National Registration

Friday 21, May 2010

National regulation of medicine as you are aware is being introduced 1^st July 2010, one of 10 health professions moving from a state base to a national base. The State Medical Boards as you currently know them will cease to exist in the format in which you are familiar.

The State Medical Boards will be incorporated within the Medical Board of Australia and the Medical Board of Australia will be the regulation authority for medicine across Australia performing the roles and functions that were previously the State Medical Boards. To support the National Board in delivering this purpose the Australian Health Practitioners Regulations Agency (AHPRA) has been established.

Presently 5 of the 8 states of Australia are on board to move to a National Registration Process including NSW, VIC, ACT, NT and SA. Not yet on board are WA, QLD and TAS. No advice at this point has been received regarding a contingency plan should any of these states not sign on to National Registration.

Doctors already registered will automatically transition to the new national system. The grace period for renewal will change from 3 months to 1 month. National registration will expire on the 30 September and if at the end of October your registration has not been renewed you will not be registered and required to submit a new registration application.

All doctors currently registered moving to the national system will receive a new registration number and should receive a letter in June to this effect. No date for the issue of certificates has been released at this time. The process for this has also not yet been released.

Once transitioned to national registration you will only require the one registration to work across states within Australia however, you may find the cost of your registration will be significantly increased. Information on fees has not yet been released.

Two (2) national registers will be in operation. One for general registration, and one for specialist registration. Those who are on the specialist register may also appear on the general register. There will be some instances where this will not be the case mainly in the realm of overseas trained doctors. There will be on line access to check registration status.

The National Medical Board of Australia has established 5 core standards:

(i) Criminal history check

(ii) Professional indemnity

(iii) Continuing professional development

(iv) Recency of practice and;

(v) English language skills standard

Working standards currently under development include:

a) Area of need registration

b) Limited registration (formerly specific registration) and post graduate training

c) Eligibility for general registration

d) Supervision - guidelines

Some key changes from the state registration pathway to the national include:

Evidence of identification. The national process will follow the current criminal record check process incorporating 4 categories of documentation:

Category A: birth certificate or passport

Category B: drivers license, proof of age card or similar

Category C: evidence of identity in the community ie: marriage certificate, Medicare card or similar

Category D: Evidence of residential address ie: rates notice, lease papers etc

Criminal history check. Doctors will consent to this being done and it will be processed through AHPRA.
Working with Children – specific check. Doctors as a group in permanent employment are not deemed to require this check unless seeing a certain percentage of children in the course of their work.

No further information on these processes has yet been released.

A temporary call centre has been established to respond to enquiries on the National Registration Process. Call 1300 088 590.

As at the 1^st July AHPRA will be active and will be the contact replacing any contact with the State Medical Boards. Call 1300 419 495.

View the AHPRA website: http://www.ahpra.gov.au

View the Medical Board of Australia website: http://www.medicalboard.gov.au