ordinary meeting of council to be held on tuesday, 18 july 2006

Ordinary Meeting <strong>of</strong> Council - 18 July 2006 4 / 4
Item 4
S02957
29 June 2006
Coupled with this, is the general disruption <strong>to</strong> daily business within Councils admininstration
building, with noise intrusion associated with the immunisation procedure and general clutter <strong>of</strong> the
Level 3 foyer with <strong>to</strong>ys, prams, chairs etc posing a safety hazard <strong>to</strong> staff, users <strong>of</strong> the immunisation
service and the general public.
The relocation <strong>of</strong> immunisation clinics <strong>of</strong>f site has <strong>be</strong>en considered in the past, however, due <strong>to</strong>
inadeqaute safe s<strong>to</strong>rage provision for equiptment, vaccine, records and other miscellania, that has
not <strong>be</strong>en pursued. Given our poor score card from NSW Health in terms <strong>of</strong> inadequate facilities,
coupled with the real threat in terms <strong>of</strong> providing a safe area for our visi<strong>to</strong>rs, it is considerd
appropriate that we now relocate the clininc at the earliest possible time.
A review <strong>of</strong> Council facilities has <strong>be</strong>en undertaken. The most appropriate venue identified is the
Turramurra Seniors Centre, 1 Gilroy Road, Turramurra. This centre is located close <strong>to</strong> public
transport and has adequate casual parking spaces nearby. The centre has good acceess facilities for
parents with prams and a supply <strong>of</strong> hot and cold water for medical practitioners. The hall hire rate
for this venue is $20 per hour, however, in kind donation <strong>of</strong> this venue is anticipated. There is
currently no other user <strong>of</strong> this venue on the days and times required for immunisation.
Record keeping
A citical component <strong>of</strong> the immunisation service is the maintenance <strong>of</strong> accurate records and the
retrieval <strong>of</strong> these for a variety <strong>of</strong> reasons. Personal immunisation records are required <strong>to</strong> <strong>be</strong> kept
indefinitely. Details <strong>to</strong> <strong>be</strong> s<strong>to</strong>red include vaccination type, vaccine batch num<strong>be</strong>r, date
administered and relevant personal details. Council must supply written confirmation <strong>of</strong> the
vaccines administered on requst. Often, Council receives requests for an immunisation certificate
from persons travelling or migrating overseas, commencing service in the armed forces and, in the
majority <strong>of</strong> cases, for 4 and 5 year olds about <strong>to</strong> commence school.
Currently, Council has records kept in two formats; hand written cards, for immunisation <strong>of</strong> persons
from the 1950s <strong>to</strong> 1980s and computerised records on Council's, aging and soon <strong>to</strong> <strong>be</strong> superceded,
"AS400" database system.
As Council is aware, the AS400 s<strong>of</strong>tware is currently <strong>be</strong>ing replaced with "Proclaim". The new
s<strong>of</strong>tware contains no specific upgrade path for immunisation records. In order <strong>to</strong> continue with its
immunisation service, Council needs <strong>to</strong> find a suitable replacement record keeping system. An "<strong>of</strong>f
the shelf" product has <strong>be</strong>en identified and is currently used by Ryde Council and many other NSW
<strong>council</strong>s. The cost <strong>of</strong> purchase and set up is approximately $3,000.
Immunisation at other Councils
Eleven <strong>council</strong>s operate on the northside within the Local Area Health Service, however, only seven
still maintain their clinics. Hornsby, Warringah, Pittwater,and Hunters Hill have in recent years
disbanded their service. Ku-ring-gai, along with Ryde, Lane Cove, North Sydney, Mosman, Manly
and Willoughby still provide a service on a monthly basis. All clinics are provided free <strong>of</strong> charge <strong>to</strong>
preschoolers.
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