National Boards are committed to protecting the public by ensuring access to safe and competent health practitioners registered under the National Scheme.
The Forum of NRAS Chairs, National Board Chairs, the Chair of the Agency Management Committee, the AHPRA Chief Executive Officer and senior staff regularly come together to collectively improve the effectiveness, consistency and efficiency of the National Scheme. There has been significant collaboration on common issues and strengthening multi-professional approaches.
Each Board has recognised the importance of communicating with practitioners and stakeholders to improve the understanding of the requirements of the National Law. This includes regular professionspecific communiqués, newsletters and fact sheets, stakeholder forums and consultations on regulatory guidance and standards.
Highlights of our collaboration this year include:
More detailed information can be found in this section and the individual Board summary reports, which can found on our Downloads page.
Dr Joanna Flynn AM
Chair, Forum of NRAS Chairs
The number of registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners grew by more than 50% – from 391 to 587 – in 2015/16. This was mainly due to grandparenting provisions expiring on 30 June 2015. These transitional provisions provided a pathway to registration in this new profession for existing practitioners.
When the grandparenting provisions of the National Law ended, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia focused on assessing the large influx of applications for registration. The Board continues to advise people who missed the grandparenting deadline about how they can gain an approved qualification necessary for applying for registration in future.
The Board is committed to making sure that people wanting to work in this field have access to approved programs of study. The Board’s independent accreditation committee, chaired by Professor Elaine Duffy, continued to implement the accreditation standard and accredited two more programs of study, which the Board subsequently approved.
There are now five approved programs that qualify graduates for general registration under section 53(a) of the National Law. The committee’s busy accreditation schedule continues to grow, with the number of approved programs of study expected to more than double in the next 12 months.
The Board has been working closely with AHPRA and the three other Boards established under the National Scheme in 2012 to prepare consultation papers for the scheduled review of the following registration standards:
The first three registration standards listed above are shared between the regulated professions and are therefore being reviewed collaboratively. The reviews are being conducted through AHPRA’s formal, two-stage consultation process, which is due to begin in 2016/17. The first phase will seek to road-test the proposed changes with selected stakeholders familiar with the National Scheme, and the second phase will open the discussion to submissions from members of the public. The revised draft registration standards also draw on lessons learnt during earlier reviews conducted by professions that joined the National Scheme in 2010.
The Board’s role is to protect the community by making sure that only qualified and competent Indigenous Australians are registered, and to manage notifications (complaints) about registered practitioners. The Board’s ongoing audit program involves randomly checking whether registered health practitioners are adhering to their professional obligations. Audits conducted in the past year returned pleasing results, demonstrating good compliance and an understanding of the registration standards, codes and guidelines.
Regulating the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner workforce under the National Scheme is an important step in helping to meet the Council of Australian Governments’ Closing the Gap targets for addressing the significant disparity in life expectancy and child mortality rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
The Board is excited that planning is underway to develop a reconciliation action plan that will guide the activities of all 14 regulated professions and AHPRA. We look forward to helping AHPRA and the other professions to implement this plan.
Ms Lisa Penrith was elected Presiding Member of the Board in May 2016, succeeding Mr Bruce Davis.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners made up less than 0.1% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme in 2015/16.
As at 30 June 2016, there were 587 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners registered across Australia. This represents a national increase of 50.1% from last year. All registrants held general registration to practise as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners (except one, who held non-practising registration). There were 292 registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner students, an increase of 108.6% on 2014/15.
The Board received 269 new applications for registration this year, an increase of 5.5% on last year.
Five notifications were received nationally about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners. Noting the very low total numbers, this represents a decrease of 28.6% from last year. AHPRA managed all of these notifications. Notifications about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners represent less than 0.1% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding Health Professional Councils Authority [HPCA] matters) in 2015/16.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. Of all registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners, the percentage of the registrant base with notifications received during the year was 0.9%, which is 0.6% lower than the national percentage across all registered professions.
Nine notifications relating to a registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner were closed in 2015/16. This represents 0.2% of all matters closed across all professions. Of the closed notifications relating to the health, performance or conduct of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner:
There was one open notification at the end of the year. There were 73 active monitoring cases involving registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners. This represents 1.5% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
There were no new complaints made this year relating to possible statutory offences by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners.
The Chinese Medicine Board of Australia intensified its focus on processing registration applications during 2015/16, after a large number of complex applications were received towards the close of grandparenting provisions on 30 June 2015. These special provisions provided a possible pathway to registration for existing practitioners who did not have contemporary, approved qualifications.
The Board’s Registration and Notifications Committee increased its monthly meeting schedule and held fortnightly, full-day sessions at times throughout the year to accommodate the high volume of applications generated by the close of grandparenting.
The Board also continued to develop its policy framework to protect public safety. In November 2015, after extensive consultation with the profession and advice from a Technical Advisory Group, the Board published its Guidelines for safe Chinese herbal medicine practice. The guidelines require registered Chinese medicine practitioners to write in English on herbal medicine prescriptions and labels and to:
Significantly, the new guidelines endorse Pinyin (a system of writing Mandarin Chinese using the Latin alphabet) as the standard form for displaying the names of Chinese herbs. Authorised Pinyin is outlined in the Nomenclature compendium for Chinese herbal medicine, which was commissioned and published by the Board in late 2015.
There will be a two-year transition period before these guidelines take formal effect in November 2017. This transition will give practitioners sufficient time to make sure their practice complies with these requirements.
Engaging more directly with the profession was a strategic priority for the Board during 2015/16. Between November 2015 and June 2016, the Board conducted five practitioner forums in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. These important events:
The Board continues to closely manage its finances to sustain and plan for future work and to mitigate potential risks. This focus on financial efficiency enables the Board to keep the 2016/17 practitioner registration fee the same as in this financial year.
Professor Charlie Xue was Chair of the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia during 2015/16.
At the end of the year, there were 4,762 Chinese medicine practitioners registered across Australia, which represents a national increase of 6% from the previous year. Chinese medicine practitioners made up 0.7% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme.
