Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia - September 2024
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September 2024

Contents

Chair's message

Welcome to the latest edition of the Nursing and Midwifery Board newsletter.

Graduates are getting ready to enter the workforce, Graduate nurses and midwives can read our helpful hints to get registered and commence a fulfilling career.

The Board is pleased to be in a position to freeze fees this year, with the cost of renewing general registration to remain at $185 for the next registration period.

In this issue, you can learn more about the review to ease the complexity of health regulation and find out more about one of our newest community Board members, Alison Verhoeven.

Best wishes,

Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey
Chair, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

Veronica Casey

Priority news

3G network closure and emergency devices – talk to your patients

From Monday 28 October 2024, Telstra and Optus will close 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.

Maternal child, family health fact sheet rescinded

In December 2023, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) published the explanatory Fact sheet Maternal, child and family health nurses and midwives in Australia. A regulatory perspective (the fact sheet).

In response to feedback provided by key stakeholders, the NMBA has rescinded the Fact Sheet. Rescinding the Fact Sheet allows the NMBA to reconsider its response until a decision is made following targeted consultation.

The NMBA‘s approved registration standards, codes, guidelines, and standards for practice together form the Professional Practice Framework (PPF). The PPF determines the requirements and expectations which guide the professional practice of nurses and midwives in Australia.

The NMBA recognises that nurses and midwives obtain and develop qualifications and expertise through the course of their careers. It is expected that nurses and midwives are educated and competent in their specific area of practice and hold the skills required to provide safe, person-centred, and evidence-based care.

Influences on an individual’s scope of practice which may enable or limit practice include:

• level of education and training
• competence and experience
• registration requirements
• legislation and regulations
• clinical need
• recency of practice
• professional indemnity, and
• workplace environment, requirements and capacity

The NMBA has fact sheets on the Scope of practice and capabilities of midwives to guide nurses and midwives in their practice. They also guide employers, private and public health services, and other health practitioners, on the varying roles and scope of practice of nurse and midwives.

The Decision Making Framework supports nurses and midwives to make decisions in practice, particularly about scope of practice.

Removal of the collaborative arrangement for Nurse Practitioners and eligible midwives

From 1 November 2024, NPs and eligible midwives can provide services subsidised by the Medicare Benefits Schedule and prescribe certain medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) without sign-off from a medical practitioner.

Board news

Alison Verhoeven joins the Board

Former Chief Executive of the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, Alison Verhoeven, has a breadth of experience in senior corporate governance and communications roles across the health, education and business sectors in Australia and the Asia-Pacific. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Alison is excited to contribute to ensuring Australia’s nurses and midwives are suitably trained and safe to practise.

‘I am still learning about the breadth of ongoing and emerging issues the NMBA is dealing with and the projects the Board is pursuing,’ said Alison. ‘I am particularly interested in projects which have a direct impact on consumer safety and high-quality workforce development.’

In her spare time, you’ll find Alison soaking up the sun or sharing stories and conversation with family over a home cooked meal.

Become a member of the NMBA State Boards

Are you passionate about healthcare and public safety? Our state board members are key to making decisions that put community and public safety first. We are seeking applications from registered nurses, midwives and/or community applicants from Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania.

Applications close: Sunday 6 October 2024.

To apply and for more information visit Ahpra’s opportunities page.

Apply for appointment to the Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Committee

Want to make recommendations to the NMBA about the outcomes-based assessment for internationally qualified nurses and midwives? We are calling for applications for appointment to the Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Committee.

Applications close: Sunday 20 October 2024.

To apply and find out more visit Ahpra’s opportunities page.

Registration

Graduates – apply for registration now!

Need help applying?

On the graduate applications page of the Ahpra website, you will find helpful guides on completing your application for registration, tips for how to avoid delays, and information flyers you can download for working offline.

You can also check out our graduate video to help you get your application right.

