New national registration and accreditation scheme

The Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council has outlined how the new National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions will work.

Following an extensive consultation process, the Ministerial Council decided last Friday that a number of changes had to be made to the original proposals, particularly in areas of accreditation, the role of state bodies and complaints handling.

Accreditation will be independent of governments with standards being developed by the independent accrediting body or committee of the board. This body will recommend to the board the courses and training programs it has accredited and that it considers to have met the requirements for registration.

Other decisions included:

• Existing accrediting bodies such as the Australian Dental Council are expected to continue.
• Continuing professional development will be a requirement for registration. Details of requirements for each profession will be determined by the relevant national board.
• Practitioners and employers will have to report a registrant who is placing the public at risk.
• Criminal history and identify checks will apply.
• Help will be given to people who wish to make a complaint. This will not affect the services provided by health complaints commissions.
• There will be a flexible model for administering arrangements for complaints. Legislation will cover investigations and prosecutions along with definitions of offences and contraventions and outcomes.
• Students will be registered, with boards being able to act on impairment matters or where there is a conviction which may impact on public safety.
• The Ministerial Council will appoint national boards with practitioners making up at least half, but not more than two-thirds. National boards will contain at least one practitioner from the five larger States and one other practitioner will come from Tasmania and the two Territories.
• State and Territory boards will oversee registration and complaints processes.
• National boards will consider appointments for registration from practitioners seeking to work in a location or position that has been declared an area of need.
• The national office of the new Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency will be in Melbourne.
• These decisions will be included in the exposure draft of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Bill 2009, which will be released later this year for further public consultations.