We can now announce our collaborative application for a NHMRC MRFF grant was successful. Our integrated grant project will engage three leading multidisciplinary groups currently working to improve quality of care in the Australian aged care sector: the Victorian Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance System (VICNISS), the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship (NCAS) and the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA). The timely aim is to develop, implement and scale a surveillance program to reduce the incidence of infectious diseases among consumers and related care transitions in all Australian aged care homes (ACHs) - the National Infection Surveillance Program for Aged Care (NISPAC).
Read more...Victorian public and private hospitals performing surveillance for healthcare-associated infections and relevant processes are reminded that from July 2021, VICNISS Surgical Antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) reporting will apply updated compliance definitions on the following....
Read more...A review and update of the VICNISS manual is now complete and came into effect as of July 1 2021.
Read more...Ongoing support for all Victorian Aged Care IPC Leads continues with monthly online forums. If you missed any or would like to go back and re-watch one or more of the webinars, recordings are available along with the PowerPoint presentations.
Read more...The CPE TRA list has recently been updated on July 26 2021
Read more...The Department of Health (DH), in their regular communication to CEOs, has advised the following: "It is no longer mandatory for Victorian facilities to facilitate asymptomatic testing, nor are there specific targets on the frequency of testing"
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VICNISS is a partner in the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship (NCAS). The multiple areas of overlap between antimicrobial stewardship and infection control mean NCAS and VICNISS are working collaboratively on many joint projects.
Some of these include:
Resources such as guidelines, root cause analysis/ audit tools and fact sheets can be found on the following link: https://www.ncas-australia.org/
For the latest updates, information and advice about the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Victoria please refer to the Department of Health and Human Services, State Government of Victoria (DHHS) website: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
For links to other Department of Health and Human Services websites and social media channels please click here
Click here for information and advice from the Department of Health and Human Services, State Government of Victoria (DHHS) on how businesses can reduce the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in the workplace, helping to keep both staff and customers safe. This page contains information on reducing risk by implementing hygiene measures and physical distancing advice. Topics covered include:
Many healthcare associated infections are preventable. As a consumer of healthcare, you may wish to know more about how to prevent acquiring an infection during your hospital stay. Consumer facts sheets have been developed to support the messages on healthcare associated infection contained in the NHMRC Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare. These fact sheets aim to inform patients, visitors, families and carers about healthcare associated infection, what activities healthcare facilities have in place to prevent infections and/or to limit the spread of infections.
The current fact sheets can be accessed via the NHMRC website here
Click on the Go to Downloads button to find the brochures for the following:
Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI)
Clostridioides difficile (CDI)
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE)
There is a vast amount of information available on the internet in relation to healthcare associated infections some of which may not be accurate. If you wish to know more regarding infection prevention; contact the Infection Prevention team at your hospital, or you can use the recommended links of reputable websites below.
