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Colleges support registration revamp

19-May-2009

By Michael East

A REVAMPED national accreditation and registration scheme — billed as being independent of government control — is receiving cau tious approval from the med ical colleges.

Under the new scheme, 10 separate boards will govern 10 health professional groups from July 2010. However, in a dramatic change at least half of the members of each board must be practitioners specialising in the profession that the board oversees.

The scheme will also be expanded further in 2012, when Indigenous health prac titioners, Chinese medicine practitioners and medical radiation practitioners includ ing radiographers will also be regulated.

Professor Russell Stitz, chairman of the Committee of Presidents of Medical Col leges, said he and other col lege presidents supported the new scheme “in principle”.

He had previously warned that the original blueprint for the scheme was designed for political control over medical profession standards.

“There is no doubt this new proposal is a major step forward because it addresses a number of concerns that the committee raised, espe cially in terms of being free [from] political meddling,” he said.

“However, we need to see how this translates into legis lation before we can fully support the scheme. [The committee] is fully support ive of national registration and accreditation, as long as it’s done properly.”

But the AMA said politi cians, through a ministerial council made up of state and federal health ministers, would still have powers over the accreditation of medical education and training.

In other changes, applica tions for registration for health professionals wanting to work in ‘areas of need’ will be considered first by the national board. Criminal his tory and identity checks will apply to all health profession als registering for the first time, while national boards will also be required to regis ter health students.

The new details will be included in exposure draft legislation, which will be released later this year.

Latest Comments

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The Ministerial Council communique reads: "The Ministerial Council will have powers to act for instance where it believes that changes to an accreditation standard including changes to clinical placement hours or workplace and work practice would have a significantly negative effect."
My interpretation of this is that the scheme gives the Ministerial Council unfettered powers to interfere in standards and workforce placement. Dont forget, this legislation is about central control of workforce. So don't be reassured by this communique.
Be alarmed.
Posted by dana wainwright 22/05/2009 3:31:08 PM
Michael East's report is encouraging. Hopefully, the new system will not mean a lowering of standards for political reasons and will not incur a significant increase in registration fees.
Posted by Kevin Farrell 20/05/2009 11:02:45 AM

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