Of the registrant base:
There were 1,318 registered Chinese medicine students as at 30 June 2016, a decrease of 11% on 2014/15. The Board received 742 new applications for registration this year. Of these, 73.6% were for general registration and 26.4% were applications to move to the non-practising register.
Fifty-four notifications were received nationally about Chinese medicine practitioners (including the HPCA in NSW). This represents an increase of 145.5% from the previous year. Of these, 28 matters were received and managed by AHPRA (excluding HPCA). Notifications about Chinese medicine practitioners represent 0.5% of all notifications received by AHPRA in 2015/16 (excluding HPCA).
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The national percentage of registered Chinese medicine practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.1%, which is 0.4% lower than the national percentage across all registered professions.
A total of 25 notifications (excluding HPCA) relating to a registered Chinese medicine practitioner were closed in 2015/16. This represents 0.5% of all matters closed across all professions. Of the closed notifications:
As at 30 June 2016, there were 14 open notifications and 954 active monitoring cases (excluding HPCA) involving registered Chinese medicine practitioners. Practitioners in this profession who have conditions on their registration that are being monitored represent 19.2% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions. This is partly due to a significant proportion of registered Chinese medicine practitioners having English languagerelated conditions of registration.
Twenty-six new complaints were made this year relating to possible statutory offences by Chinese medicine practitioners. These complaints constitute 1.9% of all statutory offence matters received for the year. Almost all new matters related to the use of protected title or advertising concerns. Twelve statutory offence matters were considered and closed this financial year.
A recurring theme to the Chiropractic Board of Australia’s work this year has been our commitment to ensuring the public has access to safe and competent health services from registered chiropractors.
Following Ministerial approval, AHPRA and the Board successfully published and implemented revised registration standards for professional indemnity insurance arrangements, recency of practice and continuing professional development. The Board commenced scheduled reviews of its registration standards for limited registration in the public interest and limited registration for teaching and research.
An important Board initiative throughout 2015/16 was to develop protocols to analyse notifications data to assist the Board in gaining a better understanding of the trends and areas of risk in notifications brought to the Board’s attention.
The Board issued strong, clear messages to the profession outlining its expectations around professional standards, and it continues to work with practitioners and stakeholder groups to enhance their understanding of the requirements and expectations of the Board and the National Law, particularly in the areas of continuing professional development and advertising.
We worked closely with AHPRA to develop and refine the processes for managing offences under the National Law, particularly in relation to advertising, to ensure matters that posed the highest risk to the health and safety of the public are dealt with as quickly as possible.
In 2015, the Board conducted a voluntary and anonymous email survey of chiropractors. The high response rate has provided the Board with a better understanding of chiropractors’ knowledge of their obligations under the National Law and the areas in which it may need to provide more regulatory guidance.
The Board has continued to develop strong links with other international chiropractic regulators including by participating in meetings of the International Chiropractic Regulatory Collaboration and the New Zealand Chiropractic Board.
Dr Wayne Minter AM was the Chair of the Chiropractic Board of Australia during 2015/16.
At the end of the financial year, there were 5,167 chiropractors registered across Australia. This represents a national increase of 3.38% from 2014/15.
Chiropractors made up 0.8% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Of the registrant base:
The total number of registered chiropractic students decreased by 34.5% compared to last year, to 1,240.
The Board received 394 new applications for registration, an increase of 6.2%. Of these, 86.3% were for general registration and 12.9% were applications to move to the non-practising register.
This year, 146 notifications were received nationally about chiropractors (including the HPCA). Noting that there was a significant reduction in new notifications received in 2014/15 (only 75 new matters nationally), this year’s total represents an annual increase of 94.7%.
Nationally, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of all registered chiropractors with notifications received was 2.8%, which is 1.3% higher than the national percentage across all registered professions.
A total of 49 notifications relating to a registered chiropractor (excluding HPCA) were closed. This represents 0.9% of all matters closed across all professions. Outcomes of the closed notifications included:
At the end of the year, there were 92 open notifications about registered chiropractors (excluding HPCA). There were 46 active monitoring cases about registered chiropractors (excluding HPCA). This represents 0.9% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
AHPRA received 601 new complaints about possible statutory offences by chiropractors this year. These complaints constitute 44.6% of all statutory offence matters received in 2015/16. Almost all the new matters (96.5%) related to advertising concerns. There were 68 statutory offence matters considered and closed in this financial year.
The Dental Board of Australia’s year started with a heightened focus on the risks associated with dental practitioners failing to comply with infection prevention and control requirements.
This followed regulatory action by the Dental Council of NSW (the Council) and a serious breach of the National Law involving a Victorian man who pretended to be a dentist and treated patients at his home. AHPRA, acting on the Board’s behalf, successfully prosecuted this individual in August 2015. This case was the first in a series of investigations that highlighted the risks patients who see unregistered practitioners face in terms of experiencing substandard care and treatment, poor hygiene and inadequate infection control.
Effective infection prevention and control is everyone’s responsibility. It should be seen as part of a safety and quality framework that underpins professional practice across all health sectors, including dental practices.
The Board and the Council worked together to remind all dental practitioners of their infection prevention and control obligations under the Board’s Guidelines on infection control. All registered dental practitioners were contacted by mail, and a fact sheet and a self-assessment tool were published to help practitioners fully understand and meet these obligations. The Board and AHPRA also published a Tips for patients fact sheet to help patients and members of the public determine whether they are receiving safe care from a registered dental practitioner.
A number of entities are involved in setting standards and monitoring compliance in this field. The Board and AHPRA hosted a stakeholder forum in October 2015 to bring these organisations together to strengthen partnerships and gain a better understanding of how to support dental practitioners to practise effective infection prevention and control. The goal is to minimise the risk of patients being exposed to transmissable infections while receiving dental treatment. Information gained from the forum will assist the Board’s review of its Guidelines on infection control, which will be undertaken during 2016/17 in partnership with other National Boards.
