Emergency Access Reference Committee (EARC)
Functions of the Committee
The Emergency Access Reference Committee (EARC) was established in March
2005 to provide advice and make recommendations to the Executive Director,
Metropolitan Health & Aged Care Services Division on patient access
to public hospital emergency department services in Victoria. Advice
is provided on all key areas, including:
- Strategies to improve equitable access to emergency services on the
basis of need;
- The implementation of the key recommendations handed down in a report
by the Auditor General, “Managing emergency demand in public
hospitals” (May 2004);
- The development of access improvement initiatives, including key
performance indicators, benchmarks and initiatives to deal with specific
issues affecting statewide emergency service performance;
- The provision of advice on issues arising from developments at the
Commonwealth level that affect access to emergency services.
Frequency of Meetings
Meetings are held quarterly.
Consultation with clinical colleges/organisations
The Committee consults with clinical colleges and other professional
clinical organisations to ensure appropriate additional input from
the medical and nursing professions.
Sub-Committees
The EARC has five sub-committees:
- The ED Audit Sub-Committee (Chair: Craig Winter)
- The Mental Health Sub-Committee (Chair: Alex Cockram)
- Aged Care Sub-Committee (Chair: Joe Ibrahim)
- Ambulance Interface Sub-Committee (Chair: Peter Cameron)
- Primary Care Sub-Committee (Chair: Bill Newton)
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