Chiropractic Board of Australia - November 2018
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November 2018

Issue 19 - November 2018

Message from the Chair

Wayne Minter

Welcome to the Chiropractic Board of Australia (the Board) newsletter.

In this issue we are highlighting the key messages resulting from our very successful stakeholder forum held in Melbourne in July. As mentioned in our previous newsletter, the topic of the forum was workplace-based learning; applying theory to practice in chiropractic. The forum attracted over seventy delegates including representatives from chiropractic professional associations, accreditation councils, other health practitioner regulation authorities, academics and chiropractic practitioners. I strongly encourage you to read more about the lessons from the forum in this newsletter and also watch the presentation videos which will shortly be published on the Board’s website.

Also, this newsletter includes a profile on Dr Bevan Goodreid, an inaugural member of the Board and very significant contributor to health practitioner regulation in Australia. On behalf of the Board, I thank Bevan for his valued input to the Board’s work and wish him well as he leaves us after nine years of service.

Finally, a note to say that AHPRA will be conducting an advertising audit pilot of chiropractic and dental practitioners in early 2019 to inform the National Scheme about general advertising compliance in the relevant professions and I encourage you to read more about the audit in the following pages.

Dr Wayne Minter AM
Chiropractor
Chair, Chiropractic Board of Australia

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News from the Board

Exploring workplace-based learning opportunities for continuing professional development in chiropractic

The Board held a successful stakeholder forum focusing on workplace-based learning: from theory to practice, in Melbourne on 28-29 July 2018.

The forum included a mix of interactive presentations and small group activities encouraging participants to explore the application of best practice in workplace-based learning to a range of practice settings. Participants were able to build on their understanding of workplace-based learning principles and consider how these may be applied to their own small-group or solo practice. Opportunities to build peer to peer learning experiences into everyday practice as effective forms of continuing professional development were also explored in depth.

The forum was presented by Ryan Brydges (Professor of Technology-enabled Education at St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada), Rose Hatala (Director of the Clinical Educator Fellowship at the Centre for Health Education Scholarship at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada) and Liz Molloy (Professor of Work Integrated Learning in the Department of Medical Education, the University of Melbourne). Videos of the key presentations from the forum will shortly be published on the Board’s website.

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New information for chiropractic students and graduates: watch our video

Chiropractic students and graduates have a new way of finding out about becoming a registered chiropractor and about their ongoing obligations. If you work with students, please tell them about these resources.

A short video, launched by the Board on 18 October, outlines the steps graduates need to take to apply for general registration.

Board Chair, Dr Wayne Minter AM, said the video was a quick and easy way for graduates and students close to finishing their studies to find out what they need to do before applying for registration and starting work in their chosen health profession.

Finishing studies is the first big step towards being a chiropractor,' Dr Minter said. ‘The next step is to understand the registration standards that need to be met and the process for applying for registration.’

Once a graduate gains general registration with the Chiropractic Board of Australia, they will then join the ranks of Australia's more than 5,4201 registered chiropractors.

In addition to outlining the standards graduates must meet to become registered, the video also includes information about the ongoing obligations for chiropractors.

Dr Minter said a chiropractor must meet the Board’s standards and expectations of the profession throughout the course of their career, not just upon initial registration.

Obligations of all health practitioners registered under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) include carrying out and recording continuing professional development (CPD), maintaining recency of practice to stay registered and ensuring that their professional indemnity insurance is current.

There are also mandatory requirements under the National Law2, such as notifying the Board of another practitioner’s conduct if you believe the public may be at risk,’ Dr Minter said.

The video is available to view on the Registration overview page of the Board’s website where we have also published an infographic showing the obligations of a registered chiropractor.

Obligations of a registered chiropractor 

Obligations of a registered chiropractor


1 As at June 2018
2 The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory (the National Law).

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Registration

Board sets fees for 2018/19

The Board has announced the national registration fee for chiropractors for 2018/19.

The Board has frozen the registration fee at $566. It will cover the registration period from 1 December 2018 to 30 November 2019 for practitioners seeking general registration.

The fee for chiropractors whose principal place of practice is New South Wales is $526. NSW is a co-regulatory jurisdiction.

A full fee schedule, including the fee arrangements for NSW chiropractors, has been published on the Board’s website.

The National Scheme is funded by practitioners’ registration fees. Fees support the Board to carry out its duties in regulating the chiropractic profession and protecting the public in the most effective and efficient ways possible.

Renew your registration by 30 November

Chiropractors have until 30 November to renew their registration on time. The quickest and easiest way to renew is online.