The Board continued its work to improve registration pathways, with a particular focus on specialist registration. A revised assessment process was developed for overseas-trained dental specialists, with the Australian Dental Council assessing overseas specialist qualifications for substantial equivalence to an Australian specialist program, on the Board’s behalf. The Board subsequently published a framework outlining entry-level competencies for each of the 13 approved dental specialties. This work will continue in the coming year as the Board develops an outcome-based assessment model for specialist practitioners who have trained overseas.
Dr John Lockwood AM was Chair of the Dental Board of Australia during 2015/16.
As at 30 June 2016, there were 21,741 dental practitioners registered across Australia. This represents a national increase of 2.51% from last year.
Dental practitioners made up 3.3% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Noting that there is a range of dental registration categories:
The number of registered dental students was 4,810, an increase of 2.1% on 2014/15.
A total of 1,536 new applications were received for registration with the Dental Board of Australia, a decrease of 6.2% from last year. Of these applications, 87.7% were for general or specialist registration and 9.3% were requests to move to the non-practising register.
This year, 1,025 notifications were received nationally (including HPCA in NSW) about dental practitioners. This represents an increase of 33.8%. AHPRA received and managed 497 of these matters (excluding the HPCA). Notifications about dental practitioners represented 8.2% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) this year.
Nationally, 1.5% of registered health practitioners received notifications this year. The percentage of notifications received by registered dental practitioners was 4.7%, which is 3.2% higher than the national percentage across all registered professions.
A total of 393 notifications (excluding HPCA) relating to a registered dental practitioner were closed in 2015/16. This represents 7.5% of all matters closed across all professions. Outcomes of the closed notifications included:
At the end of the year, there were 324 open notifications (excluding HPCA) about registered dental practitioners.
AHPRA was actively monitoring 141 dental practitioners (excluding HPCA) in relation to conditions on their registration. This represents 2.8% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
AHPRA received 196 new complaints about possible dental-related statutory offences this year. These complaints constitute 14.5% of all statutory offence matters received in 2015/16. Almost all new matters related to the use of protected titles or advertising concerns. A total of 157 statutory offence matters were considered and closed.
The past year has been one of consolidation and growth for the Medical Board of Australia. It was a period of substantial, quiet achievement.
The Board focused on progressing its three new priority initiatives – cosmetic procedures, doctors’ health and revalidation – and improving existing processes and standards.
In May 2016, after extensive consultation, the review of hundreds of submissions and consideration of a wide range of options, the Board issued Guidelines for medical practitioners who perform cosmetic medical and surgical procedures.
The Board decided this was the most effective way to maintain professional standards and protect consumers. The guidelines mandate cooling-off periods for patients considering cosmetic procedures effect in October 2016.
The new structure for a nationally consistent doctors’ health program was established during the year and new services began in most states and territories. The Board now funds a $2 million national network of health services for doctors and students, which is delivered at arm’s length from the Board through Doctors’ Health Services Pty Ltd, a subsidiary company of the AMA.
The Board is delighted to report that this significant, expanded service is progressing well. It aims to support doctors and students and connect them to the services they need to maintain their health and wellbeing. The operation of the national program will be closely monitored as it becomes fully established in each state and territory, to make sure the new model is adequately resourced and is operating effectively.
Revalidation is the process by which doctors demonstrate that they are continually keeping their skills up-to-date, so they can provide safe and ethical care to patients. The Board expanded its work in this area by:
Progressing this work, including undertaking extensive consultation with the profession and the community about future directions, will be a core priority in 2016/17.
Nine new or revised standards, codes and guidelines were approved or took effect during 2015/16. In August 2015, the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council approved seven revised registration standards:
The Board developed new guidelines, Short-term training in a medical specialty for international medical graduates who are not qualified for general or specialist registration.
Revised guidelines, Supervised practice for IMGs, came into effect in January 2016. They are designed to make its expectations of IMGs, their supervisors and their employers clearer. Supervision is a registration requirement for all IMGs who are granted limited or provisional registration.
In partnership with AHPRA, the Board continued to focus on making the process of managing notifications more efficient and improving the experience of notifiers and practitioners when they interact with AHPRA and the Board.
The Board trialled a new way of organising committee meetings that enables Board members to quickly conduct a preliminary assessment of notifications. This aims to triage the increasing volume of notifications and fast-track the management and closure of less complex matters, so Board members can focus on addressing matters that pose the greatest potential risk to the public.
A workshop was held with senior leaders from the Board, AHPRA and the AMA to explore new ways of improving practitioners’ experience of the notifications process.
In September 2015, the Board approved the Australian Medical Council (AMC) Limited’s new Standards for Assessment and Accreditation of Specialist Medical Programs and Professional Development Programs. They include new Indigenous health standards for specialist education. A Board representative also sat on the AMC’s Indigenous Planning Advisory Group, which has been established to improve the Council’s engagement with Indigenous health organisations, students and medical practitioners.
A representative of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association has been invited to join the Board’s consultative committee for its priority initiative around revalidation.
Dr Joanna Flynn AM was Chair of the Medical Board of Australia during 2015/16.
There were 107,179 medical practitioners registered across Australia as at 30 June 2016. This represents a national increase of 3.92% from the previous year.
Medical practitioners made up 16.3% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Of the registrant base:
At the end of the financial year there were 19,760 registered medical students, an increase of 5.8% since 2014/15. The Board received 16,203 new applications for medical registration, an increase of 2.2% on last year. Of these, 66.2% were for general or provisional registration and only 2.4% were requesting to move to non-practising registration.
This year, 5,371 notifications were received nationally about medical practitioners (including the HPCA in NSW). This represents an increase of 18.3% from the previous year, much of which can be attributed to an increase in the number of matters referred to AHPRA in Queensland by the Office of the Health Ombudsman. AHPRA received and managed 3,147 matters (excluding HPCA). Notifications about medical practitioners represent 52% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) during the year.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of the national medical practitioner registrant base with notifications received during the year was 5%, which is 3.5% higher than the national percentage across all registered professions.
