Qld Annual Report Summary 2015/16
Part 2: The National Scheme at work in Queensland
Queensland: data snapshot
Five insights for 2015/16
- As at 30 June 2016, there were 127,376
registered health practitioners with a principal
place of practice in Queensland (Qld).
- Qld is the principal place of practice for 20.3%
of practitioners who are registered as both a
nurse and midwife nationally.
- 12,957 new applications were received for
registration in Qld, an increase of 6.6% from
the previous year.
- Complaints about practitioners in Qld
increased by 105.5% year on year, to 1,919
new notifications received.1
- Of the 1,348 new statutory offence complaints
received nationally, 228 were made about
practitioners in Qld.
Note:
- This increase is largely attributable to the number of cases referred to AHPRA by the Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) in Qld.
Background
Data in this annual report summary are drawn from
the 2015/16 annual report published by AHPRA and
the National Boards. Qld data have been extracted
from national source data to highlight the work
we have undertaken in this jurisdiction to keep the
public safe. All data were correct as at 30 June 2016.
Throughout, national figures are also provided to
show how Qld compares with the national average.
Where possible, we have included the previous
year’s data for comparison.
In the following pages, you will find registration
data, such as the number of practitioners in each
profession whose principal place of practice is in
Qld, including a breakdown by registration type,
registration division (for professions with divisions),
information about specialties (for dental, medical
and podiatry practitioners), and endorsements or
notations held. A gender breakdown of practitioners
by profession is also included.
Notifications data (about complaints lodged) are
also included, with details of complaints received
and closed during the year, as well as those
that remained open at the end of the reporting
year. Details of mandatory reports received and
immediate actions taken are included, as well
as information on the rate of notifications and
mandatory notifications in the jurisdiction.
Information on statutory offence matters, tribunal
and panel hearings, active monitoring cases and
criminal history checks is also included.
Queensland became a co-regulatory jurisdiction on
1 July 2014 with the commencement of the Health
Ombudsman Act 2013. The Office of the Health
Ombudsman (OHO) receives all health complaints in
Qld, including those about health practitioners, and
decides whether the complaint:
- is serious, in which case it must be retained by
the OHO for further investigation
- should be referred to AHPRA and the National
Board for management, or
- can be closed, or managed by way of conciliation
or local resolution.
This means that AHPRA only reports data relating to
matters referred to us by the OHO. We are not able
to report on all complaints about registered health
practitioners in Qld. For more data about health
complaints in Qld, visit the OHO’s website.
To view the 2015/16 AHPRA annual report in full,
along with national, profession-specific data and
other state and territories’ data, visit 2015/16 annual report of AHPRA and the National Boards.
In early 2017, each of the 14 national boards
will publish a summary report outlining their
profession’s performance in 2015/16.
Registration in Queensland
Tables 1–8 provide details of registered health
practitioners with a principal place of practice in
Qld. At 30 June 2016, the number of registered
health practitioners in Qld was 127,376, an increase
of 5,588 (4.6%) from 2014/15. This jurisdiction
represents 19.4% of all registered health
practitioners in Australia.
At a profession level, the proportion of registrants
in Qld ranged from 20.3% of all health practitioners
who are registered as both nurses and midwives, to
9.1% of osteopaths nationally. See Table 1.
Data also showed that in 2015/16 Qld had:
- 19.4% of registered health practitioners with a
recognised speciality nationally, and
- 21% of health practitioners with a recognised
endorsement or notation nationally, which
permits an expanded scope of practice within
their profession.
In 2015/16, applications received for registration in
Qld increased by 6.6%, with 12,957 new applications.
This equates to 19.9% of new applications received
nationally. Details of registration applications
received, with a breakdown of profession and
registration type, are provided in
Table 7.
Table 1: Registered practitioners with Qld as the principal place of practice, by profession1
| Profession | QLD | National total2 | % of national total |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner | 103 | 587 | 17.5% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 862 | 4,762 | 18.1% |
| Chiropractor | 818 | 5,167 | 15.8% |
| Dental Practitioner | 4,326 | 21,741 | 19.9% |
| Medical Practitioner | 20,949 | 107,179 | 19.5% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | 3,061 | 15,303 | 20.0% |
| Midwife | 770 | 4,122 | 18.7% |
| Nurse | 67,703 | 346,387 | 19.5% |
| Nurse and Midwife3 | 6,019 | 29,699 | 20.3% |
| Occupational Therapist | 3,544 | 18,304 | 19.4% |
| Optometrist | 1,031 | 5,142 | 20.1% |
| Osteopath | 190 | 2,094 | 9.1% |
| Pharmacist | 5,843 | 29,717 | 19.7% |
| Physiotherapist | 5,349 | 28,855 | 18.5% |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 780 | 4,655 | 16.8% |
| Psychologist | 6,028 | 33,907 | 17.8% |
| Total 2015/16 | 127,376 | 657,621 | 19.4% |
| Total 2014/15 | 121,788 | 637,218 | 19.1% |
| Population as a proportion of national population4 | 4,808,800 | 23,940,300 | 20.1% |
Note:
- Data are based on registered practitioners as at 30 June
2016.
- National total also includes registrants who have no
specified principal place of practice.
- Practitioners who hold dual registration as both a nurse
and a midwife.
- Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics demographics
statistics as at 30 December 2015.
