September 2024

Issue 35 - September 2024

• From the Chair
• Priority news
  • Reinstatement of the interim policy on spinal manipulation for children under two
• Board news
  • Board celebrates NAIDOC award for community member Ken Riddiford
  • Good virtual care practices
  • Applying your code of conduct to evolving technologies – AI in healthcare
• Registration news
  • Latest workforce data released
• Regulation at work
  • Chiropractor fined $15,000 for practising while suspended
• What’s new?
  • Greater protection for the public under National Law changes
  • Myths and misconceptions about notifications – getting the help you need
  • Improving experiences when making a healthcare complaint
  • Review to ease the complexity of health regulation
• Want more information?

From the Chair

As the end of the year approaches, it’s important to consider your annual renewal obligations including maintaining appropriate professional indemnity insurance and keeping your continuing professional development portfolio up to date. These are ongoing commitments that we make as health professionals to ensure the safe care of our patients/clients.

Another commitment that I encourage you to maintain is to your health. There is a common misconception that if you seek help, your treating practitioner will automatically be required to report you to Ahpra and your registration may be affected. More information on common myths and misconceptions about notifications and your health are provided in this newsletter.

Dr Wayne Minter AM
Chair, Chiropractic Board of Australia

Priority news

Reinstatement of the interim policy on spinal manipulation for children under two

Following a request from health ministers in June, the Board has reinstated the interim policy on the spinal manipulation of children under two years of age, pending further consultation with ministers.

All chiropractors must comply with the interim policy in addition to following the guidance provided in the Statement on paediatric care (2023) and the shared Code of conduct (2022).

The Board is committed to ensuring the public has access to, and receives, safe, ethical and competent care from registered chiropractors.

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Board news

Board celebrates NAIDOC award for community member Ken Riddiford

The Board is pleased to announce that community member Ken Riddiford has received a NAIDOC Community Award for Chinchilla, Miles, Tara. This award recognises Ken’s community spirit through quiet inspiration by encouraging others, overcoming adversity, raising awareness, volunteering, or working to improve the community.

Ken was appointed to the Chiropractic Board of Australia in 2021 and serves on the Board’s Registration, Notifications and Compliance Committee. He brings with him over 20 years of experience working at the senior management and CEO level in a variety of settings and systems including government, not for profit and private sectors.

Congratulations, Ken, on your award. Get to know a little more about Ken.

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Good virtual care practices

Over 25 per cent of Australians have had at least one telehealth consultation for their own health in the last 12 months, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

Ahpra and the National Boards have published virtual care information for health practitioners, the public and employers about accessing and providing safe and effective virtual care.

Practitioners and consumers are increasingly choosing virtual care alternatives as we continue to see growth in the adoption of technology, online prescribing and the use of health ‘apps’. What was once seen as a temporary approach to enable healthcare in a global pandemic is now widely accepted as just another way to see your practitioner.

These documents replace the previous Telehealth guidance for practitioners which was developed to address the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

This information is not new and relies on the existing principles within the National Boards’ regulatory framework, such as codes of conduct and other relevant standards and guidelines. It has been developed as a helpful resource for healthcare providers and consumers to understand what good virtual care should look like.

Applying your code of conduct to evolving technologies – AI in healthcare

Are you using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your practice?

AI is rapidly becoming integrated into everyday healthcare and has the potential to transform and support new and innovative ways of working. So how do you ensure when using these new technologies that you maintain the continued high standard of care expected by your patients and clients?

Ahpra and National Boards support the safe use of AI in healthcare, recognising the significant potential to improve health outcomes and create a more person-centred health system.

While the potential of AI to improve diagnostics and disease detection has been reported for some time, recent commentary has focused on the benefits for health practitioners for improved care and patient satisfaction, including reducing administrative burdens and health practitioner burnout.

As new tools emerge, so do the unique practical and ethical issues associated with its use in a healthcare setting. Ahpra and the National Boards have developed principles for practitioners to consider when using or looking to integrate AI into their practice. These principles translate existing obligations in practitioner codes of conduct and remind practitioners to consider these responsibilities when assessing the appropriate use of AI.

Specific professional obligations to consider include accountability, an appropriate understanding of the tool, transparency of its use, informed consent, and ethical and legal issues. Read Meeting your professional obligations when using AI in healthcare and its supporting case studies on the Ahpra website to learn more about what safe and effective use of AI should look like.

Registration news

Latest workforce data released

The Board’s latest quarterly registration data report covers the period to 30 June 2024. At this date there were 6,526 registered chiropractors, including 6,088 with general registration and 431 with non-practising registration.

There were 43 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander practitioners, or 0.7% of the profession.

For further data breakdowns by age, gender and principal place of practice, visit the Board’s Statistics page to read the report.