A total of 2,718 notifications about a registered medical practitioner were closed this year (excluding HPCA). This represents 52% of all matters closed across all professions. Outcomes of the closed notifications included:
For the full breakdown of notification outcomes for medical practitioners, please refer to the supplementary data tables available on our Downloads page.
At the end of June 2016, there were 1,843 open notifications about registered medical practitioners and 1,767 cases relating to practitioners were being actively monitored because of conditions placed on their registration (excluding HPCA). This represents 35.6% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
AHPRA received 202 new complaints about possible statutory offences relating to medical practice or medical practitioners. These complaints constitute 15% of all statutory offence matters received this year. Almost all new matters related to the use of protected titles or advertising concerns. We considered and closed 128 statutory offence cases by the end of the financial year.
In September 2015, the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia announced it would reduce registration renewal fees to $180. This fee is lower than the average registration fees that existed prior to national registration. The Board has planned for a deficit budget over the next three to five years with the aim of returning equity back to registered practitioners.
Our continued focus is on both time and cost efficiency. Beginning in June 2016, we reduced the number of face-to-face Board meetings to six per year. This is expected to reduce Board-managed costs by approximately 30%.
The Board has agreed to be part of a crossprofessional committee on immediate-action matters and is waiting for the efficiency and financial dividends that are intended to flow from the model to be developed by AHPRA.
New registration standards for continuing professional development and professional indemnity insurance arrangements commenced. These standards were developed collaboratively with other National Boards and recognise the benefits of consistent arrangements across health professions.
In February 2016, the Board used its examination for the first time to assist in risk-based regulatory decision-making. The exam can be used in a number of scenarios but always with the intent of enabling practitioners to demonstrate that they are competent and safe to practise.
We’ve also been working collaboratively with the New Zealand Board to facilitate greater alignment with the requirements for registration for medical radiation practitioners in both countries.
Mr Neil Hicks was the Chair of the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia during 2015/16.
The number of medical radiation practitioners registered across Australia was 15,303 as at 30 June 2016, which is 2.9% higher than last year.
Medical radiation practitioners made up 2.3% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Noting that there are a range of medical radiation practice categories within this profession:
At the end of the financial year, there were 3,447 registered medical radiation practice students, 15.7% fewer than in 2014/15.
A total of 1,722 new applications were received for registration with the Board, 4.8% less than in the previous year. Of the new applications, 67.4% were for general registration and 4.8% were requests to move to the non-practising register.
Forty-eight notifications were received nationally about medical radiation practitioners (including the HPCA in NSW), which was an increase of 54.9% compared to last year. The number of matters received and managed by AHPRA was 36 (excluding HPCA). Notifications about medical radiation practitioners equate to 0.5% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) this year.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of all registered medical radiation practitioners with notifications received was 0.3%, which is 1.2% lower than the national percentage across all registered professions.
A total of 27 notifications relating to a registered medical radiation practitioner were closed in 2015/16 (excluding HPCA). This represents 0.5% of all matters closed across all professions. Of the closed notifications:
There were 23 open notifications about registered medical radiation practitioners as at 30 June 2016, and 109 active monitoring cases (excluding HPCA). This equates to 2.2% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
Eight new medical radiation-related statutory offence complaints were received by AHPRA during the year. These complaints constitute less than 1% of all statutory offence matters received by AHPRA in 2015/16. All new matters related to title protection concerns. Seven statutory offence matters were considered and closed this financial year.
Over the past 12 months, the Nursing and Midwifery Board has commissioned two major initiatives for nurses and midwives in Australia. These projects aim to:
The Board commissioned a report to review:
Based on recommendations from the final report, the Board decided to fund a national health support service for nurses, midwives and students of those professions who have a health impairment or are at risk of a health impairment.
The service will raise awareness and deliver information about health impairment matters concerning nurses and midwives, as well as their employers. The service will include:
The service is expected to be available from early 2017 and will provide an equitable service across workplaces, jurisdictions and locations.
The Board commissioned a project to develop standards for practice for registered nurses, including a review of existing national competency standards.
Since the last review of the National competency standards for the registered nurse, the role and scope of practice of registered nurses across Australia had changed. The model of education and training leading to registration and the regulatory framework in which registration of nurses occurs had also developed substantially.
The intent of the project was to develop standards that reflect current nursing practice and are contemporary, relevant and useful.
The new standards were developed by a process of literature and evidence reviews, gap analysis, two rounds of consultation and two rounds of observation of registered nurse practice. Interviews were also conducted with consumers who shared their stories about the strengths and limitations of nursing care they had received. As well as supporting registered nurses to provide good care, these standards will also help consumers and consumer representatives understand registered nurse practice.
The newly developed Registered nurse standards for practice comprise seven interconnected standards which are relevant to all registered nurses across all areas of practice. The standards came into effect on 1 June 2016 and can be viewed online on the Professional Standards page of the Nursing and Midwifery Board's website.
The Board would also like to acknowledge the strong working and consultative relationship it has with all nursing and midwifery key stakeholders, and looks forward to continuing to strengthen these relationships. In particular, the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives, with whom we engage in the development of all relevant policy related to nursing and midwifery to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health matters are appropriately considered and addressed.
Dr Lynette Cusack was reappointed Chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia from 31 August 2015.
As at 30 June 2016, there were 380,208 enrolled nurses, registered nurses and midwives registered across Australia. This represents a national increase of 2.7% from the previous year.
Nurses and midwives made up 57.8% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Of the registrant base:
At the end of the financial year, there were 89,620 registered nursing students, which is 14.9% higher than at the end of 2014/15. The number of registered midwifery students rose to 3,949 this year, an increase of 6.6%.
The Board received 28,854 new applications for registration as an enrolled or registered nurse. This is 16.2% more than were received during the previous year. Of the new applications, 93.7% were for general registration and 5.2% were applying to move to the non-practising register.
There were 1,715 new applications for registration as a midwife, an increase of 0.2%. Of these, 81.7% were for general registration and 17.3% were applications to move to the non-practising register.
