Media release

01 Nov 2013

The 2012/13 National Scheme Annual Report, which includes a report from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, has been published.

2012/13 National Scheme Annual Report published

The 2012/13 Annual Report of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the 14 National Boards has been published.

The report details the work of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and AHPRA in implementing the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme over the 12 months to 30 June 2013.

There are now more than 590,000 health practitioners registered to practise in Australia – an increase in all professions and more than ever before – with one in 20 working Australians a registered health practitioner.

‘The National Scheme has a significant impact on the lives of many Australians – directly on all health practitioners who are registered to practise, and indirectly through our work to protect public safety and maintain professional standards,’ AHPRA Agency Management Committee Chair Peter Allen said.

‘The ongoing, effective functioning of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme is a reflection of the partnership and collaboration between AHPRA and the National Boards,’ Mr Allen said.

For the nursing and midwifery professions the report reveals that:

• 345,955 enrolled nurses, registered nurses and midwives were registered at the end of June 2013, an increase of 4 per cent since national registration data was first published in June 2011 
• 1,598 notifications relating to health, performance and/or conduct were received about nurses and midwives and of these, 1,146 were lodged outside of New South Wales (NSW) where there is a co-regulatory system in place¹ 
• 1,484 notifications were closed by the end of June 2013, including 1,063 managed outside of NSW 
• of the 1,063 notifications closed under the National Scheme, a nurse was fined in two cases. Of the remainder, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia determined:
  • to take no further action or that the case be retained and managed by the health complaints entity in the relevant state or territory or referred to another body for action in 705 cases
  • to suspend registration in three cases 
  • to cancel registration in two cases 
  • to accept the surrendered registration in five cases 
  • to impose conditions on registration or accept an undertaking by the nurse or midwife in 215 cases, and 
  • to issue a caution or reprimand in 131 cases.
• the NMBA approved a large number of new and revised guidelines, position statements, frequently asked questions (FAQ) and fact sheets to guide nurses and midwives.

The NMBA Presiding Member, Dr Lynette Cusack, said effective and proportionate regulation is the constant goal of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

‘Every decision the National Board makes consciously focuses on striking the right balance between public safety and facilitating access to health services,’ Dr Cusack said.

‘This report explains the work we do, and accounts to the community and the nursing and midwifery professions about how we do it,’ she said.

The annual report is published on the AHPRA website under Legislation and publications.

It includes a detailed report – including data – for the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

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

For more information

• Lodge an online enquiry form 
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 8708 9001 (overseas callers) 
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

Download a PDF of this Media release - 2012/13 National Scheme Annual Report published - 1 November 2013 (236 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.