Table 2: Registered practitioners with Qld as the principal place of practice, by registration type
| Profession/registration type | QLD | National total | % of national total |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner | 103 | 587 | 17.5% |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner: General | 103 | 585 | 17.6% |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner: Non-practising | | 2 | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 862 | 4,762 | 18.1% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: General | 819 | 4,535 | 18.1% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Non-practising | 43 | 227 | 18.9% |
| Chiropractor | 818 | 5,167 | 15.8% |
| Chiropractor: General | 795 | 4,875 | 16.3% |
| Chiropractor: Non-practising | 23 | 292 | 7.9% |
| Dental Practitioner | 4,326 | 21,741 | 19.9% |
| Dental Practitioner: General | 3,917 | 19,458 | 20.1% |
| Dental Practitioner: General and Non-practising1 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: General and Specialist | 319 | 1,632 | 19.5% |
| Dental Practitioner: Limited | 20 | 74 | 27.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Non-practising | 67 | 546 | 12.3% |
| Dental Practitioner: Specialist | 2 | 30 | 6.7% |
| Medical Practitioner | 20,949 | 107,179 | 19.5% |
| Medical Practitioner: General | 7,384 | 36,953 | 20.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: General (Teaching and Assessing) | 12 | 36 | 33.3% |
| Medical Practitioner: General (Teaching and Assessing) and Specialist | | 2 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: General and Specialist | 9,379 | 50,622 | 18.5% |
| Medical Practitioner: Limited | 431 | 2,705 | 15.9% |
| Medical Practitioner: Non-practising | 275 | 2,655 | 10.4% |
| Medical Practitioner: Provisional | 1,329 | 5,408 | 24.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Specialist | 2,139 | 8,798 | 24.3% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | 3,061 | 15,303 | 20.0% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: General | 2,936 | 14,541 | 20.2% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Limited | | 6 | 0.0% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Non-practising | 20 | 234 | 8.5% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Provisional | 105 | 522 | 20.1% |
| Midwife | 770 | 4,122 | 18.7% |
| Midwife: General | 761 | 4,050 | 18.8% |
| Midwife: Non-practising | 9 | 72 | 12.5% |
| Nurse | 67,703 | 346,387 | 19.5% |
| Nurse: General | 66,870 | 341,071 | 19.6% |
| Nurse: General and Non-practising1 | 1 | 25 | 4.0% |
| Nurse: Non-practising | 793 | 5,161 | 15.4% |
| Nurse: Provisional | 39 | 130 | 30.0% |
| Nurse and Midwife | 6,019 | 29,699 | 20.3% |
| Nurse and Midwife: General | 5,746 | 27,680 | 20.8% |
| Nurse and Midwife: General and Non-practising2 | 172 | 1,337 | 12.9% |
| Nurse and Midwife: General and Provisional | 3 | 6 | 50.0% |
| Nurse and Midwife: Non-practising | 95 | 671 | 14.2% |
| Nurse and Midwife: Provisional | 3 | 5 | 60.0% |
| Occupational Therapist | 3,544 | 18,304 | 19.4% |
| Occupational Therapist: General | 3,395 | 17,552 | 19.3% |
| Occupational Therapist: Limited | 17 | 69 | 24.6% |
| Occupational Therapist: Non-practising | 126 | 643 | 19.6% |
| Occupational Therapist: Provisional | 6 | 40 | 15.0% |
| Optometrist | 1,031 | 5,142 | 20.1% |
| Optometrist: General | 1,017 | 4,977 | 20.4% |
| Optometrist: Limited | 1 | 5 | 20.0% |
| Optometrist: Non-practising | 13 | 160 | 8.1% |
| Osteopath | 190 | 2,094 | 9.1% |
| Osteopath: General | 186 | 2,020 | 9.2% |
| Osteopath: Non-practising | 4 | 66 | 6.1% |
| Osteopath: Provisional3 | | 8 | 0.0% |
| Pharmacist | 5,843 | 29,717 | 19.7% |
| Pharmacist: General | 5,348 | 26,948 | 19.8% |
| Pharmacist: Limited | | 7 | 0.0% |
| Pharmacist: Non-practising | 116 | 1,035 | 11.2% |
| Pharmacist: Provisional | 379 | 1,727 | 21.9% |
| Physiotherapist | 5,349 | 28,855 | 18.5% |
| Physiotherapist: General | 5,188 | 27,667 | 18.8% |
| Physiotherapist: Limited | 45 | 346 | 13.0% |
| Physiotherapist: Non-practising | 116 | 842 | 13.8% |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 780 | 4,655 | 16.8% |
| Podiatry Practitioner: General | 762 | 4,524 | 16.8% |
| Podiatry Practitioner: General and Specialist | 1 | 30 | 3.3% |
| Podiatry Practitioner: Non-practising | 17 | 101 | 16.8% |
| Psychologist | 6,028 | 33,907 | 17.8% |
| Psychologist: General | 4,816 | 27,627 | 17.4% |
| Psychologist: Non-practising | 268 | 1,658 | 16.2% |
| Psychologist: Provisional | 944 | 4,622 | 20.4% |
| Total | 127,376 | 657,621 | 19.4% |
Note:
- Practitioners holding general registration in one division
and non-practising registration in another division.
- Practitioners holding general registration in one profession
and non-practising registration in the other profession.
- The Osteopathy Board introduced a category of provisional
registration in 2013/14.
Table 3: Registered practitioners who hold an endorsement or notation with Qld as the principal place of practice
| Profession/endorsement or notation | QLD | National total | % of national total |
|---|
| Chiropractor: | | 32 | 0.0% |
| Chiropractor: Acupuncture | | 32 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: | 22 | 95 | 23.2% |
| Dental Practitioner: Area of Practice | 22 | 95 | 23.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: | 87 | 573 | 15.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Acupuncture | 87 | 573 | 15.2% |
| Midwife1 | 120 | 342 | 35.1% |
| Midwife: Eligible Midwife2 | 32 | 91 | 35.2% |
| Midwife: Midwife Practitioner | | 1 | 0.0% |
| Midwife: Scheduled Medicines | 88 | 250 | 35.2% |
| Nurse1 | 1,312 | 2,804 | 46.8% |
| Nurse: Eligible Midwife2 | 116 | 289 | 40.1% |
| Nurse: Nurse Practitioner | 367 | 1,418 | 25.9% |
| Nurse: Scheduled Medicines | 829 | 1097 | 75.6% |
| Optometrist | 469 | 2,387 | 19.6% |
| Optometrist: Scheduled Medicines | 469 | 2,387 | 19.6% |
| Osteopath | | 2 | 0.0% |
| Osteopath: Acupuncture | | 2 | 0.0% |
| Physiotherapist | | 8 | 0.0% |
| Physiotherapist: Acupuncture | | 8 | 0.0% |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 9 | 74 | 12.2% |
| Podiatry Practitioner: Scheduled Medicines | 9 | 74 | 12.2% |
| Psychologist | 1,655 | 11,167 | 14.8% |
| Psychologist: Area of Practice | 1,655 | 11,167 | 14.8% |
| Total | 3,674 | 17,484 | 21.0% |
Note:
- Nursing and midwifery registrants may hold dual nursing
and midwifery registration and may have endorsements
against each registration. Nursing and midwifery
registrants may hold one or more endorsement/notation in
each profession.
- Holds notation of Eligible Midwife.
- Holds dual registration as a nurse and a midwife, and holds
notation of Eligible Midwife.