This year, 1,942 notifications were received nationally about nurses (including HPCA in NSW). This represents an increase of 12.1% from last year. The number of matters received and managed by AHPRA was 1,340 (excluding the HPCA). Notifications about nurses represent 22.1% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) this year.
There were 103 notifications received nationally about midwives (including HPCA), an increase of 39.2% on last year. AHPRA received and managed 95 matters (excluding HPCA). Notifications about midwives represent 1.6% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) during 2015/16.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of all registered nurses with notifications received was 0.5%, which is 1% lower than the national percentage across all registered health professions. The percentage of all registered midwives with notifications received was 0.3%, which is 1.2% lower than the national percentage.
A total of 1,174 notifications relating to nurses were closed this year (excluding HPCA). This represents 22.5% of all matters closed across all health professions. Outcomes of the closed notifications relating to nurses included:
Seventy-six notifications relating to midwives (excluding HPCA) were closed. This represents 1.5% of all matters closed across all health professions. Outcomes of the closed notifications relating to midwives included:
As at 30 June 2016, there were 895 open notifications about nurses and 77 open notifications about midwives (excluding HPCA). There were 1,274 active monitoring cases about nurses (excluding HPCA). This represents 25.7% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all registered health professions. There were 144 active monitoring cases about midwives (excluding HPCA), which represent 2.9% of all monitoring cases.
AHPRA received 87 new complaints about possible statutory offences relating to nursing and midwifery this year. These complaints constitute 6.5% of all statutory offence matters received in 2015/16. Almost all new matters related to concerns about the use of protected titles. Forty-six statutory offence matters were considered and closed.
The Occupational Therapy Board of Australia reduced practitioner fees, oversaw practitioner audits and progressed on a number of major projects during the year.
The National Scheme is funded by practitioners’ registration fees. By reducing the fee for the third year in a row, the Board was able to ease the cost burden on practitioners while still earning sufficient income to meet its regulatory obligations.2
The Board established a Competency Standards Reference Group and Competency Standards Advisory Panel in late 2015 as the first stage in conducting a comprehensive review of competency standards for occupational therapists. Carramar Consulting was appointed to research and develop the revised standards. The Board is committed to working with the profession, the education sector and other stakeholders to develop revised competency standards that reflect the breadth of occupational therapy practice and are applicable in all practice settings including clinical, educational and regulatory contexts. The proposed revised draft standards have been developed and preliminary consultation to obtain feedback from the profession will begin early in the next financial year.
The Board has received feedback from the profession about the need for greater flexibility in return-to-work pathways for practitioners who no longer meet the recency of practice registration standard. In response, a project was established to explore alternative pathways for occupational therapists to demonstrate their competence when returning to work after an extended break.
The Board has been working collaboratively with the three other Boards that joined the National Scheme in 2012 to review the continuing professional development, professional indemnity insurance and recency of practice registration standards. The preparatory phase of the review was completed and draft revised standards have been developed. Planning is well under way to begin preliminary and public consultation processes about the proposed revised standards in the new financial year.
Actively engaging with practising occupational therapists and other stakeholders continues to be a priority. Board members attended a variety of speaking events for practitioners and new graduates across Australia. Representatives of the Board also attended the 6th Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Congress in New Zealand in September 2015, to learn from their international counterparts and present an analysis of risks and trends in notifications made about practitioners in Australia.
In May 2016, the Board hosted its first forum with occupational therapy education providers. The Victorian forum enabled Board members to engage with education providers about how the Board’s work affects the education sector and to explore their issues and obligations under the National Law. Similar forums are being planned for other jurisdictions in the next financial year.
Ms Julie Brayshaw, who served as the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia’s Presiding Member since March 2015, was appointed Chair in March 2016.
Note:
2. The registration fee for occupational therapists was reduced to $130, which is $30 less than in the previous year. The fee reduction applied from 9 September 2015 in all states and territories except NSW, which is a co-regulatory jurisdiction. The fee for practitioners whose principal place of practice is NSW was $120 during the same period.
As at 30 June 2016, there were 18,304 occupational therapists registered across Australia. This represents a national increase of 6.4% from the previous year.
Occupational therapists made up 2.8% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Of the registrant base:
There were 7,922 registered occupational therapy students at the end of the year, which is 3.8% fewer than last year.
The Board received 2,200 new applications for registration this year, an increase of 5.9% from 2014/15. Of these, 81.8% were for general registration and 13% were requests to move to the non-practising register.
This year, 59 notifications were received nationally about occupational therapists (including the HPCA in NSW). This represents an increase of 20.4% from the previous year. The number of matters received and managed by AHPRA was 35 (excluding HPCA). Notifications about occupational therapists represented 0.6% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) this year.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of all registered occupational therapists nationally with notifications received this year was 0.3%, which is 1.2% lower than the national percentage across all registered professions.
A total of 28 notifications relating to a registered occupational therapist (excluding HPCA) were closed during the year. This represents 0.5% of all matters closed across all professions. Of the closed notifications:
Nineteen notifications about registered occupational therapists (excluding HPCA) were open as at 30 June 2016. There were 36 active monitoring cases about registered occupational therapists (excluding HPCA). This represents 0.7% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
AHPRA received six new complaints about possible statutory offences relating to occupational therapy this year. These complaints constitute less than 1% of all statutory offence matters received by AHPRA for the year. All new matters related to title protection concerns. Five statutory offence matters were considered and closed this financial year.
The Optometry Board of Australia reviewed its committee structure this year, in line with the guiding principles of the National Scheme to provide efficient and effective regulation of the profession. The Policy and Education Committee will take over the important regulatory work of the Policy, Standards and Guideline Advisory Committee and the Continuing Professional Development Accreditation Committee.
The efficiency and effectiveness measures put in place by the Board resulted in another reduction of registration fees for 2015/16. The Board lowered the registration fee for the third year in a row, while still fulfilling its regulatory obligations. The decision to reduce fees ensures practitioners are not unduly burdened, and provides sufficient income to allow the Board to meet its obligation to protect the public.
