Updated Safety and Quality Standards for dental practices

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) has released the latest edition of their NSQHS Standards Guide for Dental Practices and Services.

 

According to the ACSQHC "The release of the NSQHS Standards Guide for Dental Practices and Services supports the implementation of the NSQHS Standards in dental settings and promotes a consistent and shared understanding of the Standards. The development of the guide has been a collaborative process with dental practitioners and dental sector stakeholders nationally. The content of the guide has been developed and reviewed by dentists from both public and private sectors, and developed in consultation with the Australian Dental Association Inc."

The guide contains information on:

·        preparing for accreditation

·        approaches to improving quality and managing risk using the framework of the NSQHS Standards

·        the national accreditation scheme

·        strategies to implement NSQHS Standards 1-6 in dental settings.

The NSQHS Standards Guide for Dental Practices and Services is available for download from the Commission’s web site by clicking here.  

If you have any questions about the guide or the NSQHS Standards, please contact the Advice Centre on 1800 304 056 or email accreditation@safetyandquality.gov.au

Scholarships for rural dentists

Rural dentists can apply for a continuing professional development scholarship to attend short courses, conferences, non-award postgraduate modules and clinical placements.

The scholarships are provided by Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH). The maximum scholarship entitlement is $1500.

Applications open on 2 December and close on 20 January 2015.

More dentists for rural communities

Dentists who have used a scheme to relocate to the country are reporting that they are very satisfied with rural practice, according to a Government agency report.

The 2015 annual report for Rural Health Workforce Australia notes that 89% of dentists who have used the Dental Relocation and Infrastructure Support Scheme (DRISS) like rural practice.

The scheme offers grants of up to $370,000 for relocation and infrastructure purchases. In 2014-15, 228 applications were received, resulting in 36 relocation and infrastructure grants and 90 relocation grants.

Commendation for dental service for the disadvantaged

ADAVB congratulates Bentleigh Bayside Community Health (BBCH), which has been highly commended for an innovative care model in the 2015 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards.

The commendation was for ‘Matt’s place dental service’, where dental services were taken to a nearby church hall which provides services to disadvantaged, including meals and other services.

BBCH took a mobile dental cart to Cheltenham’s St Matthew’s Anglican Church to offer dental examinations and treatment.

Run in conjunction with Bayside Church, a non-denominational Pentecostal Church, the service also advised people going to ‘Matt’s place’ about BBCH’s dental programs. The program will continue next year.

Further protection for Victoria's waterways

Suppliers of dental cups which capture amalgam, have agreed to only sell them through a mercury recycling company.

Dentists will now buy the cups from CMA Ecocycle at a price that includes recycling costs.

The agreement was achieved with the co-operation of the Department of the Environment, EPA, water authorities and municipal councils.

Federal Environment Minister Mr Greg Hunt said the agreement was “a great example of industry self-regulating to achieve a very positive environmental outcome”.

ADAVB was instrumental, along with EPA Victoria and Victorian water boards, in setting up the Dentists for Cleaner Water program (2008-2011) which encouraged dentists to fit amalgam separators to protect Victoria’s waterways.

Tomorrow's profession leaders

Congratulations to the 27 candidates who completed this year’s Health Sector Leadership Program. A graduation ceremony was held at the Old Treasury building to celebrate this occasion where Branch President Stephen Liew made a heartfelt speech about his own leadership journey.

The candidates, from seven health associations including ADAVB, attended four interactive workshops and were each assigned a mentor throughout the program. The other associations taking part were: the Optometrists Association Australia, Pharmaceutical Society of Australian Victorian Branch, Dietitians Association of Australia, Speech Pathology Australia, Osteopathy Australia and Chiropractors' Association of Australia (Victoria).

Pictured from left is Branch President Dr Stephen Liew with the graduates Drs Ai Lin Tan, Andrew Sproll, Sarah Chin, Jason Yap and Kunal Pandya.

This special program is an initiative of ADAVB which aims to support the development of future leaders within a multidisciplinary health sector, and is wholly supported by Guild Insurance Ltd. The program is facilitated by Leadership Victoria, who are specialists in leadership development programs.

