• Help us stay in touch - Update your contact details on the VICNISS portal
• A VICNISS Workshop - Surgical Site Surveillance
• CLABSI Masterclass - Review the presentations
• Literature Review
• Guideline on Candida auris for Victorian Health Services
• Implementation Guide: Surveillance of CLABSI
• Legislation change regarding HIV testing
• Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations summary.
• CDI Investigation Guide - Update 2019
• HHA
• Upcoming changes to VICNISS Surgical Site Infection & Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis Modules

Do we have your contact details recorded accurately? What about your staff and your health service?

It's important that you check on the VICNISS website under "MANAGE ACCOUNT"  (top right hand corner, drop down box under your name) to make sure we have all details accurately recorded particularly your job title and position classification.  This allows VICNISS to tailor information sent to you with only relevant news specific to your role.  We are mindful that your inbox can fill up fast so please assist us with making sure we are not sending through any unnecessary emails.

Please feel free to contact us if we can assist in anyway with this.

VICNISS will be hosting a workshop on surgical site surveillance designed for ICPs new to surveillance or those who would like a refresher.
Topics covered will include collection of data, infection definitions, antimicrobial prophylaxis and understanding reports.
Date: Monday 9th December 2019
Time: 0830 -1230 hours (registration from 08:00)
Venue: VICNISS Coordinating Centre at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity

Morning Tea will be provided

Register here >

Our recent masterclass was well attended showing a clear interest in learning more about CLABSI surveillance.  The presentations are now available on our website as well as a webinar recorded after the event (as there was not enough time on the day to go through all of the case scenarios in Judy's presentation,  "The complex and challenging - Invited case reviews). 

Learn more >

Dr Lyn-li Lim has prepared two literature reviews; 

• Lessons from a Candida auris outbreak in England
• Are 'single room only' hospitals effective in reducing healthcare-associated infections?

Click on the link to read these reviews  Learn more >

The Victorian Guideline on Candida auris was recently released and is available at: https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/infection-control

Learn more >

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care recently revised their Implementation Guide for Surveillance of Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) in Australian public and private hospitals.   Learn more >

Recently Victorian Parliament passed legislation to amend the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008  

Learn more >

Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis (SAP) Recommendations - (Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic version 16 2019) has been updated and the document is now available, (located in the SSI module under support materials)

Learn more >

The CDI Investigation Guide has been reviewed and a new updated version is now available.  This new version has been broken down into 4 parts, making it easier to print out the sections that you want to use. 

You can find this new guide under the CDI module on our website, under support materials)

Learn more >

Changes to the Coordination of the National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI)

From 1 October 2019, coordination and support for the NHHI will be provided by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission). 

Learn more > 

NHHI Audit Three 2019

Click on the following link for an update on important changes and additional actions required by administrators by 31st October 2019.

Learn more >

Gold Standard Auditor Workshops for 2020

If you would like to attend a Gold Standard Auditor Workshop in 2020 please contact jennifer.bradford@mh.org.au including your name, hospital name, your role,  email address, contact phone number and any special dietary requirement and I will be in touch when details of the next workshop are confirmed.

If your hospital would like to host a Gold Standard Auditor workshop in 2020 or you would like further information on what this would entail, please contact Jennifer Bradford on 9342 9356 or email: jennifer.bradford@mh.org.au. Without your support the GSA workshops cannot run, so any assistance with a venue would be much appreciated.

VICNISS is currently updating the surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) assessment to be in line with the revised Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic V16.

To ensure accurate assessment of antibiotic prophylaxis, the SSI and SAP module data collection forms will be updated to include route of administration e.g. IV, IM; and confirmation if antibiotics were continued beyond the surgery and if so was it longer than 24 hours.

These changes are planned to commence January 2020 so look out for further information.

Click here >  for further information and example of web form.