Abstract
BackgroundMass gatherings, such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games, represent an enormous logistical challenge for the host city. Health service planners must deliver routine and emergency services and, in recent Games, health legacy initiatives, for the local and visiting population. However there is little evidence to support their planning decisions. We therefore evaluated the strategic health planning programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to identify generalisable information for future Games.MethodsWe thematically analysed data from stakeholder interviews and documents. The data were prospectively collected in three phases, before, during and after the Games.FindingsWe identified five key themes: (1) Systemic Improvement for example in communications, (2) Effective relationships led to efficiencies and permanent gains, such as new relationships with the private sector (3) Difficult relationships led to inefficiencies, for instance, duplication in testing and exercising emergency scenarios, (4) Tendency to over-estimate demand for care, particularly emergency medicine, and (5) Difficulties establishing a health legacy due to its deprioritisation and lack of vision by the programme team.InterpretationEnduring improvements which are sustained after the Games are possible, such as the establishment of new and productive partnerships. Relationships must be established early on to avoid duplication, delay and unnecessary expense. There should be greater critical evaluation of the likely demand for health services to reduce the wasting of resources. Finally, if a health legacy is planned, then clear definitions and commitment to its measurement is essential.
Highlights
Mass gatherings, such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games, represent an enormous logistical challenge for the host city
Systemic Improvement Despite the disappointment relating to the health legacy, respondents reported examples of sustainable systemic improvements that occurred as a result of the Olympics
15 4 3 4 6 2 4 1 7 39 impact of these system improvements are easier to measure and attribute compared with health improvement impacts, because many changes and adaptations can be put to the test when the National Health Service (NHS) is put under pressure, for example in the busy winter period
Summary
The applicability of evidence from other mass gatherings is limited This is because the Games take place over a long time period (unlike large events such as the World Cup), they involve a mainly young and healthy spectator population (unlike mass gatherings such the Hajj) and they are located over a number of often highly dispersed sites [4]. Mass gatherings, such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games, represent an enormous logistical challenge for the host city. We evaluated the strategic health planning programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to identify generalisable information for future Games
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