National Registration of Health Professionals
The commencement on 1 July 2010 of the national registration scheme for all health professionals in Australia is an exciting development.
The reform is complex. There are currently more than 90 registration Boards for health professionals across Australia, including 8 Boards (one in each state and territory) for nurses and midwives. All of these Boards will be abolished under these changes, and replaced with a single national registration authority, that has 10 Professional Boards: one each for Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery, Dental Practitioners, Chiropractors, Osteopathy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, and Psychology.
Each professional Board will have responsibility for all the usual regulatory activities that are currently undertaken by state and territory boards. This includes: admitting people to the register, maintaining the register, determining professional standards, and investigating and where appropriate acting upon allegations of misconduct. Accreditation of education programs will also be handled under the new national scheme.
The overarching body for the eleven health professions to be regulated under the new national schemes is the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
For nurses and midwives, the relevant Board is the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
How has this new scheme been developed?
The development of the legislation to support national registration has been a long and involved process over the last four years. On 26 March, 2008 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) signed the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for a National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions. The meeting communiqué and the IGA are available on the COAG website
The federal government does not have the constitutional power to regulate health professionals. Therefore, to create a national scheme, it is necessary for all state governments to enact legislation providing for the scheme. The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Bill 2009 has now been introduced in the Queensland parliament and Bills to enact the same law in each other state and territory are now being considered by parliaments.
Significant consultation around the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law occurred in during late 2008/early 2009. The Australian College of Midwives participated in these consultations at both national and state levels, providing both verbal and written submissions. ACM has been working closely with the member organisations of the Australian Peak Nursing and Midwifery Forum (APNMF) to put forward consensus views to the government officials involved in implementing the new scheme.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) was established in September 2009 and will oversee regulation of nurses and midwives. The members of the new Board, which includes only one currently practicing midwife, are outlined on the NMBA’s website. The ACM congratulates the Chair Ann Copeland and other members of the Board on their appointment
In October 2009, the NMBA issued 2 consultation papers:
• One on registration issues for nurses and midwives
• One on education standards for nurses and midwives
The Australian College of Midwives made submissions in response to each of these consultation papers which are available on the NMBA’s website.
• For the ACM submission on registration matters click here.
• For the ACM submission on education standards for midwifery click here.
Read more about the implications of the new national registration scheme for midwives, including discussion of:
• How is midwifery to be reflected in this new scheme?
• What will be the benefits for midwives?
• What will be the options for midwives moving to the national register?
• How will midwives meet the professional Indemnity requirement?
• So what will happen in 2010?
• How should I prepare for national registration?
• How can ACM help me to prepare for national registration?
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