Special Committees
Successive health ministers have agreed that a special approach towards mortality associated with anaesthesia and surgery is warranted and have appointed special committees to review and advise on measures that may be taken to reduce these deaths. The considerable increase in attention to quality and safety in the healthcare system prompted the NSW Department of Health to commission a major strategic and operational review of the committees - the Morey Report. One of the report's key recommendations was that the special committees become part of the Institute for Clinical Excellence (ICE), to provide support and links with other quality and safety initiatives in NSW. This process began in January 2004 with the transfer of funding for the committees' secretariat from the NSW Department of Health to ICE and since August 2004 to the Clinical Excellence Commission.
Quicklinks:
- Special Committee Investigating Deaths Under Anaesthesia (SCIDUA)
- Special Committee Investigating Deaths Associated with Surgery (SCIDAWS)
Special Committee Investigating Deaths Under Anaesthesia (SCIDUA)
Background:
The Special Committee Investigating Deaths Under Anaesthesia (SCIDUA) was originally convened in 1960 in response to concerns about the number of deaths occurring during anaesthesia. The primary objective is to investigate deaths occurring under Section 12B(1) (e) of the Coroners Act 1980:
the person died while under, or as a result of, or within 24 hours after the administration of, an anaesthetic administered in the course of a medical, surgical or dental operation or procedure or an operation or procedure of a like nature, other than a local anaesthetic administered solely for the purpose of facilitating a procedure of resuscitation from apparent or impending death.
The committee was re-established under the Health Administration Act 1982, Section 20 (4) Division 6 and has privilege. Further information and procedures relevant to the obligation to report deaths are contained in NSW Health Circular number 2004/23.
Membership:
Nominees of the Minister for Health
- Chair
- Secretary
- Assistant Secretary
- Chair of the NSW Special Committee Investigating Deaths Associated with Surgery (SCIDAWS)
- Officer of the NSW Health Department
Representatives from:
- Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists
- Australian Society of Anaesthetists
- Department of Anaesthesia, University of Newcastle
- Department of Anaesthesia, University of Sydney
- Department of Surgery, University of New South Wales
- Department of Surgery, University of Sydney
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Royal College of Pathologists of Australia
Special Committee Investigating Deaths Associated with Surgery (SCIDAWS)
The Special Committee Investigating Deaths Associated with Surgery (SCIDAWS) was established in 1994 in response to concerns about the number of deaths occurring in the peri-operative period, defined as within 30 days of a surgical procedure.
The State Coroner informs the committee secretariat of
- Deaths notified to a coroner as having occurred within 24 hours of the administration of an anaesthetic (or where the deceased has failed to recover fully from an anaesthetic)
- Other deaths notified to a coroner, in which the coroner considers that a surgical operation had been a contributory factor.
Surgeons are also requested to provide, on their own initiative, confidential information on:
- Deaths which have been notified to the coroner
- Other deaths which occur in hospital within 30 days of a surgical operation.
Chair
SCIDAWS Chair Associate Professor Hugh Carmalt
SCIDUA Chair Dr Chris Borton
Membership
There are 14 organisations represented on the Committee
- Australian Orthopaedic Association
- Australian Society of Gynaecologic Oncologists
- Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Australian Society of Otolaryngology
- Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand
- Colo-rectal Surgical Society of Australia
- Discipline of Surgical Science, University of Newcastle
- Gastroenterological Society of Australia
- Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
- NSW Institute of Forensic Medicine
- NSW Neurosurgical Society
- University of Sydney
- Urological Society of Australasia
- NSW Department of Health
