November 2024

Issue 34 - November 2024

From the Chair
Priority news
- 3G network closure and emergency devices
Board news
Students and graduates
- Graduates – apply for registration now!
Regulation at work
- Latest court and tribunal cases
Demystifying the notifications process
- How will Ahpra manage a notification about my health?
What’s new?
Want more information?

From the Chair

Kim Gibson, Physiotherapy Board Chair

As we head into the final months of 2024, the Physiotherapy Board is busily working on strategic projects, with particular focus on physiotherapy prescribing and workforce.

We’ve also taken our Board meetings on the road to Rockhampton, Queensland and Adelaide, South Australia. There, we met with local practitioners and visited local health services to hear about the unique challenges for physiotherapists working in remote and rural areas, and highlight initiatives and programs tailored to meet local needs.

I and several other Board members are in the final months of our term. I would like to thank our committed Board members and the staff who support practitioners for their dedication and hard work during my time as Board Chair. We have accomplished many things as a Board, and I’m very proud of the work we do to keep the public safe.

Kim Gibson
Chair, Physiotherapy Board of Australia

Priority news

3G network closure and emergency devices

As of Monday 28 October 2024, Telstra and Optus have closed their 3G networks. Devices that depend on the 3G network won’t work when it’s gone.

Devices such as in-home personal emergency alarms, insulin pumps and pacemakers that rely on the 3G network for voice calls won’t be able to make Triple Zero (000) calls when the network is shut down. This means that they might not work properly after the 3G shutdown.

People who use these devices will need to contact their service provider to see if their device is affected.

It is estimated that approximately 200,000 people who use these devices do not know that they rely on the 3G network to work. We are asking practitioners to talk to potentially affected patients and clients about the change and what they need to do to stay safe and connected.

More information is available on ‘3G is closing: check your tech’ on the AMTA website.

This is a community notice. Further queries should be directed to the service providers.

Board news

Exploring the risks and benefits of physiotherapist prescribing

In partnership with the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA), the Board is working to understand the potential risks and benefits of physiotherapists prescribing scheduled medicines to patients.

The Board and the APA have formed a national working group, made up of physiotherapists from various clinical settings, representatives from the APA and the Board, and prescribers and consumers. The working group is developing a position on physiotherapy prescribing, assessing its potential public value and determining the clinical settings that would be suitable.

Ahpra and the Board are drafting a proposal for consultation, which will seek approval from the ministerial council to endorse registered physiotherapists who meet a proposed registration standard, ‘Endorsement for scheduled medicines for physiotherapists’, as being qualified to prescribe medicines under Section 94 of the National Law.

Planning for the future of the physiotherapy workforce

The Board has continued its important work to understand the physiotherapy workforce in Australia.

With the APA, we have done collaborative research into physiotherapist attrition rates, to understand the current state of the workforce.

Practitioners were surveyed and interviewed to find the reasons physiotherapists leave the profession, change careers or move away from clinical practice. The results of this research will inform strategic workforce planning into the future.

The Board has also partnered with the Australian Physiotherapy Council to review the process for assessing overseas practitioners to register for practice in Australia.

Together, we are reviewing the process to facilitate more efficient ways of helping overseas-trained practitioners to become registered in Australia. The Express FLYR Pathway was established in 2023 to speed up the registration process for eligible international candidates.

Keep your eye on the Board’s website to keep up with our projects and progress.

Latest workforce data released

The Board has published its latest quarterly report on the physiotherapy workforce, covering the period to 30 September 2024. At this date, there were 45,512 registered physiotherapists, of whom 43,223 have general registration. There are 1,600 physiotherapists with non-practising registration.

Of the physiotherapy workforce, 309 practitioners identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (0.7 per cent).

For more data, including registration by principal place of practice, age and gender, read the report on our Statistics page.

Students and graduates

Graduates – apply for registration now!

If you’re studying to become a physiotherapist and are about to finish your course, you can apply for registration now. Getting your application in early helps avoid any delays and helps get you into the workforce sooner. If you apply before you finish your study, we can start assessing your application while we wait for your graduate results.

Before you can start working as a physiotherapist you have to be registered with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia (the Board). Your application is managed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).

Easy steps to apply online

Create your account using Ahpra’s online services and complete your application.
Upload your documents and pay the required fees. Check that you have provided all required documents to prove you’ve met the registration standards, including certified copies of your photo ID.
Wait for your education provider to provide your graduate results to Ahpra.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander graduates

Ahpra’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement and Support team is there to assist you through the registration process.