The Board continued its role in the regular review of registration standards and guidelines to ensure that they remain relevant, including the revision of:
The Board is continuing to develop consultations on the endorsement for scheduled medicines and continuing professional development standards and guidelines.
The revised standards and guidelines strike a balance between protecting the public and the professional obligations of practitioners.
Mr Ian Bluntish was the Chair of the Optometry Board of Australia during 2015/16.
There were 5,142 optometrists registered across Australia at the end of June 2016. This represents a national increase of 4.6% from last year.
Optometrists made up 0.8% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Of the registrant base:
The number of registered optometry students rose by 3.9%, to 1,652.
The Board received 339 new applications for registration, an increase of 30.8% on the previous year. Of these, 91.5% were for general registration and 7.0% were applying to move to the non-practising register.
This year, 39 notifications were received nationally about optometrists (including the HPCA in NSW). This represents a decrease of 29.1% from the previous year. The number of matters received and managed by AHPRA was 17 (excluding HPCA). Notifications about optometry practitioners represent 0.3% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) during the year.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of all registered optometrists with notifications received was 0.8%, which is 0.7% lower than the national percentage across all registered professions.
Seventeen notifications relating to a registered optometry practitioner (excluding HPCA) were closed. This represents 0.3% of all matters closed across all professions. Outcomes of the closed notifications included:
As at 30 June 2016, there were 11 open notifications about registered optometrists (excluding HPCA). There were 17 active monitoring cases about optometrists (excluding HPCA). This represents 0.3% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
Nine new complaints about possible statutory offences relating to optometry were received this year. These complaints constitute less than 1% of all statutory offence matters received by AHPRA in 2015/16. Almost all new matters related to the use of protected title or advertising concerns. Nine statutory offence matters were considered and closed.
With approval from the Ministerial Council, in 2015/16 the Osteopathy Board of Australia published five revised core registration standards.
Communicating the changes to the profession was a priority, and the Board informed registrants of the changes in newsletters and with a well-attended webinar. We held two meetings with the Board of Directors of Osteopathy Australia in Melbourne, with a focus on changes to the registration standards, the 2016 audit and exchanging planning information.
A video has been developed by the Board, which outlines what graduates need to do before they can register and practise as osteopaths, and how to renew their registration each year thereafter. The Board has also published a presentation, Osteopathy registration: what you need to know, which expands on the information presented in the video. These are available for the public and practitioners to download from the Board’s website. The Chair also presented on these topics to final-year students in the osteopathy programs.
In June 2016, the Australasian Osteopathic Accreditation Council commenced a review of the Standard Pathway Assessment. The Standard Pathway includes formal written and clinical examinations and has been one option for overseas-trained osteopaths to seek registration in Australia since 2011.
The Board has continued to conduct its business of regulating the profession with increasing efficiency, allowing it to reduce the national registration fee for 2015/16 through improvements such as committee structures. We continue to work towards ongoing efficiencies.
Stakeholder and co-regulatory relationships also continue to be a focus of the Board, and includes biannual teleconferences and meetings with the UK and New Zealand osteopathy regulators on issues of mutual interest.
Dr Nikole Grbin was the Chair of the Osteopathy Board of Australia during 2015/16.
As at 30 June 2016, there were 2,094 osteopaths registered across Australia. This represents a national increase of 4.7% from the previous year.
Osteopaths made up 0.3% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Of the registrant base:
There were 1,759 registered osteopathy students at the end of the year, an increase of 47.9%.
The Board received 207 new applications for registration, an increase of 0.5% on 2014/15. Of the new applications, 78.7% were for general registration and 13.5% were applying to move to the non-practising register.
Twenty-three notifications were received nationally about osteopaths (including the HPCA in NSW). This represents an increase of 76.9% from last year. The number of matters received and managed by AHPRA in 2015/16 was 14 (excluding HPCA), nine more than last year. Notifications about osteopaths represent 0.2% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) this year.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of all registered osteopaths with notifications received this year was 1.1%, which is 0.4% lower than the national percentage across all registered professions.
Nine notifications relating to a registered osteopath (excluding HPCA) were closed during the year. This represents 0.2% of all matters closed across all professions. Of the closed notifications, 100% resulted in no further action being taken by the Board. No further action is taken when, based on the available information, the Board determines there is no risk to the public that requires regulatory action.
Six notifications about registered osteopaths (excluding HPCA) were open at the end of June 2016. Nine registrations of osteopaths were being actively monitored (excluding HPCA), with most relating to monitoring provisional registration requirements. This represents 0.2% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
Twelve new complaints about possible statutory offences relating to osteopathy were received this year. These complaints constitute less than 0.9% of all statutory offence matters received in 2015/16. Almost all new matters related to the use of protected titles or advertising concerns. Twenty-five statutory offence matters were considered and closed.
This year, the Pharmacy Board of Australia published revised registration standards as approved by the Ministerial Council. These standards focused on professional indemnity insurance arrangements, continuing professional development and related guidelines, recency of practice, supervised practice arrangements, and examinations for eligibility for general registration.
After wide-ranging consultation, the Board also published guidelines on dispensing medicines, practice-specific issues, dose-administration aids and staged supply of dispensed medicines, and proprietor pharmacists.
To address feedback received after the publication of the Board’s guidelines on compounding of medicines, we undertook a further period of consultation with stakeholders in relation to the expiry of compounded parenteral medicines. We gave stakeholders and pharmacists the opportunity to provide feedback in two forums, as well as the chance to comment on the consultation paper published on the Board’s website. The Board will continue to work closely with technical experts, the Therapeutic Goods Administration and other stakeholders to finalise this guidance prior to its publication and implementation.
The Board continues to work on examination-quality improvement. This year, we engaged an external consultant to conduct an analysis of oral examination and related processes, and a provider to deliver a revised training program to oral examiners.
We also contributed to the revision of the competency standards framework for pharmacists in Australia in collaboration with a broad range of pharmacy stakeholders. A program of communications about provisional and general registration has been published on our website.