| Profession/gender | NT | National total | % of national total |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner Total | 210 | 587 | 35.8% |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner: Female | 154 | 452 | 34.1% |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner: Male | 56 | 135 | 41.5% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner Total | 17 | 4,762 | 0.4% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Female | 10 | 2,602 | 0.4% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Male | 7 | 2,160 | 0.3% |
| Chiropractor Total | 23 | 5,167 | 0.4% |
| Chiropractor: Female | 7 | 1,989 | 0.4% |
| Chiropractor: Male | 16 | 3,178 | 0.5% |
| Dental Practitioner Total | 153 | 21,741 | 0.7% |
| Dental Practitioner: Female | 80 | 10,737 | 0.7% |
| Dental Practitioner: Male | 73 | 11,004 | 0.7% |
| Medical Practitioner Total | 1,177 | 107,179 | 1.1% |
| Medical Practitioner: Female | 568 | 44,492 | 1.3% |
| Medical Practitioner: Male | 609 | 62,687 | 1.0% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner Total | 112 | 15,303 | 0.7% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Female | 72 | 10,369 | 0.7% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Male | 40 | 4,934 | 0.8% |
| Midwife Total | 73 | 4,122 | 1.8% |
| Midwife: Female | 72 | 4,107 | 1.8% |
| Midwife: Male | 1 | 15 | 6.7% |
| Nurse Total | 3,785 | 346,387 | 1.1% |
| Nurse: Female | 3,199 | 306,450 | 1.0% |
| Nurse: Male | 586 | 39,937 | 1.5% |
| Nurse and Midwife Total | 520 | 29,699 | 1.8% |
| Nurse and Midwife: Female | 494 | 29,177 | 1.7% |
| Nurse and Midwife: Male | 26 | 522 | 5.0% |
| Occupational Therapist Total | 175 | 18,304 | 1.0% |
| Occupational Therapist: Female | 157 | 16,749 | 0.9% |
| Occupational Therapist: Male | 18 | 1,555 | 1.2% |
| Optometrist Total | 30 | 5,142 | 0.6% |
| Optometrist: Female | 15 | 2,658 | 0.6% |
| Optometrist: Male | 15 | 2,484 | 0.6% |
| Osteopath Total | 3 | 2,094 | 0.1% |
| Osteopath: Female | 0 | 1,137 | 0.0% |
| Osteopath: Male | 3 | 957 | 0.3% |
| Pharmacist Total | 217 | 29,717 | 0.7% |
| Pharmacist: Female | 140 | 18,243 | 0.8% |
| Pharmacist: Male | 77 | 11,474 | 0.7% |
| Physiotherapist Total | 165 | 28,855 | 0.6% |
| Physiotherapist: Female | 116 | 19,639 | 0.6% |
| Physiotherapist: Male | 49 | 9,216 | 0.5% |
| Podiatry Practitioner Total | 24 | 4,655 | 0.5% |
| Podiatry Practitioner: Female | 13 | 2,822 | 0.5% |
| Podiatry Practitioner: Male | 11 | 1,833 | 0.6% |
| Psychologist Total | 229 | 33,907 | 0.7% |
| Psychologist: Female | 170 | 26,909 | 0.6% |
| Psychologist: Male | 59 | 6,998 | 0.8% |
| Total | 6,913 | 657,621 | 1.1% |
Table 5: Registered Chinese medicine, dental and medical
radiation practitioners, and nurses and midwives with Qld as
the principal place of practice, by division
| Profession/division | NT | National total | % of national total |
|---|
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 17 | 4,762 | 0.4% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Acupuncturist | 12 | 1,722 | 0.7% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbal Dispenser1 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbal Dispenser and Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioner1 | 0 | 779 | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioner1 | 5 | 2,147 | 0.2% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Chinese Herbal Dispenser | 0 | 45 | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Chinese Herbal Dispenser and Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioner1 | 0 | 17 | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioner | 0 | 50 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner | 153 | 21,741 | 0.7% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Hygienist | 12 | 1,414 | 0.8% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Hygienist and Dental Prosthetist1 | 0 | 3 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Hygienist and Dental Prosthetist and Dental Therapist1 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist1 | 7 | 480 | 1.5% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist and Dentist | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist and Oral Health Therapist | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Hygienist and Dentist1 | 0 | 3 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Hygienist and Oral Health Therapist1 | 0 | 6 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Prosthetist | 4 | 1,250 | 0.3% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Prosthetist and Dental Therapist1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Prosthetist and Dentist1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Therapist | 15 | 1,016 | 1.5% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Therapist and Dentist | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dental Therapist and Oral Health Therapist1 | 0 | 4 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dentist | 106 | 16,264 | 0.7% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dentist and Oral Health Therapist1 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Oral Health Therapist | 9 | 1,291 | 0.7% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | 112 | 15,303 | 0.7% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Diagnostic Radiographer | 99 | 11,840 | 0.8% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Diagnostic Radiographer and Nuclear Medicine Technologist1 | 0 | 14 | 0.0% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Diagnostic Radiographer and Radiation Therapist1 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Nuclear Medicine Technologist | 2 | 1,095 | 0.2% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Radiation Therapist | 11 | 2,352 | 0.5% |
| Nurse | 3,785 | 346,387 | 1.1% |
| Nurse: Enrolled Nurse (Division 2) | 425 | 62,994 | 0.7% |
| Nurse: Enrolled Nurse (Division 2) and Registered Nurse (Division 1)1 | 64 | 6,465 | 1.0% |
| Nurse: Registered Nurse (Division 1) | 3,296 | 276,928 | 1.2% |
| Nurse and Midwife | 520 | 29,699 | 1.8% |
| Nurse and Midwife: Enrolled Nurse and Midwife1 | 1 | 64 | 1.6% |
| Nurse and Midwife: Enrolled Nurse and Registered Nurse and Midwife1 | 1 | 66 | 1.5% |
| Nurse and Midwife: Registered Nurse and Midwife1 | 518 | 29,569 | 1.8% |
| Total | 4,587 | 417,892 | 1.1% |
Note:
- Practitioners who hold dual or multiple registration.
Table 6: Health practitioners with specialties at 30 June 20161
| Profession/area of specialty practice | NT | National total | % of national total |
|---|
| Dental Practitioner | 6 | 1,714 | 0.4% |
| Dental Practitioner: Dento-maxillofacial radiology | 0 | 10 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Endodontics | 0 | 163 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Forensic odontology | 1 | 26 | 3.8% |
| Dental Practitioner: Oral and maxillofacial surgery | 2 | 202 | 1.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Oral medicine | 0 | 35 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Oral pathology | 0 | 24 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Oral surgery | 0 | 51 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Orthodontics | 3 | 605 | 0.5% |
| Dental Practitioner: Paediatric dentistry | 0 | 130 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Periodontics | 0 | 223 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Prosthodontics | 0 | 213 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Public health dentistry (Community dentistry) | 0 | 16 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner: Special needs dentistry | 0 | 16 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner | 562 | 64,463 | 0.9% |
| Medical Practitioner: Addiction medicine | 2 | 168 | 1.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Anaesthesia | 35 | 4,782 | 0.7% |
| Medical Practitioner: Dermatology | 1 | 528 | 0.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Emergency medicine | 36 | 1,904 | 1.9% |
| Medical Practitioner: General practice | 245 | 24,471 | 1.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Intensive care medicine | 10 | 856 | 1.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Intensive care medicine: Paediatric intensive care medicine | 0 | 7 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Intensive care medicine: No subspecialty declared | 10 | 849 | 1.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Medical administration | 4 | 331 | 1.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Obstetrics and gynaecology | 16 | 1,932 | 0.8% |
| Medical Practitioner: Obstetrics and gynaecology: Gynaecological oncology | 0 | 46 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Obstetrics and gynaecology: Maternal-fetal medicine | 1 | 40 | 2.5% |
| Medical Practitioner: Obstetrics and gynaecology: Obstetrics and gynaecological ultrasound | 0 | 76 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Obstetrics and gynaecology: Reproductive endocrinology and infertility | 0 | 54 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Obstetrics and gynaecology: Urogynaecology | 0 | 31 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Obstetrics and gynaecology: No subspecialty declared | 15 | 1,685 | 0.9% |
| Medical Practitioner: Occupational and environmental medicine | 1 | 308 | 0.3% |
