April 2022

Issue 28 - April 2022

• Chair’s message
• Board news
  • Appointments to the Chiropractic Board of Australia
  • Code of conduct – advance copy available now
  • Forum – Evaluative Judgement
  • Have you started planning your CPD activities for this year?
  • Check your advertising: chiropractic examples
  • Supervised practice framework now in effect
  • Chiropractic regulation at work: protecting the public in 2020/21
• Registration
  • Latest workforce data released
• Students and graduates
  • Welcome to new and returning students!
• National Scheme news
  • What’s the point of protected titles?
  • Have your say: consultation open for cosmetic surgery review
  • Latest podcasts tackle big subjects
• Keep in touch with the Board

Chair's message

Welcome to the Board’s first newsletter for 2022! We particularly welcome new graduates, and student chiropractors who may be receiving this newsletter for the first time. We aim to keep you updated with important information throughout the year and as always, we welcome your feedback.

In December 2021, we welcomed four new members to the Board. They bring a wealth of experience and I congratulate them on their appointment: read more below. I thank outgoing members Dr Michael Badham (practitioner member), Ms Anne Burgess AM and Mr Frank Ederle (community members) for their valuable contribution and commitment to the regulation of the chiropractic profession during their time on the Board.

We are delighted that in 2022 we can present information forums and meet with you in person. The first of these is scheduled for June in Sydney where we will present jointly with the Chiropractic Council of New South Wales. Our focus is on providing you with important information and giving you an opportunity to engage with us. We will send email invitations so you can register for the forums as registration opens.

Once again, thank you for the work you do to provide care and support for our communities.  

Dr Wayne Minter AM
Chiropractor
Chair, Chiropractic Board of Australia

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Board news

Appointments to the Chiropractic Board of Australia

In December 2021, Australian Health Ministers announced the appointment of members to the Chiropractic Board of Australia. The appointments were for a term of three years.

The following members have been reappointed:

• Dr Abbey Chilcott, practitioner member from Western Australia
• Professor Anna Ryan, practitioner member from Victoria
• Dr Ailsa Wood, practitioner member from Queensland

The following new members have been appointed:

• Ms Kim Barker, community member
• Mrs Colleen Papadopoulos, community member
• Mr Ken Riddiford, community member
• Dr Michael Shobbrook AM, practitioner member from the Australian Capital Territory

Previously reappointed were Dr Wayne Minter AM, Chair and practitioner member from New South Wales, who was reappointed for a period of three years from 17 August 2020 and Dr Arcady Turczynowicz, practitioner member from South Australia, who was reappointed for a period of three years from 25 February 2021.

You can learn more about the Board members on the website.

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Code of conduct – advance copy available now

An advance copy of the revised Code of conduct is available now and we encourage you to read and be familiar with it before it comes into effect on 29 June 2022. The code sets out our expectations of professional behaviour and conduct for chiropractors. Chiropractors have a professional responsibility to apply this code in their practice, helping to keep the public safe.

There will be specific supporting materials developed for chiropractors and we will update you when these are released.

Forum – Evaluative Judgement

We held a successful virtual forum for key stakeholders and practitioners on 3 November 2021 to explore the concept of evaluative judgement in learning in professional practice, and particularly its application to the health professions.

The forum was led by Professor Anna Ryan, the Victorian practitioner member of the Board, and we were delighted to welcome Professor David Boud as the keynote speaker. Professor Boud is Alfred Deakin Professor and Director of the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning at Deakin University, Melbourne and Emeritus Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. He is also Professor of Work and Learning at Middlesex University in London.

The forum resources, including a pre-forum interview with Professor Boud and the recorded forum, are available on the Board’s website.

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Have you started planning your CPD activities for this year?

Continuing professional development (CPD) is an important part of providing safe and effective chiropractic care. It is how you maintain and improve your knowledge and skills and stay up to date in your area of practice.

You should identify your learning goals early in each registration year after you have renewed your registration. The following questions and suggestions may help you identify your learning goals and possible CPD activities:

1. Think about the activities that you do in your work, how can your CPD help?
2. Think about your strengths, are there any gaps or areas for improvement?
3. Are there competencies in the CCEA's Competency standards for graduating chiropractors that you should work on?
4. What are your professional interests?
5. Where do you want to be professionally in five years?
6. Do your patients’ needs suggest an area you should learn more about?
7. Could you ask for feedback from your peers and colleagues?
8. Could you carry out a practice audit or review a peer by doing a practice audit?

Further information about identifying learning goals, tips for planning CPD and reflecting on your CPD is available on the Board's website.

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Check your advertising: chiropractic examples

You must make sure your advertising is accurate and lawful as the public may rely on information provided in advertising to make important decisions about their healthcare. We have developed some specific examples of chiropractic advertising that is non-compliant and shown how it could be corrected. The examples are some of the most common advertising mistakes that we see.

You can access the information on the Advertising hub on Ahpra's website.

We encourage you to continue to check and correct your advertising and comply with your advertising obligations.

Supervised practice framework now in effect

The Supervised practice framework, developed by the Chiropractic Board, another 12 National Boards and Ahpra, is in effect. It applies to all registered chiropractors.

The framework outlines the National Boards’ expectations and supports supervisees, supervisors and employers to understand what is necessary to effectively carry out supervised practice. The framework also includes the principles that underpin supervised practice and the levels of supervised practice.

To support supervisees, supervisors and employers to understand and apply the framework, the National Boards and Ahpra have developed a set of frequently asked questions and two key-steps diagrams. The diagrams outline the key steps of supervised practice for registration requirements or suitability and eligibility requirements and for supervised practice following a complaint (notification).

The National Boards have also developed a Fact sheet: Supervised practice – transition arrangements to support the transition arrangements in place for supervises and supervisors who are already carrying out supervised practice or who sent documents to Ahpra or the Board before 1 February 2022 (the date of effect).

The framework and additional information can be found on Ahpra's Supervised practice page.

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Chiropractic regulation at work: protecting the public in 2020/21

A profession-specific annual report summary that looks at the work of the Chiropractic Board of Australia over the 12 months to 30 June 2021 is published on our Annual report page.

The report draws on data from the Annual report 2020/21 by Ahpra and the National Boards and includes the number of applications for registration, outcomes of practitioner audits and segmentation of the registrant base by gender, age and principal place of practice.

Notifications information includes the number of complaints or concerns received, matters opened and closed during the year, types of complaint, monitoring and compliance and matters involving immediate action.

Insights into the profession include:

Registration

• 5,968 chiropractors, up 3.3% from 2019/20
• 0.7% of all registered health practitioners
• 0.6%identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• 41.6% female; 58.4% male.

Notifications

• 140 registered chiropractors Australia-wide had notifications made about them
• 2.3% of the profession
• 57.6% were made by a patient, relative or member of the public; 18.2% by another practitioner; 14.1% by a health complaints entity; and 1.0% by an employer
• the most common types of complaints were about clinical care (27.3%); boundary violation (12.1%); communication (9.1%), health impairment (7.1%); breach of non-offence provision – National Law (7.1%) and documentation (3.0%).

For more details, visit our Annual report page.

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