SA Annual Report Summary 2015/16

Part 1: Decision-making in South Australia: Board and committee reports

• SA Registration and Notification Committee, Dental Board of Australia
• SA Board of the Medical Board of Australia
• SA Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
• Pharmacy Board of Australia: Chair’s message
• SA Board of the Psychology Board of Australia
• National Boards and committees: making local decisions

SA Registration and Notification Committee, Dental Board of Australia: Chair’s message

In 2015/16, the SA committee continued to work to meet the objectives of the National Scheme in managing risk to dental patients in our region.

Our primary role is to make decisions about individual registered dental practitioners who have a principal place of practice in SA, after receiving a complaint (notification) about them, and to assess complex applications for registration, often from overseas-trained practitioners.

Data showing the work of the local committee are detailed in this report. More comprehensive information about the work of the Dental Board of Australia (the National Board) is included in the 2015/16 annual report of AHPRA and the National Boards.

Along with the National Board members from each jurisdiction, the SA committee is the local face of dental practitioner regulation in SA. Our local committee is made up of practitioners and community members from SA. The decisions the committee makes are guided by the national standards and policies set by the National Board.

The local committee makes most delegated decisions about dental practitioners in our region, supported by the local AHPRA office, in a national policy framework. Also, because this is a National scheme, the committee also occasionally contributes to decision-making for other state committees of the National Board where there may be conflicts of interest.

In my role as Chair, I have attended a number of National Board meetings throughout the year. These meetings are opportunities to discuss how the National Board policies influence decision-making at the local level.

We have continued to engage with stakeholders and meet regularly with the CEO and President of the Australian Dental Association (SA).

I thank my colleagues on the SA Registration and Notification Committee and also the AHPRA staff in the SA office for their energy and commitment to the people of SA during the year.

Members of the SA Committee in 2015/16

• Professor Richard Logan (Chair)
• Ms Josephine Bradley
• Dr Cosimo Maiolo
• Mrs Jennifer Miller
• Dr Heidi Muchenberg
• Ms Joanna Richardson

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

The focus of the SA Board of the Medical Board of Australia in 2015/16 was on public safety as we made regulatory decisions in two broad categories: complex applications for practitioner registration and notifications of concern about practitioners’ behaviour or performance.

As the local board, we are guided in our decisionmaking by the standards and policies set by the Medical Board of Australia (the National Board), and are supported by the local AHPRA office.

Over the past year, we spent time working with the the National Board, other state and territory medical boards and AHPRA to improve the experience of notifiers and practitioners by streamlining our customer service, and we facilitated communication by being clear about what the public, practitioners and other stakeholders can expect.

To maintain links with stakeholders, SA State Manager Richenda Webb and I have attended meetings with the President and CEO of the Australian Medical Association (SA), the CEO of the SA Department of Health and Ageing, and senior members of SA Medical Education and Training.

I thank my colleagues on the SA Board for their energy and commitment to protecting the safety of the people of SA during the year, by serving on registration and notification committees, including the Immediate Action Committee, which deals with urgent matters. I also wish to thank AHPRA staff for their continued dedication.

This SA report provides a snapshot of medical regulation in our state over the last year, complementing the comprehensive information published in the annual report of AHPRA and the National Boards for 2015/16. I hope you will find it interesting and useful.

Members of the SA Board in 2015/16

• Professor Anne Tonkin (Chair)
• Dr Daniel Cehic (from 1 July 2016)
• Mr Paul Laris
• Professor Guy Maddern
• Ms Louise Miller Frost (from 1 July 2016)
• Dr Rakesh Mohindra
• Dr Bruce Mugford
• Dr Christine Putland (until 30 June 2016)
• Dr Lynne Rainey
• Dr Catherine Reid (until 30 June 2016)
• Dr Leslie Stephan
• Ms Katherine (Kate) Sullivan
• Mr Thomas Symonds
• Dr Mary White

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

Decision-making regarding individual registered nurses and midwives are guided by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (National Board) standards, guidelines and policies to ensure nationally consistent decisions about local SA practitioners.

Public safety remained the focus of the SA Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia in 2015/16.

Our work with stakeholders remained a priority during the year. With Dr Richenda Webb, the AHPRA SA State Manager, I have met with the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer of the SA Department of Health and Ageing. The SA Board also engaged during the year with South Australian Police to better understand the issues surrounding addiction and its impact on impaired practitioners, as well as meeting with the office of the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner to strengthen our understanding of how our two organisations can work together to ensure public safety.

