The Community Affairs References Committee has completed an inquiry into the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency's administration of health practitioner registration and notifications. The report includes 14 recommendations. One proposal is to refer low-risk notifications to health practices and services, with AHPRA only handling clinical issues relating to patient safety. Concern was raised about the stress and detrimental impacts of the current system. Another proposal would remove the mandatory requirements to report to AHPRA about a health professional's conduct if it poses a risk to the public. Concern was raised that the reporting requirements discourage health professionals from seeking help and treatment. Other recommendations include regulation of the use of the title "surgeon;" a more flexible re-entry to practice model; regulation of social workers, aged care workers, and personal care workers; simplification and enhanced education and support about notifications and other complaint pathways; and analysis and improvements in notification timeframes.
April 07, 2022
Report released for AHPRA's administration of health practitioner registration and notification
December 09, 2021
British Columbia Law Society report of independent reviewer
The Law Society of British Columbia has released the report of an independent review they commissioned this summer by internationally-recognized expert Harry Cayton. The review evaluated the Law Society's governance rules, practices and policies against the Professional Standard Authority's nine Standards of Good Governance. The report found the Law Society meets four of the Standards and partially meets three. Identified strengths were "comprehensive governance policies and procedures, commitment to equity and diversity and to reconciliation, the board’s respectful discussion of issues and the positive relationship between the board and executive team." Areas of concern were "consultation and engagement that takes into account lawyers’ views and, by contrast, lack of direct engagement with the public and consideration of their interests in decision-making."
UK: General Medical Council audit report
A report of the recent audit of the General Medical Council's fitness-to-practice procedures finds that the procedures are fair, consistent and robust. The audit focused on decisions made at the preliminary screening stage of a complaint - determining whether cases meet the criteria to be opened to a full investigation. The audit found that decision makers interpreted the guidance without bias when making decisions and made decisions in line with the guidance.
September 29, 2021
Arizona audit finds issues with criminal history database
A report from the Arizona Auditor General's Office has identified problems with the Arizona Department of Public Safety's criminal history records database. The state uses the database for conducting background checks of licensure applicants. Among a sampling of 103 felony offense records from law enforcement agencies, 17% were not included in the database. Of a sampling of 30 felony offense records that were in the database, 40% did not include dispositions to indicate the outcome of the case. The Department plans to fill staff vacancies to handle the backlog of records and partner with other agencies to obtain missing information. The audit report also recommended that the database stop including misdemeanor crimes for which reporting is not required by law, but DPS maintained that there are some misdemeanors that would preclude someone from licensure or employment with vulnerable populations.
September 16, 2021
Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure audit
An audit of the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure over a 2 1/2 year period found no evidence that required criminal background checks had been conducted for more than 66% of licensed applicants. Sex offender record checks had not been conducted for more than 40% of applicants. The report also found that the Office of Public Safety and Inspections, overseen by DPL, did not have criminal record information on 99% of licenses issued. DPL had indicated that they'd established a central unit to handle criminal record and sex offender record checks in December 2020 before the audit. The report also urged the agency to determine which license types under the Office of Public Safety and Inspections serve vulnerable populations and should be required to undergo criminal record checks.
May 26, 2021
Minnesota audit recommends changes to cosmetology licensure
A report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor notes that the licensing structure and requirements for cosmetology are overly burdensome and do not contribute to public health or safety. The report recommends creating a specialty license for those who only want to perform hair services, eliminating multiple salon type licenses, and evaluating if cosmetology and barbering should still be regulated separately.
July 09, 2020
Audit report: California Board of Registered Nurses
The California State Auditor has released a report on the California Board of Registered Nurses, revealing the falsification of investigation records. The Board had been directed to clear the backlog of pending investigations after a 2016 report. In 2018, the Board reported to the auditor that cases were distributed among investigators so that no one investigator had more than 20 cases, but the new audit report shows that cases were subsequently moved back to the original investigators.
A separate audit investigation is underway regarding the Board's oversight of nursing schools and complaints about how the Board handled changes to regulations for nursing students in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
October 03, 2019
UK: PSA releases performance review of General Optical Council
The Professional Standards Authority has released its Annual Performance Review of the General Optical Council, showing compliance with 22 of the 24 Standards for Good Regulation. The GOC has already indicated progress in the areas of concern. Changes have been made to standard operating procedures to make sure that the register and registrant records are appropriately updated after a hearing. GOC is also piloting n enhanced triage process in order to shorten fitness to practice timelines and reduce delays.
June 26, 2019
(Corrected) Alberta Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act
The government in Alberta has introduced a bill known as the Fair Registration Practices Act. The bill would require regulatory bodies to ensure and prove that their registration practices are "transparent, objective, impartial, and procedurally fair." Information for licensure applicants about requirements, how to apply for registration, processing time for registration, and registration fees would be required to be provided in a clear and understandable manner. The bill requires a "reasonable period of time" for registration decisions and no more than six months for interim registration decisions (those subject to a condition or requirement being met). The bill would require an appeal option for registration decisions and training for individuals and committees responsible for assessing qualifications. The bill would also give the Minister broad authority to audit regulatory bodies and create a Fair Registration Practices Office and establishes fines for failure to cooperate with such audits.
(Corrected: a previous post incorrectly listed the bill as being introduced in British Columbia. The bill has actually been introduced in Alberta.)
April 18, 2019
Report on College of Dental Surgeons of BC
An inquiry ordered last year by Health Minister Adrian Dix has resulted in a report outlining 21 recommendations for the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia. The review was conducted by Harry Cayton with the Professional Standards Authority in the UK. Recommendations include that dentists who are the subject of a current complaint or investigation (or the subject of a complaint that's been upheld) should not be allowed on the board or any College committee. Another recommendation is that the board not be involved in the complaints process. The report also noted the difficult situation for staff when the registrar and CEO resigned with no timetable from the College for recruitment of a new executive. The report also addressed issues of transparency, board size reduction, and consistency in requirements among health regulators in BC.
