ACT Annual Report Summary 2015/16

Foreword from Acting ACT Territory Manager, Catherine Miedecke

The ACT office has undergone significant change over the past year. We strengthened intra-jurisdictional processes by partnering with the Tasmanian office, which aided the management of work volume and ensured consistency in the application of the National Law in the ACT.

Highlights of 2015/16

• Successful collaboration: The ACT and Tasmanian offices combined strengths to deliver more consistent and efficient ways of working across jurisdictions.
• A period of growth: The number of registrants in the ACT grew by 3.5% from 2014/15, to 11,362 registered health practitioners.
• Strong stakeholder engagement: The ACT office and Boards met with, and presented to, a number of health associations, universities and governmental departments throughout the year to ensure thorough, current understanding of registration requirements.

Working in partnership with National Boards

The National Boards have this year revised a number of registration standards and policy and guideline documents. The staff of the ACT office have supported local board and committee members to ensure that these changes have flowed through to local professional knowledge networks.

The state and territory boards and committees of the medical, dental and nursing and midwifery professions have this year revised meeting schedules and continue to look for ways to deliver the requirements of the independent review of the National Scheme for more efficient and effective health practitioner regulation.

Registration staff provided support to the Medical Board of Australia in ensuring that all relevant stakeholders were aware of new supervision guidelines for international medical graduates.

Building stakeholder relationships

AHPRA staff and Board members continued to engage and build stakeholder relationships. A particular area of focus this year was the revision of information exchange processes with the ACT Health Services Commissioner. Information is now exchanged on a more regular basis and, where possible, by electronic means, which has strengthened the joint consideration process uniquely legislated in the ACT, and ensured more timely outcomes.

Managing risk through local decision-making

The mechanisms for managing risk are consistent in each state and territory under the National Scheme, and may include some or all of the following: immediate action; imposing restriction; accepting undertakings; suspension or cancellation of registration; ongoing compliance monitoring of practitioners; and/or audits.

Boards may also refuse or impose conditions on registration while making decisions on registration applications.

While the number of notifications about practitioners in the ACT increased by 15.7% in 2015/16, the number of open notifications as of 30 June 2016 was four less than at the same time the previous year (110, compared with 114 as of 30 June 2015). We continue to look at ways to improve timely closure of cases.

The notifications team in the ACT, in conjunction with the teams in Tasmania and Victoria, has been trialling a new risk-assessment process. The revised process strengthens the initial risk assessment undertaken by notification staff upon receipt of a complaint or concern about a practitioner by ensuring relevant risk factors are identified as early as possible. It assists in identifying any additional information that may be required by local boards and committees to make sound and timely decisions about notifications in accordance with the regulatory principles of the National Scheme.

Local office, national contribution

The collaboration between the Tasmanian and ACT AHPRA offices, and our partnership with local boards and committees, have provided opportunities to identify best practice for working across jurisdictions. While there are common issues that can be managed with a nationally consistent view, others require specific local focus. The input of ACT practitioners, AHPRA staff and community members is integral to our success and vital to ongoing improvement.

Thank you to the AHPRA staff for their willingness to adapt to new ways of working across two offices, especially the Directors of Registration and Notification who have led these changes with their respective teams.

I would also like to thank the Chairs and members of the ACT Boards and committees for their continued enthusiasm and commitment to regulating health professionals in the public interest in the ACT.

I would like to acknowledge the retirement of Associate Professor Stephen Bradshaw as Chair of the ACT Medical Board, who greatly assisted the Board transitioning into the National Scheme and engaged in a positive and willing manner with stakeholders and AHPRA.