Tribunal rulings on Register

THE Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has confirmed changes to the National Register of practitioners, which will see any publicly available tribunal and court decisions linked to individual health professional records.

Earlier this year the Medical Board of Australia started publishing links to disciplinary decisions by courts and tribunals where there had been an adverse finding about a doctor.

This approach will now apply to all registered health professionals - including pharmacists - where serious allegations have been proven.

However AHPRA has confirmed no information would be published in relation to notifications received by National Boards.

“The change is simply helping to make already publicly available information easier to find,” said AHPRA CEO Martin Fletcher, who added that the move was fair and in the public interest.

“Consumers, employers and practitioners will be able to find public information more easily, to inform healthcare choices and employment decisions,” he said.

“Members of the public are encouraged to check the register as part of deciding to see a health practitioner... checking the register is an additional assurance that their practitioner is complying with their legal obligations and meets the standards set for their profession.”

Links will be added for any new decisions or rulings as they are received, and by early 2019 the Register will include links for all relevant decisions dating back to when each National Board joined the National Scheme.