Mr Stephen Marty was Chair of the Pharmacy Board of Australia during July and August 2015. Mr William Kelly was Chair from September 2015 to June 2016.
At the end of the financial year, there were 29,717 pharmacists registered across Australia. This represents a national increase of 2.4% from the previous year.
Pharmacists made up 4.5% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Of the registrant base:
There were 7,280 registered pharmacy students at the end of the year, a decrease of 1.5% from 2014/15.
The Board received 3,324 new applications for registration, a decrease of 0.5% on last year. Of these, 48.8% were for general registration and 4.5% were applications to move to the non-practising register. The remaining applications were for provisional registration.
At total of 570 notifications were received nationally about pharmacists (including the HPCA in NSW). This is an increase of 16.3% from last year. The number of matters received and managed by AHPRA was 311 (excluding HPCA). Notifications about pharmacists represent 5.1% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) this year.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of all registered pharmacists with notifications received was 1.9%, which is 0.4% higher than the national percentage across all registered professions.
A total of 301 notifications relating to a registered pharmacist (excluding HPCA) were closed during the year. This represents 5.8% of all matters closed across all professions. Outcomes of the closed notifications included:
As at 30 June 2016, there were 184 open notifications and 178 active monitoring cases involving registered pharmacists (excluding HPCA). The level of monitoring represents 3.6% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
Thirteen new complaints about possible statutory offences relating to pharmacy were received this year. These complaints constitute less than 1% of all statutory offence matters received in 2015/16. Almost all new matters related to title protection or advertising concerns. Thirteen statutory offence matters were considered and closed.
This year, the Physiotherapy Board of Australia worked with its appointed accreditation authority, the Australian Physiotherapy Council, to embed the physiotherapy practice thresholds, which were developed and launched last year in conjunction with co-authors the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand.
The Board continued to refine its regulatory approach, working closely with stakeholders to ensure clarity of regulatory requirements, particularly as it rolled out revised registration standards for professional indemnity insurance, professional development and recency of practice.
The Board’s focus in 2015/16 was to think scheme-wide, seeking consistency, efficiency and effectiveness in undertaking its regulatory role. It took part in cross-professional work within the scheme, such as the review of supervision guidelines. This work is ongoing and a framework is being developed to cover all situations in which supervision is a requirement for registration.
The Board has been involved in early conversations with the profession about non-medical health practitioner prescribing. This is cross-professional work with other relevant National Scheme professions. Whether physiotherapist prescribing becomes a reality will depend on many factors, including the clear and unequivocal safety of the community and the value proposition to the health system and community as a whole. The conversation is expected to continue for some time.
As part of its statutory role, the Board is currently conducting a scheduled review of its Approved accreditation standard. In regards to closing the gap on Indigenous health issues, the Board will work with the Australian Physiotherapy Council to ensure that the culturally appropriate educational aspects are broadly consulted upon and included before finalising.
The Board’s Chair and Tasmanian practitioner member, Paul Shinkfield, resigned from his position during the year to take up a role with AHPRA. Paul led the Board very ably for over three years, and his clear thinking and collaborative manner were appreciated by the Board.
Dr Charles Flynn was elected Presiding Member in December 2015, after the departure of Chair Mr Paul Shinkfield, until Health Ministers appoint a Chair.
There were 28,855 physiotherapists registered across Australia as at 30 June 2016. This represents a national increase of 4.8% from the previous year. Physiotherapists made up 4.4% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Of the registrant base:
There were 8,943 registered physiotherapy students at the end of the financial year, a decrease of 1.7% on 2014/15.
The Board received 2,505 new applications for registration, 1.4% fewer than last year. Of these, 83.9% were for general registration and 6.4% were applications to move to the non-practising register.
This year, 102 notifications were received nationally about physiotherapists (including the HPCA in NSW). This represents an increase of 5.2% from last year. AHPRA received and managed 66 matters (excluding HPCA). Notifications about physiotherapists represent 1.1% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) this year.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of all registered physiotherapists with notifications received was 0.4%, which is 1.1% lower than the national percentage across all registered professions.
A total of 55 notifications relating to a registered physiotherapist were closed during the year (excluding HPCA). This represents 1.1% of all matters closed across all professions. Of the closed notifications:
At the end of the year, there were 49 open notifications about registered physiotherapists (excluding HPCA). There were 60 active monitoring cases, which represent 1.2% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
AHPRA received 66 new complaints about possible statutory offences relating to physiotherapy this year. These complaints constitute 4.9% of all statutory offence matters received in 2015/16. Almost all the new matters related to the use of protected titles or advertising concerns. Forty statutory offence matters were considered and closed in 2015/16.
This year, three revised registration standards for podiatrists and podiatric surgeons were approved by the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council and are progressively coming into effect. The revised standard for continuing professional development took effect on 1 December 2015, the new standard for professional indemnity insurance arrangements took effect from 1 July 2016, and the recency of practice standard will take effect from 1 December 2016.
The Podiatry Board of Australia has been working closely with AHPRA to implement the new registration standards and keep practitioners informed about the timing and content of the revised standards. In addition to publicising the changes in its regular newsletters and communiqués, the Board gave presentations about the new standards at an association conference in Melbourne and a registrant forum in Darwin.
AHPRA’s analysis of the 213 notifications made to the Board since the National Scheme began in 2010 revealed a relatively high incidence of issues relating to systems and processes for infection prevention and control. It is critical that podiatrists and podiatric surgeons make preventing and controlling infection an integral part of all aspects of their professional practice. The Board expects practitioners to practise in a way that maintains and enhances public health and safety by ensuring that the risk of spreading infection is prevented or minimised.
The Board published revised Guidelines on infection prevention and control, which describe the obligations of registered podiatrists and podiatric surgeons in this critical area of maintaining a safe healthcare practice. The guidelines adopt the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC’s) Australian guidelines for the prevention and control of infection in healthcare. Practitioners must be familiar with and practise within the recommendations of the NHMRC guidelines as they apply to the practice setting/s in which they work. The Board also published a self-audit tool that practitioners can use to check whether their workplace hygiene complies with the revised guidelines.
