Listen to the latest Taking care podcast on ‘How the National Scheme contributes to public safety in health care’

14 Feb 2020

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) has released the latest episode in the Taking care podcast series. In this episode, Ahpra CEO Martin Fletcher talks about the broader health care system in Australia and where Ahpra fits.

Mr Fletcher discusses with Host Tash Miles the importance of regulating health practitioners under a national scheme, how anyone can access the national free online register of practitioners, and how it all works to protect the public when accessing health care in Australia.

He also speaks about the concerns that are raised about practitioners to Ahpra, how those concerns are managed, and what the future of health regulation might look like to ensure it is effective, fair and trustworthy‘Public safety is the number-one focus in everything we do. We need to help people understand what regulation is and who regulates what in a health care setting, so consumers know where to turn for help when they have a concern about their experience.

‘We recognise that a lot of people just assume that the person they are seeing is safe and competent to deliver the right care to them, in a way that is safe and of a high quality. It’s often not until they have a problem or a concern about the care they’ve received, that they start to wonder where they can go for help and to raise their concern,’ Mr Fletcher said.

In this episode, Mr Fletcher answers questions such as whether Ahpra and the National Boards know about the experience of a person who raises a concern about a health practitioner, what happens when the regulator receives a notification with allegations about a health practitioner that pose an immediate risk to public safety, and what is Ahpra doing to improve public awareness of the online register.

Download and listen to the latest Ahpra Taking care podcast episode today. Ahpra releases a new episode every fortnight, discussing key topics and the latest issues affecting safe health care in Australia. You can also listen and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and by searching ‘Taking Care’ in your podcast player.

Previous Taking Care episodes include:

• A conversation with author and medical researcher Kate Richards: a patient and practitioner perspective.
• The practitioner experience of a notification, a conversation with Dr Anne Tonkin.
• Safe, competent and ethical health practitioners: a public perspective.
• Vexatious notifications: a practitioner perspective.

Feedback or comments about the ‘Taking care’ podcast channel, or any of the downloadable episodes, are welcome via email at communications@ahpra.gov.au. Email the team if you are interested in hosting the podcast on your website or social media.

For more information

• For more information about the podcast: communications@ahpra.gov.au
• For media enquiries: 03 8708 9200
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 8708 9009 (overseas callers).