Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network
Steering Committee
Terms of Reference
May 2012
Table of Contents
1. Purpose ... 3
2. Principal Functions ... 3
3. Reporting Responsibilities ... 4
4. Steering Committee... 4
5. Network Membership... 5
6. Meetings ... 5
7. Secretariat ... 6
8. Evaluation... 6
9. Date of Last Review ... 6
10. Approving Authorities: ... 7
1.
Purpose
The purpose of the Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network Steering Committee is to promote measurable improvements in respiratory care across Queensland.
2.
Principal Functions
The Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network Steering Committee will operate in a manner consistent with the Queensland Health Clinical Network Policy v2.0 and Implementation Standard v1.0. The principal functions of the Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network Steering Committee include:
• Develop, review and endorse for state use, evidence based standards of care, assessment tools, guidelines and pathways to promote standardisation of best care practices and principles across Queensland.
• Review, and where appropriate, support adoption of clinical practice standards promulgated by the Health Quality and Complaints Commission.
• Review unjustified variation in service quality or efficiency, define targets for improvement, and develop strategies to achieve such improvement.
• Review and provide advice on the implementation of clinical and service improvement initiatives such as the Clinical Practice Improvement Payment and other incentives to improve patient and carer outcomes.
• Monitor clinical network endorsed clinical indicators.
• Facilitate sharing of lessons from audit processes between clinicians.
• Act as an advisory group to Queensland Health business units and other statewide clinical networks with regards to priority setting, workforce issues, planning, policy, resource allocation and system efficiency for respiratory medicine services across Queensland Health; and liaise with external bodies, for example, General Practice Queensland, research institutes, and tertiary and consumer organisations.
• Assist in the development of statewide service plans and monitor implementation of such plans in conjunction with the coordinating Division or Branch.
• Monitor the adequacy of workforce supply and develop new workforce strategies in conjunction with the coordinating Division or Branch.
• Develop, promote and integrate clinical research activities, and access to opportunities for research, through the respiratory medicine related services in Queensland.
• Review the value of new clinical interventions and technologies and advise on their most appropriate use and other clinical policy.
• Support the development of clinical information solutions, including web based service provider referral and communication systems, to facilitate the transfer of patient information across sector service providers.
3.
Reporting Responsibilities
The senior management link (Executive Sponsor) for the Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network is the Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Healthcare Improvement via the Executive Director, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Service (Appendix 1).
The Steering Committee of the Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network will report to the Executive Sponsor via the Executive Director, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Service.
Any working groups established will report to the Steering Committee, Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network.
4.
Steering Committee
The role of the Steering Committee is to:
(i) provide expert advice to the Queensland Health Executive in relation to respiratory services, specifically, standards, planning, workforce, quality, research and clinical information systems (ii) measure current clinical performance in respiratory care and identify areas to improve
(iii) develop and implement measurable clinical practice improvements for respiratory in the areas of:
• acute respiratory care
• chronic respiratory disease management.
Wider Clinical Network Work Groups Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is appointed for a period of 2 years.
The Steering Committee will develop an annual Operational Plan to guide clinical network activities and outcomes. This will incorporate action plans from all working groups under the clinical network.
Membership
5.
Network Membership
Membership of the network will be multidisciplinary (medical, nursing, allied health) and include representation from public sector, private sector, community health, general practice, consumers and non-government organisation(s) from across the state.
Membership and communication will also be open to other interested groups, including research centres and universities.
6.
Meetings
Meetings of the steering committee are to be held five (5) to six (6) weekly and as required. Attendance can be effected face-to-face or via telephone/video conferencing.
If a member is unable to attend a meeting, the member can nominate an informed proxy to attend on their behalf.
Name Position
Associate Professor Stephen
Morrison Clinical Chair & Director, Department of Thoracic Medicine, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Dr John Armstrong Senior Thoracic Physician, Department of Respiratory Medicine,
Princess Alexandra Hospital Dr Pathmanathan (Siva)
Sivakumaran
Director of Respiratory Medicine, Gold Coast Hospital Dr Ross Sellars Chair, Division of Medicine, Toowoomba Hospital Dr Stephen Vincent Thoracic Physician, Cairns Base Hospital
Melissa Argent A/Assistant Director of Nursing, Division of Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital
Brett Windeatt Respiratory Educator / Smoking Cessation Facilitator, Integrated Respiratory Service, Logan Hospital
Jan Guerassimoff Clinical Nurse, Gladstone Community Health
Michael Brown Director of Respiratory and Sleep Sciences, Department of Thoracic Medicine, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital James Walsh Physiotherapy Consultant, Queensland Centre for Pulmonary
Transplantation and Vascular Disease, The Prince Charles Hospital
Kirsty Watson Assistant Director of Physiotherapy, Thoracic Program and Advanced Clinician – Clinical Specialist, Rockhampton Hospital William Darbishire Chief Executive Officer, The Australian Lung Foundation
Phillipa Grant Program Coordinator General Practice Queensland Moya Sandow Consumer representative
A quorum is achieved with fifty percent of members plus one in attendance at a meeting, within 20 minutes of the scheduled commencement time of the meeting. For the purposes of determining a quorum a nominated proxy will count as a member in attendance.
Failure to attend two consecutive meetings without prior notification may require a member to step down from the Network’s Steering Committee at the direction of the Clinical Chair and in consultation with the Executive Sponsor.
7.
Secretariat
Secretariat to the Steering Committee of Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network will be provided by the Principal Project Officer, Clinical Networks Team, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Service.
8.
Evaluation
The Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network will:
• report progress against the operational plan annually as part of a continuous improvement process
• participate in an annual self assessment process for Statewide Clinical Networks • participate in formal internal or external evaluations as required.
9.
Date of Last Review
May 2012
10. Approving Authorities:
1. Clinical Chair, Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network Name: Associate Professor Stephen Morrison
Position: Clinical Chair, Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network
Signature: ..……….. ... Date: / / 2012
2. Executive Director, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Service Name: Dr John Wakefield PSM
Position: Executive Director, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Service
Signature: ……….. ... Date: / / 2012
Queensland
Clinical Senate
CEO
Centre for Healthcare Improvement
Executive Director Patient Safety & Quality
Improvement Service District Chief Executive Officers Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network (Steering Committee) Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network (Working Groups) Other Queensland Health Departments
Statewide Respiratory Clinical Network (Wider Network)
