so that deployees can focus on the job where communications is limited.  The updates to NOKs include key contact numbers, family and friends are invited to contact the NCCTRC if they have any concerns or queries. Any information your NOK receive from the centre or about deployments is in confidence. *EMT Type 2 is a fully equipped and staffed field hospital accredited to WHO standards for capability and capacity.