Role
The Victorian Perioperative Consultative Council (VPCC):
- oversees, monitors, reviews and analyses cases of perioperative mortality and morbidity in Victoria
- investigates matters referred by the Victorian Minister for Health, Safer Care Victoria and the Victorian Department of Health
- identifies and shares improvement opportunities in perioperative care with the health sector to improve outcomes for patients before, during and after surgery.
The VPCC was established as a multidisciplinary council in 2019. It builds on the work of the former Victorian Consultative Council of Anaesthetic Mortality and Morbidity (VCCAMM) and the Victorian Surgical Consultative Council (VSCC). For more information about the creation of the VPCC, see the 2019 VPCC Report.
Members
Victorian Perioperative Consultative Council Members
View more View lessAbout VPCC Chair – Professor David A Scott
David Scott has over 30 years’ experience in safety and quality initiatives and research in perioperative care. He is a Senior Specialist Anaesthetist, and past Director of Anaesthesia at St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, and a Professor in the Department of Critical Care, School of Medicine, University of Melbourne. With the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA), he is a past President, past Chair of the Safety and Quality and Research committees, and is currently a Director of Professional Affairs (Policy).
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Prof. David A Scott (VPCC Chair) | Senior Specialist Anaesthetist, St's Vincent's Hospital Melbourne Professor, Department of Critical Care, School of Medicine, University of Melbourne |
A/Prof. Phillipa Hore (VPCC co-deputy Chair) | Visiting Specialist Anaesthetist, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne Past Chair of the Safety and Quality Committee of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. |
A/Prof. Marinis Pirpiris (VPCC co-deputy Chair) | Orthopaedic surgeon, Epworth & Cabrini Hospitals, Melbourne Clinical Lead for the VMIA Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) project |
Prof. Wendy Brown (Surgical Subcommittee Chair) | Upper GI and bariatric surgeon, Alfred Health Clinical Director of the ANZ Bariatric Surgery Registry Program Director of Surgical Services, Alfred Health |
| Dr. Ben Slater (Anaesthetic Subcommittee Chair) | Senior Staff Anaesthetist, St's Vincent Hospital Melbourne Chair, Transfusion Committee, St's Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne Member Mortality Subcommittee, ANZCA |
| Mr. Graeme Campbell | Director of Surgery, General surgeon, Bendigo Health Clinical Director SIMG Assessment and Support, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons |
| Ms. Elyse Coffey | Perioperative nurse, Alfred Health Lecturer of Nursing, Deakin University |
| A/Prof. Hans de Boer | Forensic pathologist, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University |
| Mrs. Rebecca Donald | Perioperative nurse and Health Administrator Director of Perioperative Services, Monash Health |
| Dr. Paula Foran | Perioperative nurse Clinical Master of Nursing Coordinator at the University of Tasmania |
| Dr. Andrew Jeffreys | Specialist Anaesthetist Board Chairperson, Kerang District Health Clinical Services Director of the Division of Surgery, Anaesthesia and Endoscopy, Western Health |
| A/Prof. Philip McCahy | Consultant Urologist, Central Gippsland Health Service & St. John of God Hospital, Berwick Clinical Director, Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality |
| Mrs. Denice Spence (Consumer representative) | Consumer Representative for various Safer Care Victoria Committees; Bairnsdale Regional Health Service Quality and Accreditation Steering Committee; Gippsland Regional Integrated Cancer Services Committee |
| Liat Watson (Consumer representative) | Academy member, Safer Care Victoria Member, AHPRA Community Advisory Council |
Prof. David Watters (Invited observer) | Director of Surgery, Safer Care Victoria General surgeon, Barwon Health Director of Surgery, Barwon Health |
Anaesthetic Subcommittee Members
View more View less| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Dr. Ben Slater (Chair ASC) | Senior Staff Anaesthetist, St's Vincent Hospital Melbourne |
| Prof. David A Scott | Senior Specialist Anaesthetist, St's Vincent's Hospital Melbourne Professor, Department of Critical Care, School of Medicine, University of Melbourne |
| Mr. Graeme Campbell | Director of Surgery, General surgeon, Bendigo Health Clinical Director SIMG Assessment and Support, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons |
| Dr. Hans de Boer | Forensic pathologist, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine Advisory board member, International Journal of Legal Medicine Editorial board member, Forensic Science Research Faculty member, Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University |
