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SWEP Communique - Expression of Interest for Lymphoedema Compression Garment Clinical Advisors

11 October 2024
SWEP is seeking expressions of interest to join our expert Clinical Advisory Panel for the Lymphoedema Compression Garment Program. SWEP utilises the Clinical Advisor Panel to support SWEP and our consumer cohort. As a Clinical Advisor you may be required to:
  • Provide clinical support and validation of assistive technology applications
  • Undertake clinical reviews as requested
  • Provide expert advice to the Chief Allied Health Officer specific to your area of expertise
  • Participate in projects as required (e.g. updating manuals, review of new products, resources and education material)
  • Participate in Clinical Advisor Panel meetings (approx. 1 per year)

SWEP Communique - SWEP & TAC

7 October 2024
Dear Practitioner,

You are receiving this communication as you previously "opted in" to share your services with the TAC or were registered for the CAPE category.  

Whilst we have appreciated working with TAC over the last five years they have completed an evaluation to reconsider their future approach to sourcing and paying for OT services. The evaluation demonstrated that SWEP had effectively delivered on its contractual requirements via the SWEP credentialing framework however, the TAC considers that its OT service delivery model requires change to ensure their clients can access high quality OT services to achieve the best health outcomes possible.

SWEP Communique - Continence Aids Program update

28 August 2024
Dear Practitioner, 

As current demand for the Continence Aids program continues to grow, SWEP is committed to ensuring funding is available to current consumers, on an ongoing basis, up to the maximum subsidy of $1,200 per annum.  Applications for new consumers are reviewed in line with the Victorian Aids & Equipment Program (VA&EP) Priority of Access Guidelines.  The information you enter on your application under the Implications of Non-Provision is used to help us determine the urgency of need for your consumer. 

SWEP Communique - Aids & Equipment Program update

28 August 2024
Dear Practitioner, 

The State-wide Equipment Program (SWEP) is committed to ensuring that applications for equipment funded through the Victorian Aids & Equipment Program (VA&EP) are reviewed in line with our Priority of Access Guidelines.  The information you enter on your application under the Implications of Non-Provision is used to help us determine the urgency of need for your consumer.

SWEP Communique - Continence Program tender outcome

27 August 2024
Dear Practitioner

Every four years the State-wide Equipment Program (SWEP) conducts a re-tender process for the Continence Program. We are pleased to advise that the successful tenderer for this period is Independence Australia (IA).  IA have previously supplied continence products for SWEP, and we look forward to continuing our partnership in supporting our consumers. 

The new tender will commence on 1st September 2024 and will include a range of new items, some of the current items will be continued, while some previously available will be discontinued.

SWEP Communique - Portal Closure

27 August 2024
Dear Practitioner,

For scheduled maintenance the SWEP portal will be closed from 5pm Thursday 29th August and available again Monday 2nd September at 9am. 

SWEP Communique - Domiciliary Oxygen Tender Outcome

26 June 2024

Dear SWEP Practitioners,

We are writing to provide you with the outcome of our recent Tender for the supply of domiciliary oxygen.  

SWEP is pleased to announce Air Liquide Healthcare (ALH) as the successful contractor to supply oxygen to consumers of the Domiciliary Oxygen Program effective from July 1, 2024.

SWEP acknowledges the services provided by Supagas for several years.  We wish to reassure all stakeholders that we are confident that the new Supplier will provide quality services as was demonstrated throughout the rigorous tender evaluation process.

SWEP Communique - Continence and Product Updates

13 June 2024

Dear Practitioners,

We have been provided with an update from Independence Australia around some product changes we wanted to share with you.

 

  1.  Releen Inline Catheter which has gone through a product change and there are differences between the current and the latest item. Please see communique from Coloplast which has a comparison table of the old versus the new product.
  2. Buddies Briefs have also gone through product changes around sizing and packaging. Again, please see communique from Sleep Corp.

 

SWEP Communique - 2024 Consumer Satisfaction Survey

7 May 2024

SWEP recently completed our annual Consumer Survey for 2024.  Thanks to our consumers for completing this. It provides an overview on how SWEP is providing services across all programs and areas.

SWEP Consumer Satisfaction Survey 2024

7 May 2024
SWEP recently completed our annual Consumer Survey for 2024.  Thank you to our consumers who responded to our survey this year.  We appreciate your input on how we manage our services. 

SWEP Communique - URGENT: Product Defect Correction

3 April 2024
SWEP have been advised by Enable Lifecare of a product defect correction, pertaining to the instruction manual for the Oxford Classic Floor Lifters.

