National Organ Donation Collaborative

In early 2006, Commonwealth, State and Territory governments funded a national organ donation collaborative. To date 26 Australian hospitals are taking part in the program which is funded until July 2009. The primary objective of the collaborative is to increase organ and tissue donation rates nationally. The Victorian Government supports the collaborative and looks forward to the benefits it will deliver to Victorians and all Australians

National Reform Agenda

In July 2006, Health Ministers recognised that if Australia wishes to narrow the widening gap between the need and availability of organs and tissues for transplantation, a new approach was required. The Commonwealth Government signalled its support for reform by committing $28 million for national initiatives towards achieving this goal.   

As part of this strategy, the National Clinical Taskforce on Organ and Tissue Donation, comprising experts from across the sector, was established in October 2006.

The Taskforce provided its final report to the Government on 14 February 2008 with 52 key recommendations.

Department of Health and Ageing - Australia - National Clinical Taskforce on Organ and Tissue Donation - Final Report

A World’s Best Practice Approach to Organ and Tissue Donation for Transplantation

On 2 July 2008 the Australian Government announced a total Commonwealth funding package of $151.1 million, including new funding of $136.4 million over four years, for measures to significantly improve Australians’ access to life saving organ transplants.
The funding package will establish Australia as a world leader in best practice organ donation for transplantation through an integrated and comprehensive national reform package.

These evidence-based reforms have been designed using international and national best practice models with a proven track record of maximising donation rates. They also build on the work and the recommendations of the National Clinical Taskforce on Organ and Tissue Donation which consulted extensively with clinical and community experts in order to recommend practical initiatives for reform.

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) endorsed the reform package on 3 July 2008 and agreed that the Commonwealth would lead implementation in partnership with states and territories.

Department of Health and Ageing - Australia
Factsheet - A World's Best Practice Approach to Organ and Tissue Donation for Australia (overview) (PDF 85KB) - July 2008

Key features of the national reform package include:

• The establishment of a new independent national authority to coordinate national organ donation initiatives

The Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority (the Authority) began operation on 1 January 2009 and established for the first time in Australia a nationally-coordinated approach to organ and tissue donation based on world’s best practice models.  The new independent Authority will provide national leadership to the organ and tissue sector and will drive, implement and monitor reform initiatives and programs.

http://www.donatelife.gov.au/

The Authority will oversee a network of State/Territory-based Organ and Tissue Donation Agencies (OTDA). The Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) currently provides organ donation coordination and bereavement services in Victoria under the ‘LifeGift’ banner. From 1 July 2009, interim hosting arrangements will be in place and ARCBS will host the Victorian organ donation agency for up to a further 12 months before the agency is transferred to the Authority’s entity.

A State Medical Director will lead each OTDA and hold statewide program responsibility to the Authority. The Department of Human Services has appointed Dr Helen Opdam as the inaugural Victorian State Medical Director.

• Funding for dedicated Hospital-based Medical Directors and Nurses for Organ and Tissue Donation

Dr Opdam will direct the implementation and coordinate the activities of a network of Hospital-based Medical Directors and Nurses for Organ and Tissue Donation in Victoria. Appointees to these clinical positions will facilitate and coordinate organ and tissue donation activity and outcomes at individual health services, and support and educate hospital teams in line with the Authority’s programs.

Hospital-based Medical Directors (HBMD)

We are seeking Intensivists/ ED physicians/ other interested medical specialists with an enthusiasm for organ and tissue donation and a commitment to champion and lead others to increase organ and tissue donation. The HBMD will be responsible for the local implementation of the national reform that will ensure that all potential donors are properly recognised and the opportunity for donation is available where appropriate.

Hospital-based Senior Nurses (HBSN)

Nurses will work with the HBMD to educate staff, support donor families and ensure that local hospital practice and systems are in line with the national programs of the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority.

The following Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) has been allocated to these hospitals (fixed term, to 30 June 2010):

	Hospital	HBMD FTE	HBSN FTE
1	The Alfred	1	1.5
2	The Royal Melbourne Hospital	1	1.5
3	Austin Hospital	1	1
4	St Vincent's Hospital	0.8	0.8
5	Monash Medical Centre	0.8	0.8
6	Dandenong Hospital	0.5	0.5
7	Box Hill Hospital	0.5	0.5
8	Maroondah Hospital	0.3	0.5
9	The Royal Children's Hospital	0.5	0.5
10	Frankston Hospital	0.5	0.5
11	The Northern Hospital	0.5	0.5
12	Western Hospital	0.5	0.5
13	The Geelong Hospital	0.5	0.5
14	Ballarat Health Services	-	0.5
15	Bendigo Health Care Group	-	0.5
16	Latrobe Regional Hospital	-	0.5
17	Goulburn Valley Health	-	0.5
18	Mildura Base Hospital	-	0.5
19	South West Healthcare	-	0.5
20	Albury Wodonga Health	-	0.5
21	Northeast Health Wangaratta	-	0.5
22	Central Gippsland Health Service	-	0.5
23	Epworth Private Hospital	-	0.5
24	Cabrini Private Hospital	-	0.5

For information regarding the application process, contact the relevant hospital liaison representative – see attached list for contact details:

 Hospital liaison representative contact details (PDF File 153KB)

Position descriptions for the HBMD and HBSN positions are available via the link below:

Hospital-based Medical Directors of Organ and Tissue Donation (PDF File 98KB)

 Hospital-based Nurses for Organ and Tissue Donation (PDF File 96KB)

For more information regarding the Victorian Organ and Tissue Donation Program, contact Dr Helen Opdam (Victorian State Medical Director of Organ and Tissue Donation) at the Victorian Organ and Tissue Donation Agency on 03 9349 4781 or hopdam@arcbs.redcross.org.au

• Funding for hospitals to meet additional staffing and infrastructure costs associated with organ donation

New funding stream will be made available for hospitals to reimburse extra costs for additional resources required to facilitate organ and tissue donation, such as staffing, infrastructure, pathology and diagnostic imaging.

• Funding for an ongoing national public awareness and education program.

National Cord Blood Collection Network (NCBCN)

The National Cord Blood Collection Network is funded by all Australian governments, to facilitate the collection of haemopoietic stem cells (HTCs) from the placenta and umbilical cord after birth. The cord blood is then used in the treatment of leukaemia or other fatal diseases. The cord blood collected in this manner becomes part of a national cord blood registry and is available for access by all Australians in need.

Contact: Verna Wan on 9096 0212