VICNISS Advisory Committee

A new VICNISS Advisory Committee (VAC) was formed after the commencement of the 2005-08 VICNISS contract, and had its first meeting on Wednesday, 26th October 2005. The membership list can be viewed below. The VAC meets quarterly.

2008 Meeting Dates

Thursday, 13th March (Please note: Previously 21st February)
15th May
21st August
20th November

Purpose

The VICNISS Advisory Committee will provide stakeholder input and advice to the Coordinating Centre on the implementation and extension of VICNISS. The Committee will advise the Coordinating Centre on the implementation, development and deliverables of the VICNISS program.

Membership

Membership will be sought from key stakeholders including the groups listed so that DHS, hospital management, professional and community groups are represented:

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Australian College of Health Service Executives (CEO or DON or DOM)
DHS Representatives: Quality and Safety Branch
Consumer Representative
Victorian Infectious Diseases Service
Victorian Infection Control Professionals Association (VICPA) (Rural and Metropolitan)
Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID)
Victorian Advisory Committee on Infection Control (VACIC) Surveillance and Resistance Sub-committee
Melbourne Health Service Management
Victorian Regional Committee - Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine
VICNISS Coordinating Centre

The Advisory Committee may form working groups, co-opt members to the Committee or working groups and commission other activities as necessary.

DHS appoints the Committee Chair and members. Members are appointed for a 3-year term, with the option to extend (See Operating Rules).

	Name		Representing	Contact
Mr	Felix	Pintado	Chair of Committee Australian College of Health Service Executives	c/-Chief Executive Officer, Dental Health Services Victoria
Prof	Graham	Brown	Victorian Infectious Diseases Service	c/-Melbourne Health
Ms	Donna	Cameron	Victorian Infection Control Professionals Association (VICPA)	c/-Austin Hospital, Austin Health
Ms	Sally	Campbell	Executive Director, Business Development and Corporate Secretary, Melbourne Health	Melbourne Health
Mr	Richard	Chua	Consumer Representative	c/-Clinton Dunkley, DHS (see below)
Mr	Clinton	Dunkley	Senior Program Advisor, Infection Control & Cleaning, Quality and Safety Programs Unit	Department of Human Services
Ms	Christine	Griffiths	Consumer Representative	c/-Clinton Dunkley, DHS (see above)
Ms	Glenys	Harrington	Victorian Infection Control Professionals Association (VICPA)	c/-Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, The Alfred Hospital, Bayside Health
Mr	Rondhir	Jithoo	Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
A/Prof	Paul	Johnson	Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases	c/-Austin Health
Dr	Chris	MacIsaac	Victorian Regional Committee - Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine	c/-Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists or c/-Melbourne Health
Mr	Matthew	Mason	Victorian Infection Control Professionals Association (VICPA)	c/-Bairnsdale Regional Health Service
A/Prof	Mike	Richards	Director	VICNISS Coordinating Centre
Mr	Phil	Russo	Deputy Director	VICNISS Coordinating Centre
Prof	Denis	Spelman	Chair, Victorian Advisory Council on Infection Control (VACIC) Surveillance and Resistance Sub-committee Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases	c/-Microbiology Department, The Alfred Hospital
Mr	Dean	Wilkes	Manager, Quality and Safety Programs Unit	Department of Human Services

Reporting Arrangements

The VICNISS Coordinating Centre will provide an annual report to the Quality and Safety Branch, Department of Human Services, and Melbourne Health.

The Manager, Quality and Safety Branch, is the principal Department of Human Services contact.

The Chief Executive Officer of Melbourne Health is the principal managerial contact for the VICNISS Coordinating Centre.

The Chair, Manager, Quality and Safety Branch, Department of Human Services, Chief Executive Officer, Melbourne Health, and Director, VICNISS Coordinating Centre, will form a joint Executive Sponsorship Committee.

Reporting Relationships

Terms of Reference (February 2006)

The Advisory Committee will be a high level committee that will provide focus on strategies and deliverables for VICNISS including:

Ongoing review of aims, objectives and effectiveness of the role of VICNISS and its' Coordinating Centre, in reducing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs)
Ensure that the development of VICNISS is in context with what already exists, particularly in relation to overlapping areas and gaps
Provide advice on VICNISS broad business planning and service development, progress on deliverables, including development of indicators for service quality and accessibility
Provide comment on VICNISS HAI surveillance reports
Ensure that the potential benefit of the VICNISS project and Coordinating Centre is maximised including measures to achieve maximum participation by health services
Provide advice on the measures taken to ensure that VICNISS and the Coordinating Centre has an effective communication strategy in place, including communication with the community and consumers
Establish the mechanism for a technical reference group for the Coordinating Centre as required, on issues such as methods, definitions and the development, evaluation and implementation of VICNISS surveillance software

Meeting Procedures

Meetings will occur quarterly. In addition there may be a requirement to call an extra ordinary meeting.
Quorum will be deemed to be half full membership + 1. In the event that the quorum is not achieved the meeting will continue but decisions be ratified at the next meeting
Minutes - the activities of the Committee will be recorded, confirmed by the Chair, forwarded to members and retained on a formal registered file
Operating Rules -see below

Operating Rules

Confidentiality
Unless stated, all papers, including data, are to be viewed as confidential. These are for the exclusive use of the Committee members.

Declaration of Conflict of Interest
Members should declare any personal interest at any meeting if it relates specifically to a particular issue under consideration. The Secretariat will record this declaration in the minutes.

Proxies
Members are required to notify the Chair or Secretariat when there is an intention for a proxy to represent the member at any Advisory Committee meeting or to undertake any membership role or responsibility. Proxies must be an existing member of the Committee.

Attendance
If members are unable to attend meeting on three consecutive occasions, the Chair will request that a person with equivalent representation replace them.

Media
To be directed to the Director of VICNISS Coordinating Centre in the first instance.

Review of Terms of Reference
The Terms of Reference of the Committee will be ratified at the first meeting and reviewed as required by the Chair in consultation with the Department of Human Services.