NSW Annual Report Summary 2015/16

Part 1: Decision-making in NSW: Board and committee reports

NSW Registration Committee, Dental Board of Australia: Chair’s message

The main focus of the NSW Registration Committee of the Dental Board of Australia in 2015/16 was on managing risk to patients.

We did this by assessing the most complex applications for registration that might require restrictions to be placed on a dental practitioner’s registration, often from overseas-trained practitioners.

Data showing the work of the local committee are detailed in this report (for reference, see List of tables on page 3). More comprehensive information about the work of the Dental Board of Australia nationally is included in the 2015/16 annual report of AHPRA and the National Boards. A Board-specific summary report with data pertaining to the Dental Board of Australia will be published online in early 2017.

The NSW committee is the local face for dental practitioners applying for registration in Australia. Our local committee is made up of practitioner and community members from NSW. The decisions the committee makes are guided by the national standards and policies set by the Dental Board of Australia. The local committee makes most decisions about the registration of dental practitioners in our region, supported by the NSW AHPRA office, in a national policy framework.

The NSW committee has also worked closely with AHPRA and our co-regulatory partner, the Dental Council of New South Wales, to ensure our regulatory decision-making in relation to the registration of dental practitioners ensures community confidence in dental practitioners.

The local committee provides important feedback to the National Board on its standards and policies.

As Chair of the local committee, I attended a number of National Board meetings throughout the year. These meetings create opportunities to discuss how the National Board policies influence our local decision-making. Along with those decisions made by the National Board and its committees, our decision-making reflects the regulatory principles developed by AHPRA and the National Boards.

Working with our stakeholders has also been a priority during the year. We have engaged with education providers and dental students. I have spoken to Australian Dental Council examination candidates about jurisprudence and the role and functions of the Dental Board of Australia. The NSW Registration Committee acknowledges the importance of stakeholder engagement and its contribution to the National Scheme.

I thank my colleagues on the NSW Registration Committee for their energy and commitment to protecting the public in NSW during the year.

I would also like to thank the Chair of the National Board, Dr John Lockwood AM, the other members of the National Board and my fellow jurisdiction Chairs around the country for their wisdom and guidance in assisting me in the execution of my role as committee Chair.

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Professor John Highfield
Chair, NSW Registration Committee, Dental Board of Australia

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Dr John Lockwood AM
Chair, Dental Board of Australia

Members of the NSW Registration Committee in 2015/16

  • Professor John Highfield (Chair)
  • Dr Anthony Burges
  • Associate Professor John Dale
  • Mr Michael Miceli

NSW Board of the Medical Board of Australia: Chair’s message

It has been a year of change for the NSW Board of the Medical Board of Australia. As foreshadowed in last year’s annual report, the NSW Registration Committee was disbanded and the NSW Board is now the sole decision-making body on matters of medical regulation in NSW.

The NSW Board consolidation has produced cost efficiencies, improved decision-making efficiency and provided consistency in the quality of decisions made by the Board.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the retiring members of the NSW Registration Committee – Mr Michael Christodoulou, Dr Martin Mackertich, Dr Louise Nash and Ms Lorraine Poulos – for their enormous contribution, over many years, to medical regulation and the protection of the public in this state.

As part of the re-organisation, the Minister for Health also approved an increase in membership of the NSW Board, and my appointment as its Chair. Dr Jennifer Davidson, Dr Sergio Diez Alvarez, Dr Robyn Napier, Ms Jebby Phillips, Professor Allan Spigelman and Mr John Stubbs were appointed to the NSW Board, and Ms Rosemary Kusuma and Dr Mark Nicholls have continued on the Board. I welcome them and look forward to ongoing constructive interactions. During the year, Dr Annette Pantle resigned from the NSW Board and I thank her for her contribution during her tenure.

The NSW Board’s principal regulatory activity is to register medical practitioners, with its guiding principle being to ensure public safety. Decisions regarding registration are made with reference to the national standards and policies set by the Medical Board of Australia. The NSW Board is skillfully supported by the local AHPRA office in this important work.

Stakeholder engagement is always a priority. During the year, we have met with the Medical Council of NSW with the aim of better streamlining processes between the two co-regulatory bodies. Engagement continues with a number of external bodies, including the NSW Ministry of Health; local health districts and hospitals; professional organisations including the NSW branch of the Australian Medical Association (AMA); the Health Education and Training Institute; the Australian Medical Council; and specialist colleges.

The data in this report provide a summary of registration information and the Board’s work in NSW over the past year. They complement the comprehensive data tables published in the annual report of AHPRA and the National Boards for 2015/16.

