Blood Matters Advisory Committee
Terms of Reference
Page contents: Aim | Objectives |
Performance measures | Membership |
Length of membership | Mid term vacancies | Quorum | Sub-committees |
Frequency of Meetings | Other working
arrangments
Aim
To improve outcomes in patients requiring blood product transfusion in Victorian
hospitals by enhancing the safety and appropriateness of blood and blood product
use.
Objectives
- Promotion of safe and effective blood transfusion practice
- Promotion
of education and training programs
- Promotion and dissemination of
clinical practice guidelines
- Promotion of effective blood inventory
management in hospitals
- Monitor and report on Victorian Transfusion
Practice and the Program’s activities including demand and utilisation
of blood and blood products
- Identification of key priority areas
and problems in any aspect of blood transfusion including potential solutions
to the identified issues and coordination of improvement initiatives
- Respond
to sentinel events and key transfusion adverse events referred to the program
- Respond
to any other specific matters referred to the program for investigation,
review and reporting as required
- Support of performance monitoring
and audit including development of standardised audit tools and processes
and monitoring of relevant indicators across different sites
- Support
of hospital transfusion committees
- Identify and respond to patients’ perceptions
about the quality and safety of transfusion services
- Report as
required to the Minister for Health, the Department of Human Services Victoria
and Victorian Quality Council
- Liaisons with appropriate state,
national and specialist associations and organisations.
Performance measures
- Providing data on the blood transfusion practices
within hospitals in Victoria
- Monitoring trends and providing data
on utilisation of blood and blood products in compliance with clinical/best
practice guidelines
- Monitoring, facilitating and reporting of transfusion
performance audit at a hospital and state-wide level
- Demonstrating
delivery of education programs and quality improvement programs to enhance
transfusion practice in Victoria
- Providing data on patients’ experiences
of the provision of transfusion services
- Maintaining a register of
practical strategies to enhance the quality and safety of transfusion practice
and the dissemination of relevant strategies to users of blood.
The committee shall review the Terms of Reference annually.
Membership
The Chairperson and members will be invited and appointed by the department.
The committee will reflect the following membership:
- Australian Red
Cross Blood Service representative(s)
- Patient/consumer representative(s)
- Department of Human Services
(Quality and Safety Branch and Blood Programs Branch) representatives
- Australian & New
Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion representative
- Clinical Epidemiology
representative
- Representatives from Hospital Transfusion Committees
(including private hospitals) and other relevant transfusion practitioners.
The representatives should span the range of speciality medical, surgical
practice with high blood utilisation, hospital blood bank scientists, haematologists
and nursing practitioners.
- Private sector representative.
Additional members shall be co-opted as necessary.
The Chairperson is to be selected from one of the clinical ‘users of
blood’ on the Advisory Committee.
The department, in consultation with the chairperson will appoint a deputy
chairperson.
Length of membership
The term of membership for committee members, including the chairperson,
shall be for three years. After three years, membership will be reviewed with
the aim to ensure continuity of knowledge and expertise.
The committee membership will be reviewed annually.
Mid term vacancies
Nominations will be invited and an appointment made by the department in consultation
with the chairperson.
Inability to attend will not ordinarily be replaced by proxy and only be
replaced by prior arrangement with the department.
Quorum
A quorum will consist of half the membership plus one.
Sub-committees
Sub-committees or working groups will be formed as required to ensure that
the momentum of the Advisory Committee’s activities is maintained between
meetings.
Frequency of meetings
Quarterly and as required.
Other Working Arrangements
A Secretariat, which includes a project officer, experienced in quality
improvement, and one or more transfusion nurses will support the Advisory Committee.
Date issued: 30 November 2005
Date to be revised: July 2008
Authorised by: Alison J McMillan, Director Statewide Quality Branch, Rural
and Regional Health and Aged Care Services, Department of Human Services.
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