Health Services Commissioner Annual Report 2000/2001

Birnbauer was published in The Sunday Age. The article was about infection rates in
the neonatal special care nursery and the cardiac surgical unit at the MMC and based
on the information supplied under the FOI request.
The HSC received the terms of reference for the Inquiry on 24 March 2000, under
section 9(1)(m) of the Health Services (Conciliation and Review) Act 1987.
The DHS, Quality Branch, had taken steps, since October 1999, to improve infection
control in public hospitals, including requiring all public hospitals to provide a plan of
their infection control strategies and protocols. A panel of experts had reviewed the
plans and the Quality Branch, at the time of the Inquiry, was in the process of
providing feedback and/or requiring further detail. The process included the MMC.
In April 2000, a comprehensive plan to improve infection control in public hospitals
in Victoria was Tabled in Parliament by the Minister for Health. The range of
infection control measures included the requirement of all Metropolitan Health
Services and hospitals to develop a Strategic Management Plan for submission to the
DHS.
Discussion
Infection control is a vital part of hospitals and public health services. If underresourced,
or if carelessness and poor attitudes prevail, the health and safety of the
public are put at risk. While there will always be some risk, processes need to be in
place to ensure that these risks are minimised. Infection control has not always been
given the highest, or integrated, priority in our health services as hospitals strive to
meet all demands. Media attention to the issue, for example, Bill Birnbauer’s
reporting in The Age, has been useful in increasing the awareness of hospital
administrators, staff and the public to the importance of allocating adequate resources
and improving infection control practices, monitoring and reporting.
Effective infection control requires changes in attitude, ownership of the problems
and changes in behaviour in all areas of hospitals including – food services, rubbish
collection, theatre procedures and sterilisation techniques, and the use of re-usable or
single use items.
There is a dearth of risk-adjusted and validated data available on infection control and
prevention in Victorian public hospitals. The situation is beginning to change with
the DHS proposal for the establishment of an independent co-ordinating centre to
provide advice and support for the Victorian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance
System (VICNESS). It is envisaged that the Centre will “collect, feedback and
publish aggregated, risk-adjusted, procedure specific infection rates and provide
education and training to participating institutions.
The Southern HCN, its Board, MMC and the Infection Control Advisory Committee
have been proactive in facilitating infection control best practices and in researching
methods of evidence based proactive to contain and control infections.
A considerable amount of work has already been progressed in 2000 by the DHS,
Quality and Continuity Care Branch concerning all Victorian public hospitals. The
MMC, and the Board of Southern HCN, have been eager to identify and address
Health Services Commissioner Annual Report 2000/2001 16