| Medical Practitioner: Ophthalmology | 4 | 991 | 0.4% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health | 30 | 2,555 | 1.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric intensive care medicine | 0 | 6 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Clinical genetics | 0 | 26 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Community child health | 0 | 52 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: General paediatrics | 19 | 1,825 | 1.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Neonatal and perinatal medicine | 2 | 174 | 1.1% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric cardiology | 1 | 36 | 2.8% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric clinical pharmacology | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric emergency medicine | 0 | 51 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: | 0 | 32 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: | 0 | 24 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: | 0 | 11 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric immunology and allergy | 0 | 20 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric infectious diseases | 1 | 19 | 5.3% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: | 0 | 27 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric nephrology | 0 | 11 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric neurology | 0 | 35 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric palliative medicine | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric rehabilitation medicine | 0 | 8 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric respiratory and sleep medicine | 0 | 27 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: Paediatric rheumatology | 0 | 12 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Paediatrics and child health: | 7 | 156 | 4.5% |
| Medical Practitioner: Pain medicine | 0 | 276 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Palliative medicine | 4 | 312 | 1.3% |
| Medical Practitioner: Pathology | 10 | 2,073 | 0.5% |
| Medical Practitioner: Pathology: Anatomical pathology (including cytopathology) | 4 | 892 | 0.4% |
| Medical Practitioner: Pathology: Chemical pathology | 0 | 95 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Pathology: Forensic pathology | 1 | 48 | 2.1% |
| Medical Practitioner: Pathology: General pathology | 1 | 123 | 0.8% |
| Medical Practitioner: Pathology: Haematology | 3 | 513 | 0.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Pathology: Immunology | 0 | 118 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Pathology: Microbiology | 1 | 231 | 0.4% |
| Medical Practitioner: Pathology: No subspecialty declared | 0 | 53 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician | 76 | 9,779 | 0.8% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Cardiology | 7 | 1,313 | 0.5% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Clinical genetics | 0 | 72 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Clinical pharmacology | 0 | 55 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Endocrinology | 7 | 658 | 1.1% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Gastroenterology and hepatology | 2 | 836 | 0.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: General medicine | 19 | 1,785 | 1.1% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Geriatric medicine | 2 | 661 | 0.3% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Haematology | 4 | 532 | 0.8% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Immunology and allergy | 1 | 159 | 0.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Infectious diseases | 11 | 408 | 2.7% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Medical oncology | 2 | 626 | 0.3% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Nephrology | 11 | 522 | 2.1% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Neurology | 1 | 567 | 0.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Nuclear medicine | 0 | 261 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Respiratory and sleep medicine | 4 | 651 | 0.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: Rheumatology | 2 | 365 | 0.5% |
| Medical Practitioner: Physician: No subspecialty declared | 3 | 308 | 1.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Psychiatry | 20 | 3,565 | 0.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Public health medicine | 21 | 434 | 4.8% |
| Medical Practitioner: Radiation oncology | 2 | 380 | 0.5% |
| Medical Practitioner: Radiology | 4 | 2,368 | 0.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Radiology: Diagnostic radiology | 3 | 2,023 | 0.1% |
| Medical Practitioner: Radiology: Diagnostic ultrasound | 0 | 4 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Radiology: Nuclear medicine | 0 | 186 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Radiology: No subspecialty declared | 1 | 155 | 0.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Rehabilitation medicine | 2 | 497 | 0.4% |
| Medical Practitioner: Sexual health medicine | 1 | 123 | 0.8% |
| Medical Practitioner: Sport and exercise medicine | 1 | 119 | 0.8% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery | 37 | 5,711 | 0.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: Cardio-thoracic surgery | 0 | 201 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: General surgery | 18 | 1,974 | 0.9% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: Neurosurgery | 0 | 247 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: Oral and maxillofacial surgery | 2 | 123 | 1.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: Orthopaedic surgery | 8 | 1,394 | 0.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: Otolaryngology - head and neck surgery | 3 | 498 | 0.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: Paediatric surgery | 0 | 103 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: Plastic surgery | 3 | 450 | 0.7% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: Urology | 1 | 434 | 0.2% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: Vascular surgery | 1 | 229 | 0.4% |
| Medical Practitioner: Surgery: No subspecialty declared | 1 | 58 | 1.7% |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 0 | 30 | 0.0% |
| Podiatry Practitioner: Podiatric surgeon | 0 | 30 | 0.0% |
| Grand Total | 568 | 66,207 | 0.9% |
Note:
- The data above record the number of practitioners with
registration in the specialist fields listed. Individual
practitioners may be registered to practise in more than
one specialist field.
Table 7: Applications received, by profession and registration type
| Profession/registration type | NT | National total | % of national total |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner Total | 16 | 269 | 5.9% |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner: General | 15 | 268 | 5.6% |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner: Non-practising | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner Total | 0 | 742 | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: General | 0 | 546 | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner: Non-practising | 0 | 196 | 0.0% |
| Chiropractor Total | 1 | 394 | 0.3% |
| Chiropractor: General | 0 | 340 | 0.0% |
| Chiropractor: Limited | 0 | 3 | 0.0% |
| Chiropractor: Non-practising | 1 | 51 | 2.0% |
| Dental Practitioner Total | 6 | 1,536 | 0.4% |
| Dental Practitioner: General | 4 | 1,280 | 0.3% |
| Dental Practitioner: Limited | 1 | 46 | 2.2% |
| Dental Practitioner: Non-practising | 1 | 143 | 0.7% |
| Dental Practitioner: Specialist | 0 | 67 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner Total | 268 | 16,203 | 1.7% |
| Medical Practitioner: General | 83 | 5,280 | 1.6% |
| Medical Practitioner: Limited | 24 | 1,720 | 1.4% |
| Medical Practitioner: Non-practising | 4 | 393 | 1.0% |
| Medical Practitioner: Provisional | 91 | 5,453 | 1.7% |
| Medical Practitioner: | 66 | 3,357 | 2.0% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner Total | 15 | 1,722 | 0.9% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: General | 11 | 1,160 | 0.9% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Limited | 0 | 6 | 0.0% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Non-practising | 0 | 82 | 0.0% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner: Provisional | 4 | 474 | 0.8% |
| Midwife Total | 27 | 1,715 | 1.6% |
| Midwife: General | 25 | 1,401 | 1.8% |
| Midwife: Non-practising | 2 | 297 | 0.7% |
| Midwife: Provisional | 0 | 17 | 0.0% |
| Nurse Total | 267 | 28,854 | 0.9% |
| Nurse: General | 253 | 27,031 | 0.9% |
| Nurse: Non-practising | 10 | 1,513 | 0.7% |
| Nurse: Provisional | 4 | 310 | 1.3% |
| Occupational Therapist Total | 6 | 2,200 | 0.3% |
| Occupational Therapist: General | 6 | 1,799 | 0.3% |
| Occupational Therapist: Limited | 0 | 81 | 0.0% |
| Occupational Therapist: Non-practising | 0 | 287 | 0.0% |
| Occupational Therapist: Provisional | 0 | 33 | 0.0% |
| Optometrist Total | 2 | 399 | 0.5% |
| Optometrist: General | 1 | 365 | 0.3% |
| Optometrist: Limited | 0 | 6 | 0.0% |
| Optometrist: Non-practising | 1 | 28 | 3.6% |
| Osteopath Total | 0 | 207 | 0.0% |
| Osteopath: General | 0 | 163 | 0.0% |
| Osteopath: Non-practising | 0 | 28 | 0.0% |
| Osteopath: Provisional | 0 | 16 | 0.0% |
| Pharmacist Total | 24 | 3,324 | 0.7% |
| Pharmacist: General | 14 | 1,622 | 0.9% |
| Pharmacist: Limited | 0 | 29 | 0.0% |
| Pharmacist: Non-practising | 0 | 151 | 0.0% |
| Pharmacist: Provisional | 10 | 1,522 | 0.7% |
| Physiotherapist Total | 9 | 2,505 | 0.4% |
| Physiotherapist: General | 5 | 2,101 | 0.2% |
| Physiotherapist: Limited | 3 | 244 | 1.2% |
| Physiotherapist: Non-practising | 1 | 160 | 0.6% |
| Podiatry Practitioner Total | 3 | 445 | 0.7% |
| Podiatry Practitioner: General | 2 | 408 | 0.5% |
| Podiatry Practitioner: Non-practising | 1 | 36 | 2.8% |
| Podiatry Practitioner: Specialist | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Psychologist Total | 29 | 4,759 | 0.6% |
| Psychologist: General | 11 | 1,773 | 0.6% |
| Psychologist: Non-practising | 1 | 529 | 0.2% |
| Psychologist: Provisional | 17 | 2,457 | 0.7% |
| Total 2015/16 | 673 | 65,274 | 1.0% |
| Total 2014/15 | 635 | 61,517 | 1.0% |
Table 8: Outcome of applications for registration finalised
in 2015/16
| Outcome | NT | National Total2 | % of National Total |
|---|
| Register | 516 | 57,260 | 0.9% |
| Register with conditions | 17 | 1,716 | 1.0% |
| Register in a type other than applied for | 2 | 150 | 1.3% |
| Register in a type other than applied for with conditions | 0 | 130 | 0.0% |
| Refuse application | 24 | 2,706 | 0.9% |
| Withdrawn | 38 | 3,823 | 1.0% |
| Other | 3 | 191 | 1.6% |
| Total 2015/16 (PPP)1 | 600 | 65,976 | 0.9% |
Note:
- Based on state and territory of the applicant’s principal
place of practice (PPP).