The support team consists of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, and they provide a one-on-one service. They can assist you to navigate the registration process, provide regular phone contact, and advise on any disclosures you made on your registration application (for example, about impairments) that the Board may need to consider.

The support team is committed to assisting you to get registered promptly so you can start making vital contributions to culturally safe healthcare for your communities. If, after reading the handy hints below, you would still like some help with your application for registration, please email the support team at mobengagementsupport@ahpra.gov.au.

Handy hints to help you apply

Watch our video to get your application right: Applying for graduate registration.
As well as the video, you’ll find helpful advice, tips for avoiding common causes of delay, and downloadable information flyers on the Graduate applications page of the Ahpra website.
Read our news item for more information about applying.

Regulation at work

Latest court and tribunal cases

We publish tribunal and court summaries for their educational value to the profession. Here are the latest cases.

Victorian physiotherapist disqualified for six years for sexually touching a patient

A Victorian physiotherapist has been disqualified for six years and made the subject of a prohibition order for asking a female patient to unnecessarily remove her underwear during treatment and touching her in a sexual manner.

Demystifying the notifications process

How will Ahpra manage a notification about my health?

This is the second in a series of articles aiming to demystify the notifications process.

We know that having a notification made about you can be stressful. Especially if it’s about your health, mental health or problems with drugs and alcohol use.

Ahpra manages health-related notifications in a way that aims to make the process clear and easy. You will be assigned a case officer from our Health Management Team, who will keep you up to date on the progress of your notification and can advise you about the support services that are available to you.

The team is staffed by people who are committed to ensuring that they understand you as an individual and the demands of clinical practice and healthcare settings.

The aim, if it is safe to do so, is to keep you engaged in work at a level you choose during the investigation process.

What’s new?

Good virtual care practices

Over 25 per cent of Australians have had at least one telehealth consultation for their own health in the last 12 months, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

Ahpra and the National Boards have published virtual care information for health practitioners, the public and employers about accessing and providing safe and effective virtual care.

Practitioners and consumers are increasingly choosing virtual care alternatives as we continue to see growth in the adoption of technology, online prescribing and the use of health ‘apps’. What was once seen as a temporary approach to enable healthcare in a global pandemic is now widely accepted as just another way to see your practitioner.

These documents replace the previous Telehealth guidance for practitioners which was developed to address the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

This information is not new and relies on the existing principles within the National Boards’ regulatory framework, such as codes of conduct and other relevant standards and guidelines. It has been developed as a helpful resource for healthcare providers and consumers to understand what good virtual care should look like.

Applying your code of conduct to evolving technologies – AI in healthcare

Are you using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your practice?

AI is rapidly becoming integrated into everyday healthcare and has the potential to transform and support new and innovative ways of working. So how do you ensure when using these new technologies that you maintain the continued high standard of care expected by your patients and clients?

Ahpra and National Boards support the safe use of AI in healthcare, recognising the significant potential to improve health outcomes and create a more person-centred health system.

While the potential of AI to improve diagnostics and disease detection has been reported for some time, recent commentary has focused on the benefits for health practitioners for improved care and patient satisfaction, including reducing administrative burdens and health practitioner burnout.

As new tools emerge, so do the unique practical and ethical issues associated with its use in a healthcare setting. Ahpra and the National Boards have developed principles for practitioners to consider when using or looking to integrate AI into their practice. These principles translate existing obligations in practitioner codes of conduct and remind practitioners to consider these responsibilities when assessing the appropriate use of AI.

Specific professional obligations to consider include accountability, an appropriate understanding of the tool, transparency of its use, informed consent, and ethical and legal issues. Read Meeting your professional obligations when using AI in healthcare and its supporting case studies on the Ahpra website to learn more about what safe and effective use of AI should look like.

National Prescribing Competencies Framework review

Ahpra has been contracted by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department) to review the Prescribing Competencies Framework – Embedding quality use of medicines into practice, second edition (the framework).

The review aims to ensure the framework supports Quality Use of Medicines and that:

it remains fit for purpose, contemporary, efficient, accurate and reflects current and emerging trends in education and multi-profession practices, and
it continues to describe competencies required to contribute to safe and person-centred prescribing.

The framework was originally developed and hosted by NPS MedicineWise. Published in April 2021, it describes the competencies and expectations for appropriate, safe and effective prescribing across relevant health professions.

