About the project
The Safer Care for Kids: ViCTOR project aims to reduce variation in how health services recognise and respond to deterioration in children by:
- ensuring consistent use of Victorian children's tool for observation and response (ViCTOR )
- enhancing involvement of families and caregivers in recognising and responding to their child's deterioration.
Victorian Children’s Tool for Observation and Response (ViCTOR) is a set of evidence-based tools to help health services detect and respond to patient deterioration.
Objectives
- Partner with health services to meet the legislative mandate for usage of the ViCTOR chart wherever children and young people have their vital signs monitored and recorded
- Improve reliability of ViCTOR chart usage to enhance recognition and response to deterioration of children
- Integrate families and carers in the recognition and response to deterioration process, as experts in their child
- Develop monitoring process to support statewide quality and safety oversight of ViCTOR chart usage
- Reduce variation in care
Background
In 2021–22 Victoria recorded a 53% increase in reported paediatric sentinel event notifications from the year prior. It was identified that half of these events were due to delayed or missed recognition of deterioration.
ViCTOR charts have been recognised as a beneficial track and trigger tool to help clinicians recognise and respond to the deterioration of children. It is now a legislative mandate to use ViCTOR charts wherever children and young people have vital signs recorded. However, there is variation in the use of ViCTOR charts across Victoria and no method of monitoring use in health services treating children.
ViCTOR charts currently have escalation pathways for concerned family members, but there are many barriers activation of this pathway by family members and caregivers. Evidence suggests that the addition of a proactive family/carer assessment for concern (e.g. Are you worried you child is getting worse?) is effective in identifying children who are more likely to be admitted to hospital, intensive care and have longer lengths of stay. A concerned family member or caregiver is a better indicator of a negative outcome than any other vital sign.
How to get involved
For more information, please contact victor@safercare.vic.gov.au.
Solution design
SCV is partnering with clinicians, consumers and health services to pilot and test the most effective system changes to:
- improve the reliability of ViCTOR chart use
- integrate family and carer voice /concern for deterioration
- improve reliability of timely and appropriate response to deterioration
Results from the pilot will help inform how to scale and spread appropriate use of ViCTOR charts statewide, including systems for better monitoring.
Project milestones
| Activities | Date |
|---|---|
| Pilot site visits | May 2025 |
| Action Period 2 | May - July 2025 |
| Summative Collaboration Day | July 2025 |
The ViCTOR pilot project will conclude in July. We will share learnings and resources to Victorian health services who care for children to assist them with meeting the legislative mandate.
Participating services
The project commenced in November 2024, with the following health services, representing a variety of clinical areas from metropolitan, regional and rural health services:
- Barwon Health
- Bairnsdale Regional Health
- Cabrini Health
- Grampians Health
- Heathcote Health
- Peninsula Health
- Latrobe Regional Health
- Northeast Health Wangaratta.
Implementation funds were provided to the 8 participating health services.
More information
ViCTOR education hub (The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
Priority area
This project supports our broader effort to reduce avoidable harm and unnecessary variation in healthcare.