National Registration and Accreditation Scheme

By: Avant Advocacy

Jun 29, 2015

The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (National Scheme) for health practitioners was introduced in Australia in 2010. Avant supports the National Scheme and considers it to be an important accomplishment in health regulation.

Avant’s position

Download copy of the National Scheme position paper

Avant believes an effective regulatory scheme for medical practitioners should include:

• a nationally consistent approach to regulatory processes and outcomes
• a transparent and fair process for patients to make complaints
• a transparent and fair process for practitioners subject to regulatory processes
• consideration of the impact of regulatory processes on practitioners
• a focus on outcomes in the public interest that is proportionate to the risk of the harm to be averted.

Avant supports a responsive, risk-based approach to medical practitioner regulation.
Avant believes that assessment and investigation of complaints should be performed by a body with a good understanding of the practice of medicine.

Avant believes that further fragmentation of the regulatory system would detract from the benefits of the National Scheme.

Review of the National Scheme

An independent review of the National Scheme was commissioned by health ministers in 2014 to understand if the Scheme is meeting its legislated objectives and guiding principles.

Avant recognises the improvements that AHPRA and the MBA have made to the complaints-handling process since the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (National Law) commenced in 2010.
Avant believes there are a number of specific areas of the National Scheme that could be improved to the benefit of patients and practitioners including:

• handling of complaints
• clarifying mandatory reporting obligations
• recognition of the impact of complaints on practitioners.

These suggested changes are outlined in detail in Avant’s position papers.
For questions and comments, please contact: advocacy@avant.org.au

Key links

• Avant’s submission to the Review of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme
• Avant’s position paper ‘Handling professional conduct complaints against doctors’
• Avant’s position paper ‘Mandatory reporting’
• Avant’s position paper ‘The impact of claims and complaints on doctors’ health and wellbeing’