- National total figure includes overseas applicants
and applicants who did not indicate their PPP.
Criminal history checks
Under the National Law, applicants for initial
registration must undergo criminal history checks.
A common criminal history standard is used across
all 14 National Boards.
Nationally, AHPRA undertook 66,698 domestic and
international criminal record checks of registrants
in 2015/16, an increase of 28.4% from the previous
year. The increase is largely due to a new approach
to checking international criminal history, which was
introduced in 2014/15.
In 2015/16, there were 11,877 criminal history
checks carried out for applicants with a principal
place of practice in Qld. Of those, 651 resulted in
disclosable court outcomes. See Table 9.
Table 10 provides an overview of cases where a
criminal history check resulted in, or contributed
to, the imposition of conditions by a Board or
undertakings given by a practitioner. There were
three such cases in Qld in 2015/16; eight fewer than
in 2014/15.
Table 9: Domestic and international criminal history checks in Qld and nationally, by profession, and cases where a criminal history check resulted in, or contributed to, imposition of conditions or undertakings, State/territory1
| Profession | QLD: Number of CHCs2 | QLD: Number of DCOs3 | QLD: % of DCOs resulting from CHCs | QLD: Conditions/undertakings resulting from CHCs | QLD: % of total national CHCs resulted in conditions/undertakings | National 2015/16: Number of CHCs2 | National 2015/16: Number of DCOs3 | National 2015/16: % of DCOs resulting from CHCs | National 2015/16: Conditions/undertakings resulting from CHCs |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner | 97 | 30 | 30.9% | | 0.0% | 396 | 193 | 48.7% | 1 |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 173 | 15 | 8.7% | | 0.0% | 933 | 60 | 6.4% | 0 |
| Chiropractor | 118 | 14 | 11.9% | | 0.0% | 787 | 66 | 8.4% | 0 |
| Dental Practitioner | 416 | 18 | 4.3% | 1 | 100.0% | 1,992 | 96 | 4.8% | 1 |
| Medical Practitioner | 2,028 | 51 | 2.5% | | 0.0% | 11,891 | 267 | 2.2% | 0 |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | 255 | 14 | 5.5% | | 0.0% | 1,728 | 61 | 3.5% | 0 |
| Midwife | 152 | 15 | 9.9% | | 0.0% | 859 | 52 | 6.1% | 0 |
| Nurse | 6,444 | 408 | 6.3% | 1 | 16.7% | 36,140 | 1,977 | 5.5% | 6 |
| Occupational Therapist | 425 | 11 | 2.6% | | 0.0% | 2,288 | 66 | 2.9% | 0 |
| Optometrist | 65 | | 0.0% | | 0.0% | 408 | 5 | 1.2% | 0 |
| Osteopath | 19 | 3 | 15.8% | | 0.0% | 185 | 15 | 8.1% | 0 |
| Pharmacist | 525 | 14 | 2.7% | 1 | 100.0% | 2,516 | 86 | 3.4% | 1 |
| Physiotherapist | 492 | 14 | 2.8% | | 0.0% | 2,702 | 94 | 3.5% | 0 |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 128 | 6 | 4.7% | | 0.0% | 814 | 54 | 6.6% | 0 |
| Psychologist | 540 | 38 | 7.0% | | 0.0% | 3,059 | 183 | 6.0% | 1 |
| Total 2015/16 | 11,877 | 651 | 5.5% | 3 | 30.0% | 66,698 | 3,275 | 4.9% | 10 |
| Total 2014/15 | 9,547 | 541 | 5.7% | 11 | 29.7% | 51,947 | 3,100 | 6.0% | 37 |
Note:
- For 2015/16, figures are reported by principal place of practice. For 2014/15, figures are reported by the state/territory location of
the preferred address as advised by the applicant/registrant. Where this can’t be identified, the location of the office assessing the
application is used.
- Criminal history checks. Refers to both domestic and international criminal history checks submitted. International criminal
history checks started in 2014/15.
- Disclosable court outcomes.
Table 10: Cases in 2015/16 where a criminal history check resulted in, or contributed to, imposition of conditions or undertakings, by profession
| Profession | QLD | Total | % of national total |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner | | 1 | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | | 0 | 0.0% |
| Chiropractor | | 0 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Medical Practitioner | | 0 | 0.0% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | | 0 | 0.0% |
| Midwife | | 0 | 0.0% |
| Nurse | 1 | 6 | 16.7% |
| Occupational Therapist | | 0 | 0.0% |
| Optometrist | | 0 | 0.0% |
| Osteopath | | 0 | 0.0% |
| Pharmacist | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Physiotherapist | | 0 | 0.0% |
| Podiatry Practitioner | | 0 | 0.0% |
| Psychologist | | 1 | 0.0% |
| Total 2015/16 | 3 | 10 | 30.0% |
| Total 2014/15 | 11 | 37 | 29.7% |
Notifications in Queensland
Notifications are complaints or concerns that
are raised with AHPRA about registered health
practitioners or students practising in Australia,
excluding New South Wales, where complaints
are handled by the Health Professional Councils
Authority (HPCA) and Queensland, where complaints
may be referred to AHPRA by the OHO. For more
information, see
‘Background’.
Tables 11–23 contain data relating to notifications
about registered health practitioners with a principal
place of practice (PPP) in Qld. These data relate to
matters referred to us by the OHO. Some tables do
not include data from the HPCA in NSW, as indicated
in the table headings.
Nationally, notifications received in 2015/16
increased by 19.7% (including those managed by
the HPCA in NSW). Notifications received about
practitioners with a PPP in Qld increased by
105.5%, to 1,919 complaints, compared with 934
in the previous year. This represents 19% of all
notifications received nationally (including HPCA
data).
Of the new notifications received, mandatory
notifications in Qld decreased from 16 in 2014/15 to
15 in 2015/16; this represents 1.5% of mandatory
notifications nationally in 2015/16.
Due to the significant increase in matters referred
to AHPRA by the OHO, there was also an increase
of 72% in the number of open notifications (1,288 at
end of June 2016, compared with 749 at the end of
the 2014/15 year). This represents 22.2% of all open
notifications nationally.
The percentage of the Qld registrant base with
notifications received in 2015/16 was 1.5%, which
was consistent with national figures.
A large proportion of notifications (863) were about
clinical care. See Table 14.