Regulation at work

Chiropractor fined $15,000 for practising while suspended

A chiropractor who continued to work after he was suspended has been fined $15,000 following charges laid by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).

Read more in the news item.

What’s new?

Greater protection for the public under National Law changes

The recent series of amendments to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law are now complete, with a final suite of changes being introduced from 1 July.

A key update for practitioners is that you can now nominate an alternative name to go on the register, alongside your legal name.

Some health practitioners may practise under an alternative name, such as a traditional name or an anglicised or shortened name.

Having both your legal name and your alternative name appear on the public register will make it easier for the public to search the register and make informed decisions about their care.

You can find out more information about alternative names and how to nominate on the Ahpra website.

Other changes to the National Law from 1 July include:

• allowing National Boards and Ahpra to issue interim prohibition orders to unregistered persons in certain circumstances where the person poses a serious risk to others
• establishing the process regarding renewal of a practitioner’s registration after a period of suspension
• empowering the National Boards to include previously excluded information in the National Register if there is a reasonable belief the circumstances have changed
• enabling the Ministerial Council to delegate its power to approve registration standards to an appropriate entity.

Australia’s health system, as well as the reasons and ways people access it, has changed dramatically over the 15 years.

These reforms allow the regulation scheme to evolve with it, strengthening Ahpra and National Boards’ ability to protect the public and support practitioners.

More information about the changes, as well as future areas of focus and ways to provide feedback can be found on Ahpra's website.

Myths and misconceptions about notifications – getting the help you need

Too often, practitioners struggle in silence when they are dealing with a health, mental health or drug and alcohol issue – or even just the day-to-day challenges of being a health practitioner.

The best thing you can do – for yourself, for your family, and for your patients – is to seek help early and to actively engage in recommended treatments. This might be from your own GP, another health practitioner or from one of the many independent practitioner support services available.

There is a common misconception that if you seek help, your treating practitioner will automatically be required to report you to Ahpra and your registration may be affected.

The threshold for when treating practitioners need to make a mandatory notification about health is only met when the public is at substantial risk of harm. The need for a mandatory notification to be made is not often met.

If you are managing your health and getting the help you need, you can usually continue to practise. The Board wants you to be healthy and safe to practise and encourages you to seek help early when you need support.

Improving experiences when navigating a healthcare complaint

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission), and Ahpra with the National Boards, have worked on a joint project to explore opportunities to improve the consumer experience of making a healthcare complaint in Australia.

Both organisations wanted to get a better understanding of the barriers that consumers face when making a healthcare complaint and to discover what they can do to support consumers.

The final report has now been published along with supporting resources for practitioners and the public about navigating healthcare complaints. The project found that the complexity of the complaints system is putting a huge weight of responsibility on consumers to understand how it works. Consumers are also experiencing barriers, whether social, economic or cultural, that are affecting their ability to make a complaint and want a system that is focused on their needs rather than administrative processes.

What we’ve done

To improve experiences for those going through a complaint process, the Commission and Ahpra have:

• updated our websites to clarify the process of making a complaint
• developed three animations to give clear information to the public about how and where to make a health complaint
• developed a ‘Tips for consumers when making a complaint’ webpage and fact sheet
• developed Healthcare complaints - where to make a complaint (downloadable fact sheet), and
• created a complaints checklist for practitioners to help effectively handle feedback and complaints from their patients or clients.

We will continue to make improvements to our websites and consumer resources. In some states and territories, we are exploring ways to develop a targeted local resource about complaints options.

Review to ease the complexity of health regulation

You may have heard there is a review underway to examine the complexity of the National Scheme.

The Review of complexity in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the Dawson Review) began in May 2024, and is led by the former NSW Health Care Complaints Commissioner Sue Dawson.

The independent review aims to identify areas of the National Scheme that are unnecessarily complex and recommend changes that will improve regulatory outcomes for health practitioners and the community.

Six terms of reference outline the scope of the review. These will consider:

• how to streamline and harmonise decision-making to improve consistency in regulation
• how to make complaints management more consumer-driven, consistent, accessible and efficient
• how to make tribunal decision-making more consistent
• stewardship of the National Scheme
• how to manage new professions entering the National Scheme, and
• the powers ministers have to direct entities exercising accreditation functions.

The National Scheme has been reviewed many times. Why conduct another review?

While the National Scheme overwhelmingly fulfils its paramount objective of public protection, there are opportunities to simplify complaints processes and improve fairness, consistency and the experiences of consumers and practitioners.

This review will help the National Scheme meet the expectations of notifiers, practitioners and the community.

Have your say

Ms Dawson will consult with governments, regulators, health professions, peak bodies and consumers at a later stage of the review.

Stay up to date with the review webpage for information on stakeholder consultation and how to participate when it becomes available.

The review is expected to be completed by April 2025.