August 2024

Issue 32 – August 2024

• From the Chair
• Priority news
  • Call for applications: Interested in joining a Chinese Medicine Board committee?
• Board news
  • Good virtual care practices – FAQs developed specifically for Chinese medicine practitioners
  • You can now nominate a second name on the Register of practitioners
• Registration news
  • Latest workforce data released
• What’s new?
  • Greater protection for the public under National Law changes
  • Myths and misconceptions about notifications – getting the help you need
  • Review to ease the complexity of health regulation
• Stay in touch with the Board

From the Chair

Applications for Chinese Medicine Board committees have recently opened, and I encourage experienced Chinese medicine practitioners as well as members of the community to apply.

In late July, I had the privilege of meeting with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board Singapore (TCMPB) to share our approach to regulatory exams, in particular, the observed structured clinical examinations (OSCE). Not only were we able to share our experiences, but the TCMPB was able to observe examiner and candidate briefings and the clinical examination itself.

The Board also hosted a webinar for Chinese medicine practitioners about managing complaints and your wellbeing. This was supported by Ahpra’s Regulatory Experience and Engagement team to talk through common concerns, myths and misconceptions practitioners often have when navigating a notification against them. We will be sure to notify you when a recording of the webinar becomes available. In the meantime, I encourage you to read the article in this edition about putting your health first.

Adjunct Professor Danforn Lim
Chair, Chinese Medicine Board of Australia

Adjunct Professor Danforn Lim, Chair Chinese Medicine Board of Australia; Ms Carol Nader, State Manager New South Wales; and representatives of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board Singapore.

Priority news

Call for applications

Interested in joining a committee of the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia?

We are seeking applications from experienced registered Chinese medicine practitioners and members of the community for appointment to the following committees:

• Policy, Planning and Communications Committee (PPCC)
• Registration and Notifications Committee (RNC).

Applications close on Sunday 1 September 2024 at 11.55pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. To apply and for more information visit Ahpra’s Current opportunities page.

Board news

Good virtual care practices – FAQs developed specifically for Chinese medicine practitioners

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.

The Board has developed a set of FAQs specific to Chinese medicine practitioners providing virtual care. You can access this on our website.

You can now nominate a second name on the Register of practitioners

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.

Registration news

Latest workforce data released

The Board has released its quarterly registration report for 1 January to 31 March 2024. At this date, there were 4,814 registered practitioners: 4,485 with general registration, 316 non-practising registrants and one practitioner with limited registration.

There were 24 practitioners who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, or 0.5 per cent of the profession.

For more details, including registration data by principal place of practice, age and gender, visit our Statistics page.

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.

Practitioners can now nominate an alternative name to go on the register, alongside your legal name.

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 last 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 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.

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.

Stay in touch with the Board

• Visit the Chinese Medicine Board website for news about the profession, information on the National Scheme and for registration standards, codes, guidelines, policies and fact sheets.

• Lodge an online enquiry form.

• For registration enquiries call 1300 419 495 (from within Australia) or +61 3 9135 3010 (for overseas callers).

• Address mail correspondence to: Adjunct Professor Danforn Lim, Chair, Chinese Medicine Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne VIC 3001.