The Utah state auditor's office has released a report noting issues with unlicensed individuals accessing the state's controlled substance database, including those with expired licenses. The audit also found inadequate password requirements, inadequate monitoring if user activity, and issues with data retention policies. The audit report noted that the Department of Professional Licensing quickly fixed a bug related to the system's verification of license and intends to adopt all of the recommendations from the report.
February 20, 2019
October 11, 2018
VA DPOR receives report on operations and performance
Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission has submitted a report reviewing the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation's staffing and organization, processing of licenses, enforcement of occupational rules, and affordability of fees. The report found that most licensing requirements are appropriate, but eleven regulated occupations do not meet the criteria for regulation established in the Code of Virginia. The report indicates that licenses are issued in a timely manner, but the licensing IT system could be more user-friendly and more effective at automating processes. While license application fees were found to be in line with other states, the methodology to determine fees based on expected expenses of the agency was found inadequate. The report notes the lack of well-developed sanction guidelines for discipline and insufficient authority to handle unlicensed practice. The report notes the need for organizational change to address staff vacancies and an upgraded IT system.
September 04, 2018
Australia: consultation on Health Practitioner Regulation National Law
The Australian health ministers have launched a consultation on proposed amendments to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. The consultation paper addresses recommendations from the independent review of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, such as examining the role of the National Scheme in supporting health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, streamlining the work of AHPRA and the National Boards, and making the National Scheme more efficient. The consultation paper is "intended to foster debate about whether the National Law remains up to date and fit for purpose, or whether further reforms are needed to deliver a stronger, fairer National Scheme and safe health workforce for all Australians."
March 14, 2018
Health Minister calls for review of College of Dental Surgeons of BC
The Health Minister has called for a review of the administrative and operational practices of the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia. The review will be conducted by the UK's Professional Standards Authority.
October 17, 2017
New York: audit of nursing regulator
The New York state comptroller's office has conducted an audit of the State's Education Department and found problems concerning nursing regulation. The audit found that the Department is failing to conduct investigations within the time limit allowed by law. It also found inadequacies in the background check process for licensure applicants and monitoring for criminal behavior of licensed nurses. Legislation aimed at fixing the problems has stalled in the Assembly due to issues around protecting the due process rights of licensed professionals. The bills would have required professionals to report criminal convictions within 30 days and given the Department authority to summarily suspend the licenses of professionals suspected of extreme misconduct. The comptroller's recommendations include closely tracking investigations, strengthening moral character requirements, and researching best practices of other states.
August 09, 2017
LSUC reviews Professional Regulation division
The Law Society of Upper Canada will review the operation of its Professional Regulation division in response to complaints from employees. The internal review will be conducted by an independent investigator. The division is responsible for investigating and resolving complaints against lawyers and paralegals and has recently been undergoing restructuring to make their processes more efficient.
New Jersey: Board of Nursing investigation
Board members of the New Jersey Board of Nursing have requested that the legislature investigate the Board's financial situation and staff shortage. The Board's executive director has resigned, and board members have noted a "gradual lessening of standards" over the years as less staff is available to handle investigations and issuing of licenses, as well as eight vacancies on the 13-member board. Lawmakers have indicated the intention to review the situation at an upcoming legislative hearing.
July 28, 2016
UK: Professional Standards Authority annual report
The Professional Standards Authority in the UK has recently published their "Review of professional regulation and registration and Annual Report" for 2015/2016. The report details the PSA's newly revised process for performance reviews of the regulators, with reviews of each regulator to be spaced throughout the year and the assessment on each regulator to be published as soon as it is complete. The report also provides some emerging trends from the beginning of the 2016 review cycle, as well as a review of the accredited registers program.
March 15, 2016
UK: report on adult social care regulation
The UK government has published a report on the Cutting Red Tape Reviews undertaken to identify duplication of regulatory work in the adult social care sector. Identified issues include overlap of inspections, visits, paperwork, and data requests by the Care Quality Commission, local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups. The Department of Health will now take the lead on reforms to clarify the roles of different public bodies, streamline information requests to providers, standardize the processes of local authorities, and share examples of good practice. An initial progress report will be released in six months.
December 17, 2015
UK report: Care Quality Commission not effective
A report by the Public Accounts Committee in the UK claims that the Care Quality Commission is "not yet an effective regulator." The report did note "substantial progress" since their last report in 2012, but current areas of concern include lack of consistency, accuracy and timeliness of inspection reports as well as high vacancy rates for inspectors and analysts and a high staff turn-over rate.