Notifications received came largely from the patient
(769) or another practitioner (248).
There were 109 cases where immediate action was
initiated against practitioners in Qld. In 86 of these
cases the registration of the practitioner was
suspended or restricted in order to protect the
public. Three decisions were pending as at
30 June 2016. In the remaining 20 cases the Board
determined that no further action was required1.
See Table 16.
As at 30 June 2016, there were nine open
notifications in Qld that were received before the
National Law took effect in 2010. All of these
matters are awaiting a tribunal determination. See Table 17.
Tables 18–22 detail the outcomes of key stages in
the notifications process during 2015/16; note the
national data in these tables do not include data for
NSW, because complaints in that jurisdiction are
managed by the HPCA.
The majority of the 1,948 enquiries received about
Qld registrants in 2015/16 were considered to
meet the criteria for a notification (1,836) and an
assessment commenced.
On completion of assessment of cases in 2015/16,
971 cases were closed and 739 cases were taken to
a further stage. See Table 19.
Forty-two cases were closed following a panel
hearing and 47 following a tribunal hearing. See Tables 21 and 22.
In total, 1,372 matters were closed in Qld in 2015/16. See Table 23.
Note:
- No further action is usually taken when, based on the available information, the Board determines there is no risk to the public that meets the threshold for regulatory action or because a practitioner has taken steps to voluntarily address issues of concern.
Table 11: Notifications received or closed in 2015/16 or remaining open at 30 June 2016, by profession
| Profession | All received: QLD | All received: National total | All received: % of national total | Mandatory received: QLD | Mandatory received: National total | Mandatory received: % of national total | Closed: QLD | Closed: National total | Closed: % of national total | Open at 30 June: QLD | Open at 30 June: National total | Open at 30 June: % of national total |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner | 0 | 5 | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 9 | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 10 | 54 | 18.5% | 0 | 4 | 0.0% | 9 | 36 | 25.0% | 4 | 33 | 12.1% |
| Chiropractor | 24 | 146 | 16.4% | 0 | 10 | 0.0% | 13 | 101 | 12.9% | 18 | 126 | 14.3% |
| Dental Practitioner | 167 | 1,025 | 16.3% | 2 | 27 | 7.4% | 98 | 794 | 12.3% | 106 | 621 | 17.1% |
| Medical Practitioner | 1,058 | 5,371 | 19.7% | 6 | 272 | 2.2% | 729 | 4,714 | 15.5% | 710 | 2,882 | 24.6% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | 11 | 48 | 22.9% | 0 | 7 | 0.0% | 10 | 38 | 26.3% | 9 | 27 | 33.3% |
| Midwife | 35 | 103 | 34.0% | 0 | 16 | 0.0% | 31 | 83 | 37.3% | 23 | 82 | 28.0% |
| Nurse | 417 | 1,942 | 21.5% | 7 | 519 | 1.3% | 319 | 1,762 | 18.1% | 290 | 1,226 | 23.7% |
| Occupational Therapist | 12 | 59 | 20.3% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 8 | 56 | 14.3% | 8 | 25 | 32.0% |
| Optometrist | 7 | 39 | 17.9% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 6 | 44 | 13.6% | 6 | 15 | 40.0% |
| Osteopath | 2 | 23 | 8.7% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | 27 | 3.7% | 2 | 9 | 22.2% |
| Pharmacist | 68 | 570 | 11.9% | 0 | 38 | 0.0% | 68 | 537 | 12.7% | 40 | 330 | 12.1% |
| Physiotherapist | 23 | 102 | 22.5% | 0 | 5 | 0.0% | 15 | 93 | 16.1% | 15 | 67 | 22.4% |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 10 | 57 | 17.5% | 0 | 5 | 0.0% | 6 | 49 | 12.2% | 6 | 28 | 21.4% |
| Psychologist | 75 | 528 | 14.2% | 0 | 72 | 0.0% | 59 | 484 | 12.2% | 51 | 316 | 16.1% |
| Unknown1 | 0 | 10 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 12 | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Total 2015/16 (PPP)2 | 1,919 | 10,082 | 19.0% | 15 | 980 | 1.5% | 1,372 | 8,839 | 15.5% | 1,288 | 5,789 | 22.2% |
| Total 2014/15 (PPP)2 | 934 | 8,426 | 11.1% | 16 | 833 | 1.9% | 1,240 | 9,003 | 13.8% | 749 | 4,531 | 16.5% |
| Total 2014/15 (Responsible Office)3 | 917 | 8,426 | 10.9% | 14 | 833 | 1.7% | 1,258 | 9,003 | 14.0% | 773 | 4,531 | 17.1% |
Note:
- Profession of registrant is not always identifiable in the early stages of a notification.
- For 2015/16, notifications are based on the state or territory of the practitioner’s principal place of practice (PPP).
- Prior to the above, notifications were based on the location of the AHPRA state or territory office that handled the notification
(Responsible Office).
Table 12: Percentage of registrant base with notifications received in 2015/16, by profession1
| Profession | QLD | National total |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner | 0.0% | 0.9% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| Chiropractor | 2.9% | 2.8% |
| Dental Practitioner | 3.9% | 4.7% |
| Medical Practitioner | 5.1% | 5.0% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Midwife2 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Nurse3 | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Occupational Therapist | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Optometrist | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Osteopath | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Pharmacist | 1.2% | 1.9% |
| Physiotherapist | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 1.3% | 1.2% |
| Psychologist | 1.2% | 1.6% |
| Total 2015/16 (PPP)4 | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| Total 2014/15 (PPP)4 | 0.8% | 1.3% |
| Total 2014/15 (Responsible Office)4 | 0.8% | 1.3% |
Note:
- Percentages are based on registrants whose profession
and principal place of practice (PPP) have been identified.
- The registrant base for midwives includes registrants with
midwifery or with nursing and midwifery registration.
- The registrant base used for nurses includes registrants
with midwifery or with nursing and midwifery registration.
- For 2015/16, notifications are based on the practitioner’s
PPP. Prior to this, notifications were based on the
state or territory where the notification was handled
(Responsible Office).
Table 13: Registrants involved in mandatory notifications, by jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | No. pr2015/16 (PPP)1: actitioners3 | 2015/16 (PPP)1: Rate / 10,000 practitioners4 | 2014/15 (PPP)1: No. practitioners3 | 2014/15 (PPP)1: Rate / 10,000 practitioners4 | 2014/15 (Responsible Office)2: No. practitioners3 | 2014/15 (Responsible Office)2: Rate / 10,000 practitioners4 |
|---|
| Queensland | 14 | 1.1 | 16 | 1.3 | 14 | 1.1 |
| Total Australia | 920 | 14.0 | 789 | 12.4 | 789 | 12.4 |
Note:
- Principal place of practice (PPP).
- State or territory where the notification is handled for registrants, including those registrants who do not reside in Australia.
- Figures represent the number of practitioners involved in the mandatory reports received.
- Practitioners with no PPP are not represented in the calculation of a rate for each state, but are included
in the calculation of the Total Australia rate.
