Our quarterly meetings, convened by PPV, involve Polio Services Victoria, Polio Australia, and PPV. The aims of these meetings are to improve communication and support between these groups which in turn benefits the polio community. We use this meeting to advocate to PSV, which is the key service provider in Victoria for people with polio, on behalf users and potential users of the services. It also is a way for PSV to consult with representative groups about its services, initiatives and communication. We generally meet four times a year.
Our last meeting was on 5 June. Currently PSV is reviewing its physical layout in the Bolte wing at St Vincent’s to create a more client friendly, efficient and pleasant environment for those people who are using their services. The changes being made so far are to seating and signage. More substantial changes involving the reception area and access doors will depend on future capital budgets. If you have any feedback about the physical layout and/or PSV services, they would be very pleased to hear from you.
We are also working towards all Victorian hospitals having a polio alert as part of their admission procedures. This is very important for people with polio, particularly with regard to anaesthesia. Anaesthetists need to know when patients have had polio. St.Vincent’s has a Polio Alert that is activated when an in patient informs the hospital that they have had polio. We know that some hospitals have a type of polio alert as an automatic part of their admission procedures (i.e with a question about polio history on the in-take form) and we are looking to identify these and use them as a basis for approaching other hospitals.
Polio Australia is trying to get a polio alert included in the My Health Records system. Remember that if you are admitted to hospital for any reason, always tell them you have had polio. PSV has recieved further funding to review long standing open client’s cases. Please contact them directly on Tel: (0 3) 92 31 3900 or 1800 030 324