Ahpra and the National Boards have released the results from their 2021 surveys of medical practitioners’ sentiment and perceptions about their role and work.
Several practitioner groups appear disengaged or dissatisfied with Ahpra and the National Boards, including paramedics, medical practitioners, psychologists and chiropractors.
Paramedics were the least likely to view their National Board favourably (40%) – closely followed by doctors and psychologists at 41%.
The report, released 6 June 2023, was based on the results from an anonymous survey conducted in late 2021 of a random sample of registered health practitioners – generating more than 14,000 responses, with 11% from WA.
Almost half of practitioners (49%) did not have confidence that Ahpra and the Boards were doing all they could to protect the public, just 59% of respondents said they trusted Ahpra, with just over half of all practitioners (52%) still perceiving the agency positively, a 3% drop from 2020 levels.
Similarly, the survey showed a 5% decline in positive perceptions of National Boards compared to 2020 levels, and a slight (3%) increase in negative perceptions.
Only 52% of respondents indicated they had trust in the National Boards, an 11% decline from 2020 values and the lowest value recorded in these surveys to date, with medical recording the second lowest trust score at 38%, with only a 40% confidence rating.
“Levels of trust and confidence in Ahpra and the Boards represent a potential challenge that will be important to address to maintain organisational legitimacy,” Ahpra said in a statement.
“It is important to consider the context of the health and political landscape when this survey was completed, when the health system was experiencing significant pressures and workforce shortages due to the COVID pandemic and border closures.
“These survey results are likely to reflect the impacts of that environment on many health practitioners.”
Trust in both Ahpra and the National Boards was undercut by opinions related to COVID vaccination and vaccine mandates, with many practitioners’ expressing sentiments against their implementation – statements referring to these issues suffused the data and were clustered under ‘Response to COVID.’
“Distrust was also related to perceived unfairness and injustice of Ahpra and the Boards’ processes,” the report noted.
“Approximately 8% of respondents had a complaint about them made to Ahpra or their National Board.”
Specific to medical practitioners, 77% were interested in following the activities of the National Board, yet only 64% understood its role and function and only 41% had a positive perception of its dealings.
Only 23% of doctors reported being aware of any support that they received from their National Board or Ahpra.
The perceived quality of Board members also affected practitioners’ perceptions, with many citing their views of members as the primary driver of their overall trust assessment.
The Agency’s Research and Evaluation team took responsibility for the survey in 2021, and they reflected ones carried out in 2018, 2019 and 2020, allowing for the comparison of changes in awareness and sentiment over that period.
“The survey results [actually] showed a substantial shift towards positive perceptions from 2019– 2020, so even with declines, practitioners’ perceptions in 2021 remain more positive than they were in 2018,” Ahpra said.
“The overall survey results, when compared with the previous years’ data, were stable, and the results will inform work to improve our engagement with regulated health professions, with the aim of improving trust and confidence in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.
“From 2023, we will be following a different approach to surveying and engaging with practitioners and other external stakeholders to gain insights and feedback on our role and work.”