BRANCH REPORTS
NSW/ACT BRANCH REPORT President’s Report to National Board February 2021 The NSW / ACT Branch of the Institute of Healthcare Engineering Australia (IHEA) was to hold a Professional Development Conference, Trades Display and Branch General Meeting at the C,ex Club Coffs, Coffs Harbour in April 2021. The conference received substantial support from sponsors and CoM was very excited to have its first gathering since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The conference theme was “Environmental Challenges for Healthcare Engineering”. Regrettably due to uncertainty created surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and outbreaks, the Committee agreed to make the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 state conference. We are hoping this will boost the number of delegates and sponsors who will be attending Perth Conference in September 2021. Currently there is a greater focus on running PD days virtually. The commitment to hold these events on a regular basis will be one of the 2021 branch strategies to reengage with the member’s community. In accordance with Article 14.5 of the Institute of Healthcare Engineering Constitution the State Branch notified NSW and ACT members of the intent to hold the NSW - ACT Branch Special Meeting on 23/4/2021 at 12pm. Due to state conference cancellation this meeting was held virtually via Skype meeting. NSW-ACT Committee membership remained unchained. There were some discussions surrounding representation on the IHEA national board.
Committee of Management Members President
Rob Arian
Treasurer
Mal Allen
Vice President
Jason Swingler
Secretary
Marcus Stalker
CoM
Dean Benke
CoM
Darrell Milton
CoM
Greg Allen
CoM
Brett Petherbridge
CoM
Jon Gowdy
CoM
John Miles
If you have ideas or would like to communicate with the NSWACT branch please email us at ihea.nswact@ihea.org.au
AS2896 Medical Gases IHEA NSW CoM member Mal Allen has advised the Committee that there is an innovative round of requests for comments to occur in the next 4 months. Mal Allen joined several meetings with the Standards Australia working committee to deliberate public comments on the draft publication. Given the potential for a large number of replies the review is continuing and the revised Standard is expected for finalisation by end of 2021. Membership The Branch Committee is planning to send reminders for membership renewal and actively engage with the members to understand their expectations. Due to COVID-19 the interest from both industry groups and health facility management practitioners has been limited. The CoM is discussing a variety of strategies on an ongoing basis to serve our members better and meet their expectations. Members are being actively encouraged to use the IHEA LDP Application to record professional development that is occurring in the normal activities of a healthcare facilities practitioner.
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