Online shared health records to be tested

Shared digital health records for Australians are on their way.

This follows the passing on 12 November of the Health Legislation Amendment (eHealth) Bill 2015. It allows the Government to trial opt-out shared e-health records in two locations in Queensland and NSW, covering about one million people.

People will have online accounts set up for them automatically using names, addresses and health identification numbers from the Medicare database.

It will give the Health Department the opportunity to test how it communicates the change in approach to participants.

The publication ITNews has reported that concerns about potential privacy implications were raised during the debate in both Houses, as well as by a joint committee on human rights.

Final-year students urged to apply for registration now

Final-year dental students study can go online now to apply for registration before they graduate.

Graduates need to be registered as a dental practitioner with the Dental Board of Australia before they start practising.

The online graduate application service on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) website smooths the path from study to work by enabling final-year students to apply for registration four to six weeks before completing their course.

All applicants are required to return supporting documents to AHPRA by mail to complete their application. It is important that this is done as soon as possible after applying online.

Government survey re private health cover

ADA Inc. has urged members to take part in the Federal Government's survey on peoples' attitudes to private health insurance (PHI. 

President, Dr Rick Olive, in a message to members, said the "review ... is a chance for a long overdue public discussion about whether consumers are receiving value for money for their PHI contributions".  

The survey, open to all, asks if people should be charged differently for private insurance based on gender, age and smoking status, and if private health insurers should be allowed to cover GP visits, tests such as x-rays, CAT scans, MRIs and community-based palliative care.

The survey runs until December 4. 

Health Minister Sussan Ley said she was committed to the system of community rating for health insurance policies, but is asking if that should be the case in the future. Under community ratings everyone pays the same premium for health insurance.

Ms Ley said: “This Government is committed to recalibrating the private health system so that value for money for consumers returns to being its core focus and we’re interested in the views of everyday Australians on how best to do that”.

Revised registration standards published

National Boards regulating most Australian registered health practitioners, including the DBA, have commenced publishing revised registration standards, which will come into effect over the next 12 months, replacing the existing standards.

The revised registration standards are for:

• professional indemnity insurance arrangements
• recency of practice
• continuing professional development (CPD). 

The revised standards come into effect on 1 December. They will apply to all practitioners who will need to meet the obligations of the revised standards by the next registration renewal period on 30 November 2016.

The requirement of 60 hours of CPD activities over a three year CPD cycle has not changed. The cycle has moved from 1 July - 30 June to 1 December - 30 November to align with the registration renewal cycle. 

The revised recency of practice registration standard has not fundamentally changed. It has been reformatted and reworded to assist registrants and applicants to understand and comply with this standard.

The Board will be publishing revised professional indemnity insurance arrangements soon, which will be in effect from early July 2016.

To help dental practitioners prepare for commencement, the revised standards are being published in advance. 

Further information:

Revised registration standards - AHPRA

Revised standards for all dental practitioners - FAQs

Additional resources

Dental practitioner data (as at June 2015)

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has painted a partial picture of dentistry in the nation. There were 21,209 dental practitioners registered across Australia at the end of last financial year, according to AHPRA’s Annual Report. This represents an increase of 2.4% from the previous year. These numbers include dentists, oral health therapists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and dental prosthetists.

NSW has the highest number of dental practitioners with 6449 registrants, followed by Victoria with 4827 registrants.The average age of registered dental practitioners across Australia is 43.

Noting Victorian registration and notifications data, the report states: “There was a reduction in statutory offences received compared with the previous year: 167 this year, down from 221 in 2013/14. The greatest numbers of statutory offence notifications related to osteopathy (44), dental (35) and medical practice (27). Significant investigative and legal activity focused on allegations against unregistered persons allegedly undertaking restricted dental acts”.

The report records legal action taken against unregistered people in Victoria allegedly providing dental treatment. AHPRA and Department of Health and Human Services staff worked together to assess risks and provide information and guidance to the public.