Make sure you provide correct photo ID

As part of your application, you need to provide certified copies of your photo ID documents. If they’re not certified correctly, your application will be delayed, so it’s important they’re certified with the following:

• ‘I certify that this is a true copy of the original and the photograph is a true likeness of the person presenting the document as sighted by me.’

To get it right the first time download the Certifying documents guide and take it with you to the authorised officer.

Who can certify documents?

Registered health practitioners can certify photo ID documents. So can Justices of the Peace (JPs), public servants, teachers, lecturers and members of the legal profession. For the full list of authorised officers, see the guide.

Meeting the registration standards

You may need to provide supporting documents with your application to prove that you meet the Nursing and Midwifery Board’s registration standards including meeting the English language skills requirements. Make sure you provide all the documents we need with your application so we can assess it quicker.

How long does it take to assess my application?

We can’t finalise your application until we receive your graduation results from your education provider.

If you’ve submitted everything needed to prove you’ve met the requirements for registration, we aim to finalise your application within two weeks of receiving your graduation results.

For more information, read the news item.

Nurse & Midwife Support — Free 24/7 support service

Nurse and Midwife Support proudly offers free, confidential, and anonymous 24/7 telephone counselling and referral for nurses and midwives across Australia.

Check out their Wellbeing Portal to access a variety of self-guided resources, including self-assessments, educational modules, and wellness plans to support your health.

Your health matters! Reach out on 1800 677 877 or visit their website for confidential advice, resources and referral.

Have your say

Guidance on developing professional capabilities

The independently-chaired Accreditation Committee (the committee) invites you to give feedback on its draft guidance on developing professional capabilities.

Professional capabilities are the knowledge, skills and professional attributes required for registration as a health practitioner in Australia. They describe the minimum requirements for safe and competent practice.

The committee has drafted this guidance to foster good practice in the development of professional capabilities across the 16 professions regulated by the National Scheme.

‘This draft guidance raises important issues associated with the governance and ownership of professional capabilities documents and the potential for core capabilities to be shared across professions. It also provides practical information to assist organisations to develop their professional capabilities. The draft guidance aims to make this process more efficient and more consistent across all professions regulated under the National Scheme,’ said Professor Andrew Wilson AO, independent chair of the Accreditation Committee.

‘The guidance reflects contemporary approaches and good regulatory practice.’

Public consultation on these draft principles is open until 18 October 2024.

Find out more about the consultation and how to provide feedback at the Accreditation Committee’s current consultations webpage.

Spotlight

Review to ease the complexity of health regulation

The National Scheme has been reviewed many times. Why conduct another review?

While the National Scheme overwhelmingly fulfils its paramount objective of public protection, there are opportunities to simplify complaints processes and improve fairness, consistency and the experiences of consumers and practitioners.

This review will help the National Scheme meet the expectations of notifiers, practitioners and the community.

Have your say

Consultation paper 1 was released on 12 September. Practitioners interested in contributing will have until 14 October to provide a submission.

Stay up to date with the review webpage for information on stakeholder consultation and how to participate.

The review is expected to be completed by April 2025.

Improving experiences when navigating a healthcare complaint

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the commission), and Ahpra with the National Boards, have worked on a joint project to explore opportunities to improve the consumer experience of making a health 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:

• updated our websites to clarify the process of making a complaint
• developed three animations to give clear information to the public about how and where to make a health complaint
• developed a ‘Tips for consumers when making a complaint’ webpage and fact sheet
• developed Healthcare complaints - where to make a complaint (downloadable fact sheet), and
• created a complaints checklist for practitioners to help effectively handle feedback and complaints from their patients or clients.

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.

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.

Nursing and midwifery regulation at work: notification case studies

Third Oakden nurse banned for three years

The South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (the tribunal) found Mr Arthur Moutakis failed to manage complaints and adequately perform his roles and responsibilities as a member of the Oakden clinical governance committee to the standard reasonably expected of a Registered Nurse.

Read more.

Keep in touch with the NMBA

  • Visit the NMBA website for 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: Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey AM, Chair, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne, VIC 3001.
 
 
Page reviewed 26/09/2024
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