I wish to acknowledge the high standard of work AHPRA staff provide to the SA Board in preparation for our meetings. In collaboration with AHPRA staff, the SA Board formed a standing Immediate Action Committee in 2015/16 and introduced a process of triage decision-making that led to improved efficiency and timeliness in our responses to notifications.

I thank my colleagues on the SA Board for their energy and commitment to the people of SA during the year.

This snapshot of regulation at work in our state complements the comprehensive, professionspecific information published in the annual report of AHPRA and the National Boards for 2015/16.

Members of the SA Board in 2015/16

• Associate Professor Linda Starr (Chair)
• Ms Cathy Beaton (until 3 August 2015)
• Mr Mark Bodycoat
• Dr Sheryl De Lacy (until 3 August 2015)
• Mrs Zinta Docherty (4 August 2015)
• Ms Sally Hampel
• Ms Kaaren Haywood (4 August 2015)
• Ms Meredith Hobbs
• Mrs Gillian Homan (from 4 August 2015)
• Ms Paula Medway
• Ms Melanie Ottaway (until 3 August 2015)
• Ms Katherine Sullivan

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Pharmacy Board of Australia: Chair’s message

The Pharmacy Board of Australia (the National Board) makes decisions about all registered pharmacists in SA. 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 Scheme at a local level. This is supported by a public perspective, which comes from community member representatives from four states. Mr Trevor Draysey is the practitioner member from SA on the National Board.

To ensure local knowledge informs nationally consistent decisions, the National Board has a notifications committee to make decisions about individual registered pharmacists in SA. In addition to five core members from the National Board, there are two representatives from each state and territory on this committee.

The representatives (jurisdictional members) from SA on the notifications committee are:

• Ms Aspasia Hassouros, and
• Mr Vaughn Eaton.

Input throughout the year from stakeholders in SA has been important in helping the 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 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.

Pharmacy professional officers support the Board in its engagement with stakeholders in SA, which includes speaking each year to final-year pharmacy students and intern training providers about the Board’s requirements for provisional registration and how to apply, the intern year and the national pharmacy examination. They also engage with local members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

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NT, SA and WA Regional Board of the Psychology Board of Australia: Chair’s message

The Regional Board of the Psychology Board of Australia serves communities in SA, the Northern Territory (NT) and Western Australia (WA).

The work of the Psychology Board of Australia is detailed in the annual report of AHPRA and the National Boards, which provides a national snapshot of the work the Board does to regulate the psychology profession in Australia.

The Regional Board is the local face of psychology regulation in our region. Our board is made up of practitioner and community members from the NT, SA and WA. The decisions we make about psychologists in our region are guided by the national standards and policies set by the Psychology Board of Australia. Our Board is supported by AHPRA’s office in WA, with assistance from teams in SA and the NT.

The main focus of the Regional Board has continued to be on public safety, as we made decisions about individual psychologists. Most of our work considered what action we needed to take to manage risk to the public as a result of a notification (complaint). Another priority was assessing complex applications for registration. Consistency has been ensured through regular teleconferences with the three other Regional Chairs and attendance at the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) combined meeting.

We have endeavoured to engage with our stakeholders during the year, including representatives of health complaints entities in SA, WA and the NT, to discuss issues that are common to our work.

This year we say a special thanks to outgoing members Dr Shirley Grace and Mrs Janet Stephenson for their valued contributions. Subsequently, we welcome SA Practitioner Member Mr Colby Pearce and NT Practitioner Member Mr Chris Frank to the Board. I would like to thank all members of the Regional Board for their continued hard work and for their commitment to protecting the public by ensuring that psychologists in our region are suitably qualified and uphold the standards that are expected of the profession.

Members of the NT/SA/WA Regional Board in 2015/16

• Dr Jennifer Thornton (Chair)
• Ms Cathy Beaton
• Ms Judith Dikstein
• Emeritus Professor David Leach
• Mr Colby Pearce
• Mr Chris Frank (from 10 June 2016)
• Dr Shirley Grace
• Dr Neil McLean (from 17 October 2015)
• Mr Theodore Sharp (from 17 October 2015)
• Ms Claire Simmons (from 1 January 2016)
• Ms Janet Stephenson (until 9 September 2015)

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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.

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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