Ahpra will be conducting targeted and public consultations in the next 12 months as part of the review. The final updated version of the framework will be submitted to the Department for approval before publication.

While the framework will be hosted on the Ahpra website, the Department will continue to own the document as part of the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology Program.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner registration reaches exciting milestone

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners registered with Ahpra hit 1,000 for the first time in September.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners are a unique profession founded on traditional values, complemented by modern medicine. They are clinical and cultural experts who build trust, practise cultural safety and bring an understanding which strengthens health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

They work autonomously or as part of a multidisciplinary team, providing a broad range of expertise in both primary and tertiary healthcare, from administering and supplying medications, to acute and chronic disease management and advocating for patients.

Their aim is to empower First Nations families and communities to make them feel welcome, safe and comfortable when using health services and to make self-determined decisions about their health and wellbeing. The profession, while small in number, is critical to ‘closing the gap’ by removing disparities in healthcare.

Ahpra congratulates the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia (ATSIHPBA) for ensuring practitioners are suitably trained, qualified and safe to practise, and for working collectively and collaboratively with the National Scheme and stakeholders to eliminate racism in healthcare.

Greater protection for the public under National Law changes

The recent series of amendments to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law are now complete, with a final suite of changes being introduced from 1 July.

A key update for practitioners is that you can now nominate an alternative name to go on the public register, alongside your legal name.

Some health practitioners may practise under an alternative name, such as a traditional name or an anglicised or shortened name.

Having both your legal name and your alternative name appear on the register will make it easier for the public to search it and make informed decisions about their care.

You can find more information about alternative names and how to nominate on the Ahpra website.

Other changes to the National Law from 1 July include:

allowing National Boards and Ahpra to issue interim prohibition orders to unregistered persons in certain circumstances where the person poses a serious risk to others
establishing the process regarding renewal of a practitioner’s registration after a period of suspension
empowering the National Boards to include previously excluded information in the National Register if there is a reasonable belief the circumstances have changed
enabling the Ministerial Council to delegate its power to approve registration standards to an appropriate entity.

Australia’s health system, as well as the reasons and ways people access it, has changed dramatically over the past 15 years. These reforms allow the regulation scheme to evolve with it, strengthening Ahpra and National Boards’ ability to protect the public and support practitioners.

See Ahpra's website for more information about the changes, as well as future areas of focus and ways to provide feedback.

Improving experiences when navigating a healthcare complaint

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, and Ahpra with the National Boards, have worked on a joint project to explore opportunities to improve the consumer experience of making a healthcare complaint in Australia.

Both organisations wanted to get a better understanding of the barriers that consumers face when making a healthcare complaint and to discover what they can do to support consumers.

The final report has now been published along with supporting resources for practitioners and the public about navigating healthcare complaints.

The project found that the complexity of the complaints system is putting a huge weight of responsibility on consumers to understand how it works. Consumers are also experiencing barriers, whether social, economic or cultural, that are affecting their ability to make a complaint and want a system that is focused on their needs rather than administrative processes.

What we’ve done

To improve experiences for those going through a complaint process, the Commission and Ahpra have:

We will continue to make improvements to our websites and consumer resources. In some states and territories, we are exploring ways to develop a targeted local resource about complaints options.

Review to ease the complexity of health regulation

The Review of complexity in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the Dawson review) began in May 2024, and is led by the former NSW Health Care Complaints Commissioner Sue Dawson.

The independent review aims to identify areas of the National Scheme that are unnecessarily complex and recommend changes that will improve regulatory outcomes for health practitioners and the community.

Six terms of reference outline the scope of the review. These will consider:

how to streamline and harmonise decision-making to improve consistency in regulation
how to make complaints management more consumer-driven, consistent, accessible and efficient
how to make tribunal decision-making more consistent
stewardship of the National Scheme
how to manage new professions entering the National Scheme, and
the powers ministers have to direct entities exercising accreditation functions.

Consultation paper 1 was released on 12 September.

The review is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

Want more information?

Visit the Board’s website for the mandatory registration standards, codes, guidelines and FAQs.
Lodge an online enquiry form.
For registration enquiries, call 1300 419 495 (from within Australia) or +61 3 9285 3010 (for overseas callers).
Address mail correspondence to: Kim Gibson, Chair, Physiotherapy Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne, VIC 3001.