Table 14: Issues in notifications received in 2015/16
| Issue | QLD | National total | % of national total |
|---|
| Behaviour | 47 | 374 | 12.6% |
| Billing | 12 | 178 | 6.7% |
| Boundary violation | 43 | 344 | 12.5% |
| Clinical care | 863 | 4,208 | 20.5% |
| Communication | 76 | 668 | 11.4% |
| Confidentiality | 43 | 248 | 17.3% |
| Conflict of interest | 3 | 20 | 15.0% |
| Discrimination | 2 | 27 | 7.4% |
| Documentation | 60 | 436 | 13.8% |
| Health impairment | 271 | 932 | 29.1% |
| Infection/hygiene | 9 | 87 | 10.3% |
| Informed consent | 17 | 116 | 14.7% |
| Medico-legal conduct | 5 | 146 | 3.4% |
| National Law breach | 86 | 299 | 28.8% |
| National Law offence | 2 | 277 | 0.7% |
| Offence | 86 | 329 | 26.1% |
| Offence by student | 0 | 9 | 0.0% |
| Other | 55 | 170 | 32.4% |
| Pharmacy/medication | 210 | 1,062 | 19.8% |
| Research/teaching/assessment | 5 | 20 | 25.0% |
| Response to adverse event | 11 | 43 | 25.6% |
| Teamwork/supervision | 13 | 65 | 20.0% |
| Not recorded | 0 | 24 | 0.0% |
| Total | 1,919 | 10,082 | 19.0% |
Table 15: Source of notifications received in 2015/16
| Source | QLD | National total (excluding HPCA)1 | % of national total (excluding HPCA) |
|---|
| Anonymous | 20 | 112 | 17.9% |
| Drugs and poisons | 1 | 24 | 4.2% |
| Education provider | 9 | 21 | 42.9% |
| Employer | 117 | 568 | 20.6% |
| Government department | 52 | 155 | 33.5% |
| HCE | 8 | 434 | 1.8% |
| Health advisory service | 17 | 28 | 60.7% |
| Hospital | 58 | 71 | 81.7% |
| Insurance company | 2 | 14 | 14.3% |
| Lawyer | 21 | 44 | 47.7% |
| Member of Parliament | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Member of the public | 93 | 340 | 27.4% |
| Ombudsman | 34 | 35 | 97.1% |
| Other Board | 24 | 39 | 61.5% |
| Other practitioner | 248 | 741 | 33.5% |
| Own motion | 56 | 329 | 17.0% |
| Patient | 769 | 2,022 | 38.0% |
| Police | 51 | 93 | 54.8% |
| Relative | 176 | 596 | 29.5% |
| Self | 100 | 182 | 54.9% |
| Treating practitioner | 12 | 58 | 20.7% |
| Unclassified | 51 | 148 | 34.5% |
| Total | 1,919 | 6,056 | 31.7% |
Note:
- The national total excludes Health Professional Councils
Authority (HPCA) data as the categorisation of ‘source’
differs between the HPCA and AHPRA.
Table 16: Immediate action cases about notifications
received in 2015/16
| Outcome | QLD | National total | % of national total |
|---|
| Not take immediate action | 20 | 139 | 14.4% |
| Accept undertaking | 13 | 67 | 19.4% |
| Impose conditions | 53 | 405 | 13.1% |
| Accept surrender of registration | 1 | 13 | 7.7% |
| Suspend registration | 19 | 106 | 17.9% |
| Decision pending | 3 | 19 | 15.8% |
| Total | 109 | 749 | 14.6% |
Table 17: Notifications under previous legislation open at 30
June 2016, by profession (excluding HPCA)
| Profession | QLD | National total1 | % of national total |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Chiropractor | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Dental Practitioner | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Medical Practitioner | 5 | 7 | 71.4% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Midwife | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Nurse | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Occupational Therapist | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Optometrist | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Osteopath | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Pharmacist | 3 | 3 | 100.0% |
| Physiotherapist | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Psychologist | 1 | 2 | 50.0% |
| Total 2015/16 | 9 | 14 | 64.3% |
| Total 2014/15 | 25 | 38 | 65.8% |
Note:
- Of the 14 open matters in the national total for 2015/16,
13 are lodged with a tribunal.
Table 18. Outcome of enquiries received in 2015/16
(excluding HPCA)
| Outcome | QLD | National total | % of national total |
|---|
| Moved to notification, complaint or offence | 1,836 | 6,214 | 29.5% |
| Closed at lodgement | 25 | 1,576 | 1.6% |
| Yet to be determined | 87 | 374 | 23.3% |
| Total | 1,948 | 8,164 | 23.9% |
Table 19a: Outcome of assessments finalised in 2015/16
(excluding HPCA)
| Outcome of decisions to take the notification further | QLD | National total (excluding HPCA) | % of national total |
|---|
| Health or performance assessment | 177 | 295 | 60.0% |
| Investigation | 548 | 1,975 | 27.7% |
| Panel hearing | 13 | 16 | 81.3% |
| Tribunal hearing | 1 | 3 | 33.3% |
| Total | 739 | 2,289 | 32.3% |
Table 19b: Outcome of assessments finalised in 2015/16
(excluding HPCA)
| Outcome of notifications closed following assessment | QLD | National total (excluding HPCA) | % of national total |
|---|
| No further action | 626 | 2,358 | 26.5% |
| HCE to retain | 2 | 109 | 1.8% |
| Refer all or part of the notification to another body | 8 | 33 | 24.2% |
| Dealt with as enquiry | 1 | 47 | 2.1% |
| Managed as a complaint by a co-regulator | 4 | 5 | 80.0% |
| Managed as an offence under Part 7 of the National Law | 1 | 7 | 14.3% |
| Caution | 189 | 367 | 51.5% |
| Accept undertaking | 21 | 46 | 45.7% |
| Impose conditions | 117 | 164 | 71.3% |
| Practitioner surrenders registration | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| Total | 971 | 3,138 | 30.9% |
Table 20a: Outcome of investigations finalised in 2015/16
(excluding HPCA)
| Outcome of decisions to take the notification further | QLD | National total (excluding HPCA) | % of national total |
|---|
| Assessment | 3 | 16 | 18.8% |
| Health or performance assessment | 15 | 116 | 12.9% |
| Panel hearing | 34 | 79 | 43.0% |
| Tribunal hearing | 8 | 100 | 8.0% |
| Total | 60 | 311 | 19.3% |
Table 20b: Outcome of investigations finalised in 2015/16
(excluding HPCA)
| Outcome of notifications closed following investigation | QLD | National total (excluding HPCA) | % of national total |
|---|
| No further action | 122 | 838 | 14.6% |
| HCE to retain | 0 | 8 | 0.0% |
| Refer all or part of the notification to another body | 5 | 11 | 45.5% |
| Dealt with as enquiry | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Managed as a complaint by a co-regulator | 3 | 5 | 60.0% |
| Caution | 37 | 272 | 13.6% |
| Accept undertaking | 5 | 72 | 6.9% |
| Impose conditions | 24 | 189 | 12.7% |
| Suspend registration | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Total | 197 | 1,397 | 14.1% |
Table 21: Outcome of panel hearings finalised in 2015/16
(excluding HPCA)
| Outcome | QLD | National total (excluding HPCA) | % of national total |
|---|
| No further action | 6 | 32 | 18.8% |
| Accept undertaking | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Caution | 10 | 39 | 25.6% |
| Reprimand | 3 | 11 | 27.3% |
| Impose conditions | 23 | 88 | 26.1% |
| Practitioner surrenders registration | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Suspend registration | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Total | 42 | 173 | 24.3% |
Table 22: Outcome of tribunal hearings finalised in 2015/16
(excluding HPCA)
| Outcome | QLD | National total (excluding HPCA) | % of national total |
|---|
| No further action | 3 | 18 | 16.7% |
| Caution | 1 | 3 | 33.3% |
| Reprimand | 5 | 21 | 23.8% |
| Fine registrant | 0 | 5 | 0.0% |
| Accept undertaking | 1 | 2 | 50.0% |
| Impose conditions | 4 | 28 | 14.3% |
| Practitioner surrenders registration | 0 | 3 | 0.0% |
| Suspend registration | 20 | 44 | 45.5% |
| Cancel registration | 9 | 34 | 26.5% |
| Not permitted to reapply for registration for a period of 12 months | 3 | 8 | 37.5% |
| Withdrawn | 1 | 9 | 11.1% |
| Total | 47 | 175 | 26.9% |
Table 23: Notifications closed in 2015/16, by profession and stage at closure in Qld
| Profession | Assessment | Investigation | Health or performance assessment | Panel hearing | Tribunal hearing | Total 2015/16 |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Chiropractor | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| Dental Practitioner | 81 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 98 |
| Medical Practitioner | 524 | 108 | 34 | 29 | 34 | 729 |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Midwife | 22 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 31 |
| Nurse | 210 | 45 | 56 | 3 | 5 | 319 |
| Occupational Therapist | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Optometrist | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Osteopath | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacist | 51 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 68 |
| Physiotherapist | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Psychologist | 35 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 59 |
| Not identified1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total 2015/16 | 972 | 196 | 109 | 48 | 47 | 1,372 |
Monitoring and compliance
AHPRA’s monitoring and compliance team monitors
health practitioners and students with restrictions
on their registration, or whose registration has been
suspended or cancelled.
