These are some of the figures that have been noted in Ahpra’s annual report, published recently.
No further action was taken for the same percentage of notifications in 2019/20 as it was in 2018/19. No further action was taken in 86% of paramedicine matters, followed by midwifery (78%) and psychology (72%).
Interestingly, all matters that were referred to tribunals for professional misconduct resulted in disciplinary action being taken.
Of the appeals of Board decisions lodged at tribunals, 26% resulted in the decision being amended or substituted. There was no change to the Board decision or the appeal being withdrawn in 59% of appeal matters.
Types of complaints among the professions
The types of complaints common among the professions also makes for some interesting reading:
- clinical care was the leading reason for notifications in 13 out of the 15 health professions;
- medical radiation practitioners (29%), occupational therapists (19%) and nurses (18%) were the professions with the highest percentage of notifications about health impairments;
- most notifications were received about documentation in occupational therapy (19%) (with psychology receiving the second most at 9%);
- boundary violations accounted for 19% of all notifications about osteopaths and 14% of all notifications about physiotherapists; and
- 45% of all sexual boundary notifications related to medical practitioners. Out of the 158 notifications for which immediate action was considered in these instances, it was taken 69% of the time.
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