SWEP Communique - Non-Customised Equipment - CPI increase

8 March 2024
Dear Practitioners
In accordance with the supplier contracts we hold for non-customised, assistive technology equipment, each year a CPI increase is applied.

SWEP e-News for Consumers 11th Edition

22 December 2023
If you would like to view this news letter please click here

Changes to phone systems

19 December 2023

Changes to phone systems


SWEP Communique - Continence Aids Program November 2023

16 November 2023

Dear Practitioner,

Firstly, we extend our gratitude to continence practitioners for assisting our consumers with their continence needs.  We have been fortunate in recent times to fund all new and existing consumers with no wait times within our annual capped budget.

Unfortunately, due to increased demand and the high volume of applications we are currently receiving we are now re-introducing a waitlist. 

SWEP Communique - Home Modifications

16 November 2023

Dear Practitioners

We wanted to provide you with an update on a backlog of home modifications funding/applications that came about during Covid.  We have been continuously working through the back log and are pleased to advise that we have been able to progress many of these but are still needing to finalise some applications between Mar 2022 - Mar 2023.

How You Can Help

If you have submitted a home modifications application prior to March 2023, and an order has not been placed, please contact the team so that we can ascertain any outstanding paperwork and progress the application.

SWEP Communique - 2023 Consumer satisfaction with SWEP

10 August 2023
Dear Practitioners 

SWEP recently completed our annual Consumer Survey for 2024, which identifies how satisfied our consumers are with the equipment/products they have received and their overall experience with SWEP and our services. 

SWEP Communique - New online catalogue for Contracted Assistive Technology Items

14 July 2023
Dear Practitioners

We're excited to launch our new online product catalogue for the recently contracted Non-customised Assistive Technology.
The new catalogue is located on our website here 

SWEP Communique - Compression Garment applications

21 June 2023

Dear Practitioners

The SWEP Lymphoedema program administration team have noticed an increase in incomplete applications being submitted and this causes unnecessary delays for our consumers and extra administration work for staff, suppliers and practitioners. 

The most common reasons for an application being deemed incomplete are listed below.  Please review this list as it is important in helping us to reduce delays in processing your requests. 

SWEP Communique - Compression Garment applications

21 June 2023
Dear Supplier,

The SWEP Lymphoedema program administration team have noticed an increase in incomplete applications being submitted and this causes unnecessary delays for our consumers and extra administration work for our staff, suppliers and practitioners. 

SWEP has developed a standardised quote template to ensure your quotes have all the information we need as a minimum. This helps us to streamline processes to ensure that consumers receive their garments, as soon as possible. You may have received phone calls from our team or practitioners seeking clarification on quotes which contributes to delay in orders being placed.

SWEP Communique - Current Phone Issues

8 June 2023
Yesterday, 7th June the SWEP team migrated to a new IT domain, as a part of Grampians Health. The majority of this went well but we are having some phone issues today. Some of our queues are in meeting mode and some are open but with fewer staff logged in than normal, therefore our wait times might be longer than usual.  We have our IT department looking into this for us. 

SWEP Communique - SWEP IT Systems Update 7th June 2023

30 May 2023
On Wednesday, 7th June 2023 the SWEP team will be transitioning to a new IT domain, as a part of Grampians Health. This will commence from 08.30 a.m. in the morning, and we are expecting that there may be several hours of disruption where we will be unable to access our emails or answer your calls.

SWEP Communique - SWEP Practitioner Portal Update

28 April 2023

Dear Practitioners, 

We are writing to apologise to SWEP registered Practitioners who may have received large volumes of portal generated duplicate emails on Wednesday, 26th April, 2023.

SWEP Communique - Update Non Customised Equipment Tender outcome

28 April 2023

Dear Practitioners

We are writing to provide an update on the SWEP Non-customised Assistive Technology Tender.

As mentioned in our previous communique dated December 2022, SWEP undertook a formal procurement process for non-customised assistive technology equipment last year. In December contracts were awarded to eight suppliers and we are excited to announce that all contracts have just now been endorsed.

All tender contracted items have been loaded into the SWEP database and added to the online SWEP Contracted Items Picklist Catalogue.    We are currently working on a new improved online catalogue, which we hope to roll out in the coming months, that will include pictures and more comprehensive details of each tendered item.

SWEP Communique - Home modification applications with quotes from building supplier Pacman

18 April 2023

Dear Practitioner,

We have received enquiries regarding whether building supplier Pacman is continuing to do work for SWEP consumers.  We have reached out to Pacman who have advised that they will no longer be doing home modifications for our consumers.  


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