Health Practitioner Regulation in Australia
Health Practitioner Regulation in Australia
Health Practitioner Regulation
in Australia
Dr John Lockwood, Chair Dental Board of Australia
20-22 March 2013, Canada-Australian Roundtable on
Foreign Qualification Recognition, Vancouver Canada
Outline
Overview of health practitioner regulation in
Australia
Case study competent authority model/mutual
recognition of dentists in Australia and Canada
2
Overview of health practitioner regulation
in Australia
3
History
Before July 2010
8 states & territories
>85 health profession
boards
66 Acts of Parliament
4
Since July 2010
1 national scheme
10 health profession
boards + 4 since July
2012
Nationally consistent
legislation
Regulated health professions
July 2010
1. Chiropractors
2. Dental practitioners (dentists, dental
hygienists, dental prosthetists, dental
therapists, oral health therapists) (approx.
19,087)
3. Medical practitioners (approx. 91,650)
4. Nurses and midwives (approx. 302,245 nurses,
2,187 midwives, 39,271 registered as both)
5. Optometrists
6. Osteopaths
7. Pharmacists (approx. 26,548)
8. Physiotherapists (approx. 23,501)
9. Podiatrists
10. Psychologists (approx. 29,645)
total >548,000
5
July 2012
1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander health practitioners
2. Chinese medicine practitioners
3. Medical radiation practitioners
4. Occupational therapists
Objectives
To protect the public by ensuring that only suitably
trained and qualified practitioners are registered
Scheme facilitates:
workforce mobility across Australia
provision of high-quality education and training of
health practitioners
rigorous assessment of overseas-trained
practitioners (ADC assessment and Limited
Registration)
6
Benefits
Mobility: Register once, practise across Australia
Uniformity: Consistent national standards
registration and professional conduct
Efficiency: Less red tape - streamlined
Collaboration: Sharing, learning, understanding
between professions
National online registers of practitioners showing
current conditions on practice (except health)
7
Who does what in the national scheme?
14 national boards made up of practitioner and
community members
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
(AHPRA) one administrative body supports all
national boards
Accreditation authorities appointed to assess
programs of study, assess internationally qualified
health practitioners seeking registration
8
Role of the boards
Determine requirements for registration and
develop Registration Standards (approved by state
& territory Health Ministers)
Develop policies, guidelines and codes for health
practitioners
Oversee the registration of health practitioners
Oversee the management of notifications
(complaints) from members of the public and
others about health, performance and conduct of
health practitioners
Maintain registers (with AHPRA)
9
Registration standards
Mandatory standards (all boards):
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Criminal History
Continuing Professional Development
English Language Skills
Recency of Practice
Standards specific to boards e.g. dental
Scope of Practice
Specialist registration
10
Codes and Guidelines
Common across all boards
Mandatory Notifications
Advertising Guidelines
Code of Conduct
Specific to dental board e.g.
Infection Control
Dental Records
11
Competent Authority - Mutual recognition
arrangement for dentists
12
Key facts about arrangement
Agreement between dental accreditation authorities
Australian Dental Council (ADC) & Commission on
Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC)
Dentistry programs accredited by CDAC
recognised by ADC and vice versa
Parties notify each other of changes in
accreditation standards
Staff from ADC & CDAC attend meetings,
participate in site visits every other year
Agreement effective from 31 March 2010 (5 years,
renewable for 5 years)
13
Key facts about arrangement
Regulatory bodies recognise graduates for
registration
DBA automatically recognises Canadian graduates
from CDAC accredited general dentistry programs
after 31 March 2010 who have also completed
National Dental Examining Board (NDEB)
registration exam
Canadian authorities automatically recognise
Australian graduates from ADC accredited general
dentistry programs after 31 March 2010 as eligible to
sit the NDEB registration exam
14
Overview: process to establish agreement
15
ADC & CDAC exchange documents
map accreditation standards
map accreditation processes and guidelines (including
selection and composition of site visit team)
high degree of overlap in standards and processes as
mapped on paper
ADC & CDAC exchange observers
attend accreditation site visits evaluate, confirm process
attend meetings observe decision making processes
accreditation processes, requirements between ADC &
CDAC largely mirror each other
Similarities in health systems, health profiles, education systems between the countries
More information
AHPRA website www.ahpra.gov.au
provides access to 14 boards websites e.g.
www.dentalboard.gov.au
16
Discussion & Questions
17