Have you got concerns about how the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency handles immediate action procedures? Now is the time to have your say.
The National Health Practitioner Ombudsman wants to hear from health practitioners and interested parties on delays and procedural safeguards for those subject to immediate action.
Such powers allow Ahpra to place conditions of practice or a suspension on a practitioner while investigations take place if they are deemed an immediate risk.
However there has been criticism around how long investigations can take and the toll that takes on practitioners.
In the past some practitioners have been suspended for more than a year while matters are being considered and some have argued that lengthy suspensions in certain cases are excessive or disproportionate.
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RACGP Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman said immediate action was a stressful process that can have a tremendous impact on doctors.
“Immediate actions can also be frustrating for specialist GPs. Too many GPs experience delays on hearing an outcome where they’ve received an interim outcome, and a general lack of communication on the progress of a notification.
“Suspension and conditions may be necessary, but affect a GP’s livelihood and wellbeing, so should be fair and balance patient safety with sensible processes that do not unduly impact the delivery of high-quality care.
“There are several issues with the management of these notifications, particularly the ones that are deemed as high risk. These include timeframes for the cases to be resolved, reputational damage, and too little support for doctors throughout the process.”
Dr Raman added that all parties to the complaint must have confidence the process will be managed in a timely and fair manner.
“The review provides a welcome opportunity for GPs and other doctors to share their concerns. I encourage them to do so.”
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Reforms that came into practice in 2023 gave Ahpra and National Boards the power to issue public statements to warn the public about a serious risk from an individual, and the ability to notify third parties of potential harm.
Meanwhile, complaints about doctors are rising, topping 11,000 in the last financial year, a 12.8% increase from the previous 12 months, according to Ahpra’s most recent annual report
Data showed almost 6% of doctors faced a complaint in in the previous year.
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The National Health Practitioner Ombudsman Richelle McCausland began an investigation into issues around immediate action powers in June 2024 and released its consultation paper on the matter in February.
The paper, which outlines the parameters of the consultation, stated: “The Ombudsman’s routine monitoring activities identified that practitioners had increasingly raised issues with her office about immediate action being taken.”
It goes on to say that in 2023-24 the office recorded 84 issues related to immediate action being taken, a jump from the 51 recorded the previous year.
“A common theme identified by the Ombudsman’s office was practitioners expressing frustration with the time taken to receive an outcome for the matter that led to immediate action being taken, and a lack of communication about its progress,” the report said.
The main focus of the inquiry will be perspectives on timeliness and access to a fair process in matters where a practitioner is subject to immediate action.
The Ombudsman is seeking submissions from health practitioners, health services and organisations, and others interested in providing their feedback on the matter.
The Ombudsman may decide to put forward recommendations for changes at the completion of the investigation.
Consultation is now open and closes on March 31.
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