| A/Prof. Pierre Bradley | Specialist Anaesthetist, Alfred Health Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Monash University AMA Representative, Victorian Regional Council ANZCA Anaesthetic Advisory Committee, Epworth Healthcare |
| A/Prof. Tim Coulson | Staff Specialist Anaesthetist & Research Lead, Alfred Health Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Monash University Senior Fellow (Honorary), Centre for Integrated Critical Care, University of Melbourne |
| Ms. Barbara Curzon-Siggers (Consumer representative) | Consumer Partner/Expert/Advocate, Royal Women's Hospital (People, Culture & Engagement Committee; Adverse & Sentinel Event Review Panel) Consumer Partner/Expert/Advocate, Grampians Health (Partnering with Consumers Committee; Recognising & Responding to Acute Deterioration Committee; Clinical Ethics Committee). |
| Dr. Paula Foran | Perioperative Nurse Clinical Master of Nursing Coordinator, University of Tasmania |
| Dr. Craig Ironfield | Specialist Anaesthetist Deputy Director Department of Anaesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne |
| Dr. Andrew Jeffreys | Specialist Anaesthetist Board Chairperson, Kerang District Health Clinical Services Director of the Division of Surgery, Anaesthesia and Endoscopy, Western Health |
| Dr. Nam Le | Specialist Anaesthetist, Peninsula Health; and The Royal Women's Hospital Victorian Regional Committee member, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists |
| Mrs. Sharryn McKinley | Perioperative nurse and health administrator. Deputy Divisional Director Perioperative & Specialist Services, Mercy Health |
| Ms. Annie McPherson (Consumer representative) | President, Ankylosing Spondylitis Victoria Chair of Consumer Advisory Group, ANZMUSC Musculoskeletal Clinical Trials Network |
| Dr. Hilary Madder | Specialist Anaesthetist, Alfred Health; and Monash Health |
| Dr. Helen Roberts | Director of Department of Anaesthetics, Goulburn Valley Health Honorary Secretary, ANZCA Victorian Regional Committee |
Prof. David Watters (Invited observer) | Director of Surgery, Safer Care Victoria General surgeon, Barwon Health |
Surgical Subcommittee Members
View more View less| Name | Role |
|---|---|
Prof. Wendy Brown (Chair SSC) | Upper GI and bariatric surgeon, Alfred Health Program Director of Surgical Services, Alfred Health |
| Prof. David A Scott (VPCC Chair) | Senior Specialist Anaesthetist, St's Vincent's Hospital Melbourne Professor, Department of Critical Care, School of Medicine, University of Melbourne |
| Mrs. Rebecca Donald | Perioperative Nurse and Health Administrator Director of Clinical Operations, Perioperative Services, Monash Health |
| Dr. Tony Gray | Clinical Unit Head of General Surgery, Bendigo Health |
| Mr. Patrick Lo | Paediatric and Adult Neurosurgeon, Royal Children’s Hospital; Royal Melbourne Hospital; Western Health |
| Dr. Margot Lodge | Perioperative physician Clinical Lead Traumageriatrics Service, Alfred Health |
| A/Prof Marinis Pirpiris | Orthopaedic surgeon, Epworth & Cabrini Hospitals, Melbourne Chair, Community Development of the AO Trauma Asia Pacific Board Clinical Lead, VMIA Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) project |
| Dr. Jennifer Reilly | Specialist Anaesthetist, Private Practice Honorary Senior Fellow, University of Melbourne |
| Dr. Susan Shedda | Colorectal Surgeon, Royal Melbourne Hospital Board member, Colorectal Surgical Society Foundation Board |
| Prof. Julian Smith | Senior Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Monash Health Academic Director, Surgery Program, Monash Health Professor/Head, Department of Surgery (School of Chairman, Australia and New Zealand Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery Research Institution Clinical Sciences at Monash Health), Monash University Editor-in-Chief, ANZ Journal of Surgery |
Mrs. Denice Spence (Consumer representative) | Consumer Representative for various Safer Care Victoria Committees; Bairnsdale Regional Health Service Quality and Accreditation Steering Committee; Gippsland Regional Integrated Cancer Services Committee |
| Prof. Wanda Stelmach | General surgeon Board member, Goulburn Vally Health |
Liat Watson (Consumer representative) | Academy member, Safer Care Victoria Member, AHPRA Community Advisory Council |
| GP representative [vacant] | |
Prof. David Watters (Invited observer) | Director of Surgery, Safer Care Victoria Director of Surgery, University Hospital Geelong, Barwon Health |
Issues of concern
The following areas have been identified as ongoing concerns by VPCC. The council is working to develop strategies to minimise their recurrence.
- Venous thromboembolism
- Cardiovascular complications
- Testicular torsion
- Delayed diagnosis of acute spinal cord compression
- Oesophageal injury associated with transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE)
Updated March 2025
More information
Reporting to the VPCC
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Reports and recommendations
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