AHPRA continued to conduct registration compliance audits of randomly selected practitioners during the year and the Board was pleased with the high level of compliance recorded across the profession.
The Board engaged regularly with its stakeholders, including the Australian and New Zealand Podiatry Accreditation Council, the Australasian Podiatry Council and its member associations, and the Podiatrists Board of New Zealand.
Ms Catherine Loughry was reappointed to serve her second term as Board Chair in August 2016. It is her third term as practitioner member.
There were 4,655 registered podiatrists and podiatric surgeons in Australia as at 30 June 2016, which represents a national increase of 6.1% from the previous year. Podiatrists and podiatric surgeons made up 0.7% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Of the registrant base:
At the end of the year there were 1,718 registered podiatry students, a decrease of 3.6% on the previous year.
The Board received 445 new applications for registration, an increase of 3.3% on last year. Of these, 91.7% were for general registration and 8.1% were requests to move to the non-practising register.
A total of 57 notifications were received nationally about podiatrists and podiatric surgeons (including the HPCA in NSW). This represents an increase of 54.1% from last year. The number of matters received and managed by AHPRA was 42 (excluding HPCA). Notifications about podiatrists and podiatric surgeons represent 0.7% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) this year.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of all registered podiatrists with notifications received this year was 1.2%, which is 0.3% lower than the national percentage across all registered professions.
Twenty-seven notifications relating to registered podiatrists and podiatric surgeons (excluding HPCA) were closed during the year. This represents 0.5% of all matters closed across all professions. Outcomes of the closed notifications included:
At the end of the financial year, there were 21 open notifications and 21 active monitoring cases about registered podiatrists and podiatric surgeons (excluding HPCA). The level of monitoring represents 0.4% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
AHPRA received 26 new complaints about possible statutory offences relating to podiatry this year. These complaints constitute 1.9% of all statutory offence matters received by AHPRA this year. Almost all new matters related to advertising concerns. Seventeen statutory offence matters were considered and closed.
The Psychology Board of Australia made significant progress this year in its review of the profession’s current education and training model.
The Board often receives feedback that psychology training is unnecessarily complex, fragmented and lengthy. Reforming the education and training model is therefore a priority and is an important next step in developing the regulatory environment for the psychology profession.
The Board partnered with the Australian Psychological Society (APS), the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council, and the Heads of Departments and Schools of Psychology Association to host a national psychology education forum in Canberra in December 2015. This forum brought together leaders across government, education, health services, employer groups, regulation and the profession to consider the future of psychology education and training and discuss the challenges with existing arrangements. The Board prepared a green paper on training reform to stimulate discussion at the event.
Delegates attending the national forum recognised that the training model needs to change and recommended that the current 4+2 internship program be retired as a pathway to registration. Reform options raised at the forum were analysed by a collaborative working party to build a clear picture of the implications for education, training and the psychology workforce. There will be further engagement with the Board’s partners, stakeholder groups and practitioners about the proposed reforms during the coming year.
Another significant milestone was achieved on 1 June 2016, when the final step in streamlining the application process for overseas-qualified applicants came into effect. Assessments of the knowledge and skills of overseas-qualified applicants are now carried out as part of an application for registration that is administered by AHPRA with oversight by the Board. This replaces the previous two-stage application process involving an assessment by the APS followed by a determination by the Board.
To support the revised process, the Board established a new qualification assessment framework that sets down clear expectations about the educational standards to be met by all overseas practitioners applying for registration, regardless of where they completed their studies. This critical information helps AHPRA and the Board determine whether an overseas applicant is suitably qualified and competent to provide safe care to the public. The Board will continue to benchmark its assessment framework against international best practice.
The Board updated its Guidelines for the National Psychology Examination and developed two new resources to help candidates prepare for the exam. A three-minute video highlighting important information about the exam was launched on the Board’s website in late 2015. An orientation guide was developed to familiarise candidates with the format, purpose and content of the exam, and to help them develop a study plan. The guide will be published later in 2016, leading up to the next examination period.
The Board signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with the New Zealand Psychologists Board to reinforce the mutual recognition of registration and mobility between our two countries.
Professor Brin Grenyer was Chair of the Board during 2015/16.
As at 30 June 2016, there were 33,907 psychologists registered across Australia. This represents a national increase of 3.5% from last year.
Psychologists made up 5.2% of all registered health practitioners across the National Scheme. Of the registrant base:
The Psychology Board of Australia does not have a student registration category. Psychology students can apply for provisional registration, which allows them to practise in positions that are supervised, such as an accredited higher degree or a supervised practice program approved by the Board.
The Board received 4,759 new applications for registration, an increase of 10%. Of these, 37.3% were for general registration, while 11.1% were applications to move to the non-practising register. The remaining 51.6% were for provisional registration.
This year, 528 notifications were received nationally about psychologists (including the HPCA in NSW). This represents an increase of 22.2% from last year. AHPRA received and managed 331 matters (excluding HPCA). Notifications about psychologists represent 5.5% of all notifications received by AHPRA (excluding HPCA) this year.
On a national basis, the percentage of registered health practitioners with notifications received during the year was 1.5%. The percentage of all registered psychologists with notifications received was 1.6%, which is 0.1% higher than the national percentage across all registered professions.
A total of 307 notifications relating to a registered psychologist (excluding HPCA) were closed. This represents 5.9% of all matters closed across all professions. Outcomes of the closed notifications included:
At the end of the financial year, there were 226 open notifications about registered psychologists. AHPRA was actively monitoring the registrations of 134 practitioners (excluding HPCA). This represents 2.7% of all monitoring cases managed by AHPRA across all professions.
AHPRA received 83 new complaints about possible statutory offences relating to psychology this year. These complaints constitute 6.2% of all statutory offence matters received in 2015/16. Almost all new matters related to title protection or advertising concerns. Sixty-four statutory offence matters were considered and closed.