| VIDS Clinical Service |
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About the VIDS Clinical Service
The Victorian Infectious Diseases Service (VIDS) provides comprehensive specialty inpatient and outpatient services. Inpatients are cared for in a dedicated ward with an experienced nursing team, and our isolation facilities are currently being upgraded with dedicated funding from the Department of Human Services.
Over 700 infectious diseases consultations are sought annually from other RMH units and our team responds to numerous telephone enquiries from medical practitioners. Six outpatient clinics per week at the Royal Melbourne Hospital focus on areas such as post-travel and refugee health, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and general infectious diseases.
Other areas of clinical expertise are nosocomial infections, infections in immunocompromised patients, clinical virology, tropical medicine and infection prevention. The practice of infectious diseases in all these areas is rigorously aligned with its evidence base.
We have an important role in supporting the Department of Human Services in provision of advice, development of guidelines for emerging infections such as SARS or Avian influenza, and we are the designated Hospital for management of patients with possible viral haemorrhagic fever.
Clinical Initiatives
- The VIDS-developed restricted drugs approval system, iApprove, was launched as a central component of Guidance decision support.
- Planning for possible pandemic influenza patient management was undertaken at a hospital and DHS level. Specific planning for the site and composition of an 'Influenza Clinic' to triage pandemic influenza patients has commenced.
- Upgrade of negative pressure ventilation rooms to comply with Australian standards was planned in conjunction with the infrastructure and engineering departments. This will ensure that we provide adequate protection for staff and the community in managing patients with infectious diseases.
- We have supported development of a "Clinical Code Yellow" team that can be summoned rapidly to provide a coordinated institution-wide response to an issue related to infection control.
- Clinical Code Yellow responses to Intensive Care Unit outbreaks of the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter as well as unrecognised disseminated varicella-zoster virus on the Renal Unit were completed with efficient identification of Infection Prevention priorities.
- We encouraged expansion of the private Fairfield Travel Clinic to meet increased demand for pre-travel health advice that is not provided at public hospitals.
- We supported development of coordinated statewide counselling services for occupational and non-occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens.
- Closer links with Department Microbiology are planned with shared educational programs and clinico-pathological activities including teaching for Infectious Diseases registrars. This builds on the support VIDS provided for a clinical Registrar in the Microbiology Department.
Clinical Staff
Director - Professor Michael Richards.
Deputy Director - Dr Alan Street.
Nurse Unit Manager (Ward 9 East) - Mr Phillip Robertson.
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