2014/15 National Scheme annual report launched

06 Nov 2015

The 2014/15 annual report: AHPRA and National Boards has been published.

The report details the work of the National Boards and AHPRA in implementing the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme over the 12 months to 30 June 2015.

The 2014/15 Annual Report includes a detailed report - including data - for the Pharmacy Board of Australia.

For the pharmacy profession, the report reveals that:

• 29,014 practitioners were registered at the end of June 2015, an increase of 2.6 per cent from the previous year 
• 246 notifications (concerns/complaints) were received about practitioners (excluding NSW where there is a co-regulatory system)¹ 
• 323 notifications about practitioners were closed by 30 June 2015 
• of the 323 cases closed under the National Scheme:
  • the Pharmacy Board of Australia determined:
    • to take no further action or that the case was to be handled by the relevant health complaints entity in the relevant state or territory in 147 cases 
    • that conditions be imposed on a practitioner’s registration in 43 cases, and 
    • that cautions be issued in 106 cases, and
  • Tribunals, on referral of matters from the Board, determined that a practitioner’s registration be suspended or cancelled in six cases
• the Board revised registration standards including its standard on: 
  • Professional indemnity insurance arrangements 
  • Continuing professional development 
  • Recency of practice 
  • Supervised practice arrangements, and 
  • Examinations for eligibility for general registration.
• with input from technical experts, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the Board’s Policies, Codes and Guidelines Committee, the Board consulted widely and finalised guidelines on compounding of medicines, and 
• the Board engaged with the public, pharmacy stakeholders and governments on the opportunities for pharmacists to administer vaccines to the public.

Pharmacy Board of Australia Chair Mr William Kelly said public assurance and proportionate regulation remained the Board’s focus.

‘We strive to continually improve patient safety and the quality of pharmacists’ regulation. This report helps to inform the public and pharmacists how we meet our objectives and responsibilities on their behalf,’ he said.

Mr Kelly also acknowledged Adjunct Associate Professor Stephen Marty, the inaugural Chair of the Board until 30 August 2015, for assisting the Board in meeting its objectives and responsibilities during the 2014/15 year.

There are now more than 637,218 health practitioners registered to practise in Australia, from 14 different professions, representing overall growth of 2.9% over the past year.

‘Information about each of these registered health practitioners is easily available to the community through the national online register,’ said Martin Fletcher, Chief Executive Officer of AHPRA.

‘Maintaining an up to date national register is one of the most important ways in which we protect the public.’

A media release about the report - with data across professions and jurisdictions - is published on the AHPRA website.

A report, which presents the data specific to pharmacy practice, will be published on the Board’s website before the end of the calendar year. 

For more information

• Go to the AHPRA Annual Report 2014/15
• Read the National Scheme media release 
• Lodge an online enquiry form 
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 9275 9009 (overseas callers) 
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

Download a PDF of this Media release - 2014-15 National Scheme annual report launched - 6 November 2015 (246 KB,PDF)

¹NSW is part of the National Scheme but notifications about practitioners’ health, performance and conduct are handled by the HCCC and the NSW health professional councils supported by the HPCA.