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Associate Professor Stephen Adelstein
Chair, NSW Board of the Medical Board of Australia

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Dr Joanna Flynn AM
Chair, Medical Board of Australia

Members of the NSW Board in 2015/16

  • Associate Professor Stephen Adelstein (Chair)
  • Dr Sergio Diez Alvarez (from 21 January 2016)
  • Mr Antony Carpentieri (until 30 June 2015)
  • Dr Jennifer Davidson (from 21 January 2016)
  • Ms Rosemary Kusuma
  • Dr Robyn Napier OAM
  • Dr Mark Nicholls
  • Dr Annette Pantle (until 31 December 2015)
  • Ms Jebby Phillips (from 21 January 2016)
  • Professor Allan Spigelman (from 21 January 2016)
  • Mr John Stubbs (from 21 January 2016)

NSW Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Chair’s message

In 2015/16, the NSW Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia continued to focus on public safety when making decisions regarding applications for registration from nurses and midwives.

The decisions made in NSW are guided by the national standards and policies set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (National Board) and by the regulatory principles for assessing applications for registration, which were recently developed jointly by the National Board and state and territory boards. These policies and regulatory guidelines inform the decisions made in NSW about local practitioners, supported by AHPRA’s NSW office.

The NSW Board is the local face of nursing and midwifery registration in Australia, and we are made up of practitioner and community members from NSW. We work closely with our colleagues on the National Board and other state and territory boards, through monthly state and territory teleconferences of Board chairs, and by attending workshops on nursing and midwifery regulation.

During 2015/16, the NSW AHPRA office collaborated with the WA AHPRA office as the national assessment and processing centre of applications for registration from internationally qualified nurses and midwives. This has been a challenging but rewarding contribution to a national project.

We also worked collaboratively with AHPRA and our co-regulatory partner, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW, to ensure our decision making concerning the registration of nurses and midwives protects the public and continues to build community confidence in the professionalism and practice of nurses and midwives.

In partnership with AHPRA, we have engaged with the Nursing and Midwifery Office of the NSW Ministry of Health, and with nursing and midwifery education providers in NSW. The AHPRA team has also presented to nursing and midwifery students about registration.

Shane Dann was the NSW State Manager from 1 June 2015 until April 2016. Peter Freeman has been acting in this role from April 2016 and I thank them both for their valuable contributions.

The team at AHPRA, particularly Cathy Smith, Manager of the NSW Nursing and Midwifery team, has continued to provide outstanding support to the NSW Board, for which all members of the Board express their gratitude.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sue Hendy, previous Chair of the NSW Board, for her enormous contribution. Her experience and guidance will be sorely missed.

I also thank my colleagues on the NSW Board for the passion, energy and commitment they bring to the work of the Board and the people of NSW.

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Liza Edwards
Acting Chair, NSW Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

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Associate Professor Lynette Cusack
Chair, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

Members of the NSW Board in 2015/16

  • Ms Liza Edwards (Acting Chair, from April 2016)
  • Mrs Susan Hendy (Chair, until April 2016)
  • Ms Kathryn Adams
  • Mr Bruce Brown
  • Mrs Sue Dawson
  • Ms Adrienne Farago
  • Dr Susan Gould (until 31 January 2016)
  • Mrs Eithne Irving (from 25 October 2016)
  • Ms Melissa Maimann
  • Ms Suzanne McNicol
  • Ms Margaret Sampson (from 4 May 2016)

Pharmacy Board of Australia: Chair’s message

The Pharmacy Board of Australia (the National Board) makes decisions about all registered pharmacists in NSW. Regulation of pharmacists at a state and territory level is guided by the standards and policies set by the National Board.

Practitioner representation from each of the states and territories on the National Board helps to ensure consistency and transparency in the Board’s work to implement the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme at a local level. This is supported by a public perspective, which comes from community member representatives from four states. Mr Laurence (Ben) Wilkins is the practitioner member from New South Wales on the National Board.

Input throughout the year from stakeholders in NSW has been important in helping the National Board to complete significant work.

The National Board consulted widely before publishing revised registration standards on:

  • professional indemnity insurance arrangements
  • continuing professional development and related guidelines
  • recency of practice
  • supervised practice arrangements, and
  • examinations for eligibility for general registration.

Feedback received after the publication of the National Board’s Guidelines on compounding of medicines resulted in a further period of consultation with stakeholders in relation to the expiry of compounded parenteral medicines. The Board continues to work closely with technical experts, the Therapeutic Goods Administration and other stakeholders to finalise this guidance.

The National Board also worked with an external service provider to create a revised training program for oral examiners. This drew on the skills and expertise of local pharmacists who support the Board through their participation as examiners for the national pharmacy examination.

Information for students and interns published on the National Board’s website was reviewed and updated. New resources were also created, including PowerPoint presentations that explain the Board’s requirements and can be used by local education providers.

