Vic Annual Report Summary 2015/16

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

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

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

The WA Registration and Notification Committee of the Dental Board of Australia has continued in 2015/16 to work to meet the objectives of the National Scheme in managing risk to patients.

We make decisions about individual registered dentists after receiving a notification (complaint) about them; and assess the most complex applications for registration, often from overseastrained practitioners.

The WA Committee is made up of practitioner and community members from WA. The decisions of the committee are guided by the national standards and policies set by the Dental Board of Australia.

This year, the WA Committee spent time working with the Dental Board of Australia and AHPRA to further improve the experience of notifiers and practitioners. We worked on evolving and streamlining processes to further improve customer service, and to ensure clarity about what people can expect.

We have endeavoured to engage with our stakeholders during the year, including representatives of the WA branch of the Australian Dental Association and the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office to discuss issues that are common to our work.

The WA Committee has dealt with a broad range of increasingly complex notifications. I thank my colleagues for their diligence to the people of WA, ensuring that the WA Committee meetings are conducted professionally, efficiently and effectively. I wish to thank AHPRA staff for their efforts, professionalism and support. I thank the Dental Board of Australia for the opportunity to serve the WA community in this work, and in particular the Chair, Dr John Lockwood for his ongoing support.

This WA report provides a snapshot of regulation at work in our state over the past year. It complements the comprehensive, profession-specific information published in the annual report of AHPRA and the National Boards for 2015/16.

Members of the WA Committee in 2015/16

• Dr Gerard Parkinson (Chair)
• Dr Susan Anderson
• Ms Bronwyn Davies
• Mr Graham Devenish
• Mr Michael Piu
• Dr Simon Shanahan

---

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

As in previous years, the focus of the WA Board of the Medical Board of Australia in 2015/16 has been on public safety as we made decisions about individual medical practitioners.

Our decisions fall into two broad categories: complex applications for registration that require detailed individual assessment; or deciding what action is required to manage risk to the public as a result of a notification.

We are a local board making decisions about local practitioners. We are guided by the national standards and policies set by the Medical Board of Australia, and are supported by the local AHPRA office.

The WA Board has spent time this year working with the Medical Board nationally, with all other state and territory Medical Boards and AHPRA, to further improve the experience of notifiers and practitioners. The overall goal is to improve our customer service, be clear about what people can expect and make it easier for people to interact with us.

The WA Board has taken a proactive role in engaging and working with stakeholders in WA. We have invited representatives from the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office, the Postgraduate Medical Council and WA Medical Workforce team to our Board and committee meetings throughout the year, to discuss issues that are common to our work.

This year, we say a special thanks to outgoing members Ms Prudence Ford, Dr Frank Kubicek and Dr Steven Patchett for their contributions to the WA Board over the years. Subsequently, we welcome Dr Daniel Heredia and Dr Mark Edwards as Practitioner Members and Mr John Pintabona as a Community Member Representative to the WA Board. Our Board members contribute their time, energy and passion to protecting the public. Their vigilance ensures that community confidence in the system is retained.

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

This WA report provides a snapshot of regulation-atwork in our state over the last year. It complements the comprehensive, profession-specific information published in the annual report of AHPRA and the National Boards for 2015/16.

Members of the WA Board in 2015/16

• Professor Con Michael AO (Chair)
• Ms Nicoletta Ciffolilli
• Dr Mark Edwards (from 29 May 2016)
• Ms Prudence Ford (until 30 September 2015)
• Dr Daniel Heredia (from 18 October 2015)
• Dr Frank Kubicek (until 17 October 2015)
• Dr Michael Levitt
• Dr Michael McComish
• Professor Mark McKenna
• Professor Stephan Millett
• Dr Steven Patchett
• Mr John Pintabona (from 1 January 2016)
• Ms Virginia Rivalland
• Professor Bryant Stokes AM
• Adjunct Professor Peter Wallace OAM

---

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

In 2015/2016, the WA Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia continued to focus on public safety, making decisions about individual nurses and midwives.

Our decisions may be about complex applications for registration that require detailed individual assessment, health issues relating to a practitioner or deciding to take action to manage any risk to the public as a result of a notification to AHPRA that raises concerns about a practitioner’s practice.

The decisions we make in WA are guided by the national standards and policies set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (National Board). These policies and regulatory guidelines inform the decisions we make in WA about local practitioners, supported by AHPRA’s WA office.

During the year, the WA Board has worked closely with our colleagues on the National Board and on other state and territory boards. This partnership supports a nationally consistent approach to managing and making decisions about notifications and registration matters for nurses and midwives.

The WA Board regularly met with representatives from other agencies, such as the director of the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office and the WA Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer. This provides an opportunity for an exchange of information regarding the regulatory processes of AHPRA and identification of common areas of concern relating to the nursing and midwifery workforce.

WA Board members and WA AHPRA staff took the opportunity to attend a number of practitioner sites in the public and private sectors over the year. This allowed a better understanding of the context of a practitioner’s area of practice, to help inform the Board’s decision-making when considering the application of any conditions imposed on an individual’s registration. The full WA Board also participated in professional development that concentrated on ‘good decision-making’.

I wish to acknowledge the high level of work that AHPRA staff members continue to provide to the WA Board in preparation for our meetings. Their input is invaluable to assist our decision-making.

This year we say a special thanks to outgoing members Ms Virginia Seymour and Ms Jennifer Wood for their contributions to the WA Board over the years. Subsequently, we welcome Ms Mary Miller as a Practitioner Member. Our Board members contribute their time, energy and passion to protecting the public and their vigilance ensures that community confidence in the system is retained.

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 WA Board in 2015/16

• Ms Marie-Louise Macdonald (Chair)
• Mrs Marie Baxter
• Associate Professor Karen Clark-Burg
• Dr Margaret Crowley
• Adjunct Associate Professor Karen Gullick
• Ms Pamela Lewis
• Ms Mary Miller (from 26 April 2016)
• Mr Michael Piu
• Ms Virginia Seymour (until 16 February 2016)
• Ms Jennifer Wood (until 25 April 2016)

---

Pharmacy Board of Australia: Chair’s message

The Pharmacy Board of Australia (the National Board) makes decisions about registered pharmacists in WA. 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. Mrs Rachel Carr is the practitioner member from WA 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 WA. 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 WA on the notifications committee are:

• Ms Barbara Kirk, and
• Ms Anne Chew.

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

The 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 WA, which includes speaking each year to final-year pharmacy students and intern training providers about the National Board’s requirements for provisional registration and how to apply, the intern year and the national pharmacy examination.

This year they also spoke to local members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia about the Board’s new continuing professional development requirements and appeared before the Clinical Senate of WA to outline AHPRA and the Board’s roles in regulation.

---

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 the Northern Territory (NT), South Australia (SA) 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 the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office and other health complaints entities in WA, SA 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 (until 25 March 2016)
• 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)

---

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