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27 Mar 2015
AHPRA has welcomed calls for stringent monitoring and swift detection of breaches in compliance by registered health practitioners with restrictions on their registration.
On 24 March 2015, the Queensland Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) published a report recommending a range of initiatives to strengthen monitoring and compliance in Queensland and the National Scheme.
‘Regulation is all about managing risk to patients and we welcome all suggestions to help improve our work in public safety,’ said AHPRA CEO Martin Fletcher.
‘These recommendations affirm the sweeping changes we have already initiated to strengthen our compliance and monitoring program.
AHPRA’s detailed response to the OHO and the recommendations in the report is published on the Corporate publications page.
The OHO report is based on its review of a 2012 case, following the decision of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) which had reprimanded and suspended a practitioner after a tribunal hearing. Concerned about the seriousness of the issues, the Board had referred this matter to QCAT in June 2012 and imposed conditions to keep the public safe, pending the Tribunal hearing. The report makes recommendations about ways to better monitor compliance with conditions and manage breaches. The OHO report is published on the OHO website.
‘National Boards impose conditions on practitioners’ registration to keep the public safe and one of AHPRA’s most important jobs is to make sure practitioners are complying with the limits the Boards’ have set,’ Mr Fletcher said.
‘We are always looking at opportunities to improve the ways we manage risks to patient safety.’
‘We will continue to work closely with the OHO, Medicare and QCAT to ensure that we work effectively together to keep the Queensland community safe.’
Since July 2014, health complaints management in Queensland for registered health practitioners has involved a partnership between National Boards, AHPRA and the OHO.
Improvements to compliance monitoring add to the overhaul of complaints management in Queensland that started in 2012.
Recent initiatives include preparation for stricter drug and alcohol screening announced in February 2015, the appointment of a national compliance manager and stronger national coordination of the compliance function.
The regulatory principles that guide all decision making in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme commit decision makers to prioritizing risk management and public safety. The regulatory principles are endorsed by all the National Boards and the AHPRA Agency Management Committee.
Download a PDF of this Media statement - Improving monitoring of conditions on practitioner registration - 27 March 2015 (116 KB,PDF)