This year, the pharmacy professional officers convened a pharmacists’ workshop to inform the development of questions for the national pharmacy examination. Participating in a school careers day to talk about becoming a pharmacist was another highlight.

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Mr William Kelly
Chair, Pharmacy Board of Australia


NSW Board of the Psychology Board of Australia: Chair’s message

2015/16 has been yet another busy year for the NSW Board of the Psychology Board of Australia.

The NSW Board is the local face of psychology registration in NSW, and is made up of practitioner and community members from the state. I would like to thank the current members of the NSW Board (listed below) for the significant contribution they have made this year and for their continued dedication and wisdom.

The decisions of the NSW Board are guided by the national standards and policies set by the Psychology Board of Australia (the National Board).

We implement these standards and policies when making decisions about the registration of individual psychologists in our region, and we are supported by the NSW AHPRA office, within a national policy framework. The NSW Board benefits from the expertise of professional officers within AHPRA – Matt Jessimer, Kaarina Burge and Roderick Lander.

Professional officers are registered psychologists who bring discipline-specific knowledge to their support of the Board’s work. The NSW Board works closely with many AHPRA staff, and is grateful for the professional support it receives.

As always, the main focus of the NSW Board during the year was public safety. This report outlines the scope of the work carried out by the Board and AHPRA in NSW on behalf of the public. The Board has worked with AHPRA to ensure and support consistent, robust decision-making that reflects the regulatory principles endorsed by National Boards across the National Scheme. To ensure that our decision-making is of the highest standard, the NSW Board participates in continual improvement processes in collaboration with the National Board, and the three other regional psychology boards across Australia.

The NSW Board has also worked with our co-regulatory partner, the Psychology Council of NSW, to ensure our regulatory decision-making in relation to the registration of psychologists protects the public and cements community confidence in psychologists.

Each year, the NSW Board conducts a public forum in a regional centre in NSW to update psychologists about developments within the National Scheme. This year the forum was conducted in Merimbula and was well attended by local psychologists. The NSW Board is grateful to all psychologists who supported this forum.

Finally, I wish to thank psychologists in NSW. The Board sees its role very much to be a collaboration with you to ensure the highest standards of psychological practice for the people of NSW.

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Associate Professor Michael Kiernan
Chair, NSW Board of the Psychology Board of Australia

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Professor Brin Grenyer
Chair, Psychology Board of Australia

Members of the NSW Board in 2015/16

  • Associate Professor Michael Kiernan (Chair)
  • Ms Jeanette Evans
  • Ms Margo Gill
  • Ms Pauline O’Connor
  • Mr Nikolai Titov
  • Ms Lila Vrklevski
  • Dr Ann Wignall

National Boards and committees: making local decisions

The remaining nine National Boards in the National Scheme have taken a different approach to decision-making about local practitioners, with national committees comprising state and territory representatives.

The committees were established to manage the risk profile, complexity and size of their professions. See the ‘Meet the Chairs’ panel below to find out which National Boards have national committees that oversee decision-making on a local level.

The committees are appointed by the National Boards on merit and include Board members in most cases. Additional members may be appointed to bring specific professional or jurisdictional expertise when needed. Committees are overseen by the National Boards, who support consistent and robust decision-making to keep the public safe.

Using national committees is an important way to cut the cost of regulation for these professions, while maintaining the benefits of scale and public protection provided by the National Scheme. National Boards also work closely with our network of AHPRA state and territory managers, so they can monitor and respond to any jurisdiction-specific issues for their professions.

Throughout 2015/16, National Boards engaged with local stakeholders in a range of ways, including:

  • holding stakeholder forums in states and territories to meet local practitioners and community members, and to discuss important issues for health practitioner regulation
  • responding to invitations to address professional and employer organisations, education providers and other interested groups
  • participating in joint, cross-board consultations about common registration standards, codes, guidelines and policies, and
  • sharing advice and feedback from the National Scheme Community Reference Group and Professions Reference Group.

For more information about the work of National Boards during the year, read the 2015/16 annual report of AHPRA and the National Boards.

Meet the Chairs

photo of Lisa Penrith

Ms Lisa Penrith
Presiding Member, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia

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Professor Charlie Xue
Chair, Chinese Medicine Board of Australia

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Dr Wayne Minter AM
Chair, Chiropractic Board of Australia

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Mr Neil Hicks
Chair, Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia

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Ms Julie Brayshaw
Chair, Occupational Therapy Board of Australia

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Mr Ian Bluntish
Chair, Optometry Board of Australia

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Dr Nikole Grbin
Chair, Osteopathy Board of Australia

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Dr Charles Flynn
Presiding Member, Physiotherapy Board of Australia

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Ms Catherine Loughry
Chair, Podiatry Board of Australia