Have your say! submissions due now!

The aim of this blog is to disseminate this information to as many people as possible and for you to read it and make comment. This is legislation that is going to affect your clinical practice, choices for women and the way in which registration and complaints will be dealt with. So please if you have never been proactive now is the time to start. It is time for public consultation and the submissions close 17 July 2009.

This is how we have a voice, by making submissions. We need to find a way to save independent midwifery, there are some very good practitioners out there that want to work in collaboration with our medical colleagues.

The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professionals:
The Health Practitioner Regulation (Administrative Arrangements) National Law Bill 2008 received Royal Assent on 25 November 2008, giving effect to the new national law.

The council of Australian Governments (COAG) in March 2008 signed an agreement to start the ball rolling creating a single national registration and accreditation system for health professionals. To start with, there are 10 health professions; chiropractors, dentists (including dental hygienists, dental prosthetists and dental therapists); medical practitioners, nurses and midwives, optometrists, osteopaths, pharmacists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, and psychologists.

Now it is time for you to review the next phase of this process The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law 2009 (Bill B)
Exposure draft of Bill B released for consultation - submissions close 17 July 2009

The bodies in the new scheme: Ministerial Council, Advisory Council, National boards, State/Territory boards (committees of national boards), Accreditation authorities, and Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

What does this mean to you as a Midwife – in a nutshell this is what is important:

Independent accreditation will be independent of governments – the final decision on whether the accreditation standards, courses and training programs are approved for the purposes of registration is the responsibility of the national board.

National accreditation standard which exist prior to the commencement of the new scheme are to continue until they are replaced by new standards.

Existing external accrediting bodies such as the Australian Medical Council are expected to continue.

CHANGES TO THE REGISTER;
- There will be both general and specialist registers available for the professions including medical and dentistry

- Separate register for nurses and midwives

OTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO QUALITY AND SAFETY OF HEALTHS SERVICES;
- Mandatory reporting of registrants – who is placing the public at risk of harm
- Reportable conduct

- Criminal history and identity checks

- Simplified complaints system

- Students registrations – students will now have to register from 2011

- PRACTITIONERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO HAVE SUITABLE PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY INSURANCE during the period of their registration. (see clauses 69, 73, 75, 80, 83, 101 and 125)

73 Professional indemnity insurance arrangements
(1) Professional indemnity insurance arrangements in force in relation to
individual are appropriate for the purposes of registering the individual
in a health profession only if:
(a) the arrangements will not expire before the end of the
individual’s period of registration, and
(b) the National Board established for the health profession
considers the type and level of cover provided by the
arrangements are sufficient in the circumstances.
(2) A National Board may accept as evidence that there is, or will be, in
force in relation to an individual professional indemnity insurance
arrangements:
(a) written advice from an insurer or insurance broker that an insurer
has agreed to issue a professional indemnity insurance policy or
that the premium has been received and accepted by the insurer
for the issue of a professional indemnity insurance policy, or

These are some of the major changes, but for independent midwives the death nail is the requirement to have indemnity insurance with registration. See the above clauses within the Bill. The second most important issue is that of complaints. From my limited understanding at this early stage is the there will still be an office in each state – I will update you all on this section when I have finished reading it.

Please visit the http://www.nhwt.gov.au/natreg.asp site and make a submission:

go one just hit the hyperlink and have a read!