Monitoring ensures practitioners are complying
with restrictions placed on their registration. Each
case is assigned to one of five streams, where the
below affects a practitioner or student’s ability or
performance:
- health: physical or mental impairment,
disability, condition or disorder (including
substance abuse or dependence)
- performance: deficiencies in knowledge, skill,
judgement or care
- conduct: where they have a criminal history
or have demonstrated a lesser standard of
professional care than expected
- suitability/eligibility: they do not hold an
approved or equivalent qualification; lack
English-language skills; do not meet the
requirements for recency of practice or do not
meet approved registration standards, or
- prohibited practitioner/student: they are
subject to a cancellation order, surrender
of registration or change to non-practising
registration or suspension.
At 30 June 2016, there were 1,078 cases under
active compliance monitoring in Qld.
Qld accounted for 21.7% of all cases nationally
under active monitoring. The majority of these
registrants were medical practitioners (373) or
nurses (326). See Tables 24 and 25.
Table 24: Active monitoring cases at 30 June 2016, by
profession (excluding HPCA)
| Profession | QLD | National total (excluding HPCA) | % of national total |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner | 19 | 73 | 26.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 128 | 954 | 13.4% |
| Chiropractor | 12 | 46 | 26.1% |
| Dental Practitioner | 43 | 141 | 30.5% |
| Medical Practitioner | 373 | 1,767 | 21.1% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | 35 | 109 | 32.1% |
| Midwife | 22 | 144 | 15.3% |
| Nurse | 326 | 1,274 | 25.6% |
| Occupational Therapist | 12 | 36 | 33.3% |
| Optometrist | 2 | 17 | 11.8% |
| Osteopath | 1 | 9 | 11.1% |
| Pharmacist | 52 | 178 | 29.2% |
| Physiotherapist | 13 | 60 | 21.7% |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 4 | 21 | 19.0% |
| Psychologist | 36 | 134 | 26.9% |
| Total | 1,078 | 4,963 | 21.7% |
| Jurisdiction | Conduct1 | Health1 | Performance1 | Prohibited practitioner/student | Suitability/ eligibility2 | Total 2015/16 |
|---|
| QLD | 141 | 284 | 173 | 43 | 437 | 1,078 |
| National 2015/163 | 709 | 1,000 | 677 | 219 | 3,129 | 5,734 |
| % of national total | 19.9% | 28.4% | 25.6% | 19.6% | 14.0% | 18.8% |
Note:
- Includes cases to be transitioned from AHPRA to HPCA for Conduct, Health and Performance streams.
- AHPRA performs monitoring of compliance cases in ‘suitability/eligibility’ matters for NSW registrations.
- Includes cases monitored by the HPCA.
Statutory offence complaints
In order to protect the public, the National Law sets
out the following types of statutory offences:
- unlawful use of protected titles
- performing restricted acts
- holding out (unlawful claims by individuals or
organisations as to registration), and
- unlawful advertising.
Offences under the National Law are ‘summary
offences’ and are prosecuted in the Magistrates’
Court (or equivalent) of the relevant state or
territory. All offences under the National Law carry
penalties or fines that may be imposed by a court on
a finding of guilt.
Nationally, AHPRA received 1,348 statutory offence
complaints during 2015/16; 166% higher than in
2014/15. This significant increase was largely due
to a series of complaints made by a number of
organisations about alleged advertising breaches
(75% of all complaints). Of these, 57.3% were
about chiropractic services, 16% were about dental
services and 13.1% were about medical services.
In 2015/16, 228 new statutory offence complaints
were made about Qld-based practitioners, an
increase of 117.1% from 2014/15. Qld received 16.9%
of all offence complaints received nationally. See Table 26.
Eighty-seven statutory offences were closed in
2015/16; 7.4% fewer than 2014/15. Almost all
new matters in Qld related to title protection or
advertising concerns.
Table 26: Offences received and closed by profession and jurisdiction1
| Profession | QLD: Received | QLD: Closed | National Total2: Received | National Total2: Closed | % of National Total: Received | % of National Total: Closed |
|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Chinese Medicine Practitioner | 7 | 0 | 26 | 12 | 26.9% | 0.0% |
| Chiropractor | 115 | 11 | 601 | 68 | 19.1% | 16.2% |
| Dental Practitioner | 30 | 29 | 196 | 157 | 15.3% | 18.5% |
| Medical Practitioner | 35 | 19 | 202 | 128 | 17.3% | 14.8% |
| Medical Radiation Practitioner | 0 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Midwife | 0 | 1 | 33 | 6 | 0.0% | 16.7% |
| Nurse | 5 | 7 | 54 | 40 | 9.3% | 17.5% |
| Occupational Therapist | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Optometrist | 3 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 33.3% | 11.1% |
| Osteopath | 2 | 2 | 12 | 25 | 16.7% | 8.0% |
| Pharmacist | 2 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 15.4% | 15.4% |
| Physiotherapist | 20 | 5 | 66 | 40 | 30.3% | 12.5% |
| Podiatry Practitioner | 2 | 1 | 26 | 17 | 7.7% | 5.9% |
| Psychologist | 7 | 9 | 83 | 64 | 8.4% | 14.1% |
| Unknown3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Total 2015/16 (PPP)4 | 228 | 87 | 1,348 | 600 | 16.9% | 14.5% |
| Total 2014/15 (PPP)4 | 105 | 94 | 506 | 518 | 20.8% | 18.1% |
Note:
- This table captures offence complaints by principal place of practice (PPP) and includes all offences from sections 113–116 of the
National Law, not only offences about advertising, title and practice protection.
- The national total includes offences managed about unregistered persons where there is no PPP recorded.
- AHPRA also receives offence complaints about unregistered persons where there is no PPP recorded. Only registered practitioners
have a designated PPP.
- Based on state and territory of the practitioner’s PPP.