Renewal applications received in December will incur a late payment fee in addition to the annual renewal fee. A full fee schedule is published on the Board’s website.

If your application for general registration is received on time or during the following one-month late period, you can continue practising while your application is processed.

If you do not apply to renew your registration by 31 December 2018 you will have lapsed registration. You will be removed from the Register of Chiropractors and will not be able to practise your profession in Australia.

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Profile

Retiring inaugural Board member, Dr Bevan Goodreid

Exercise and good time management have played a key part in Dr Bevan Goodreid successfully juggling his roles as a chiropractor with a busy practice and as a member of the Chiropractic Board of Australia.

Bevan was appointed to the National Board in 2009 and is about to complete the maximum three terms of three years allowed under the National Law. He had previously been a member of the Chiropractors’ Registration Board of Western Australia since 1995 and was encouraged to apply for a practitioner role on the National Board in 2009 due to his regulatory experience.

Bevan is a practising chiropractor who has been running his practice from Spearwood, WA, since 1985 where he employs another chiropractor and rents out a room to a masseur.

‘The physical demands of interstate travel with differing time zones made Board meeting attendance a challenge’, he said.

‘I experimented with different flight times and sleep patterns and found that if I exercised before travelling this was the key to relaxing and it also enabled me to do that final important read of Board papers on the plane.’

Bevan said the sheer volume of reading material for a Board member was a major challenge to overcome.

‘Being better prepared with more copious notes helped to make it easier to manage. It is not possible to remember all the detail but notes help you hone in on the important points.’

As a practitioner Board member, Bevan’s role has been to provide professional input in decision-making and the development of policy to guide the chiropractic profession.

Chairing the Board’s Registration and Notification and Compliance Committee for the last three years has been one of the more challenging and rewarding roles Bevan has held.

‘I believe the committee has worked cohesively in being able to share views and arrive at decisions by consensus,’ he said. ‘Working with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) staff has also required a balanced, even-handed approach to ensure good working relationships.’

Bevan has also chaired the Joint Continuing Professional Development Committee and the Regulatory Policy and Standards Committee during his time on the Board. He’s also served on the Chiropractic Immediate Action Committee and on the AHPRA Practitioner Audit Pilot Steering Committee.

An enduring memory of Bevan’s will be the calibre of people he has worked with.

‘It has been very enlightening to work with so many highly respected role models within the National Scheme from whom inspiration and insight could be gained. This was not limited to Chiropractic Board members but included members from other health profession boards, members of the AHPRA Agency Management Committee and AHPRA staff.’

While Bevan’s term as a member of the Chiropractic Board ends soon, he was happy to share the top three things he believes the Board and AHPRA could do to bring out the best of the National Scheme.

‘There is still significant work to be done to improve timeliness and communication during the notification process, with the notifier as well as the practitioner,’ he said. ‘It is a stress for both and needs to be handled more transparently and expeditiously.’

Bevan said ongoing Board member training would help to educate and allow for better decision-making.

‘Part of the difficulty is the volume of material that informs the National Scheme,’ he said. ‘Some ongoing guidance for Board members would be advantageous.’

The volume of information about the National Scheme sometimes means finding specific content can be a challenge for both Board members and practitioners, Bevan said.

‘Streamlining the information flow, particularly the website, would enhance the experience for everyone.’

Bevan said those implementing the National Scheme have developed a very high standard in their work ethic with a genuine desire to support public safety.

‘This should be commended. The challenge is to remain focused and deliver results in an open and timely manner, without excess bureaucratic overlay.’

A keen sportsman, no doubt Bevan will relish his newfound extra free time to participate in more open water swims and running events. Perhaps there’s another Ironman challenge to be conquered too.

Portrait of Dr Bevan Goodreid

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National Scheme news

Chiropractors to be asked about advertising compliance as part of 2018 renewal

Chiropractors renewing their registration in 2018 will be asked to declare that, if they advertise, their advertising meets the National Law’s advertising requirements.

This additional step at renewal follows the National Board’s agreement to take part in a pilot audit for advertising compliance. The Dental Board of Australia is also taking part.

Random audits of advertising compliance will advance a risk-based approach to enforcing the National Law’s advertising requirements and facilitate compliance by all registered health practitioners who advertise their services.

Regulatory Operations Executive Director Kym Ayscough said the audit for advertising compliance would provide opportunities to extend the current action under the Advertising compliance and enforcement strategy launched in April 2017.

‘The audit will provide opportunites for AHPRA and the National Boards to become more proactive in helping to prevent non-compliant advertising by registered health practitioners,’ she said.

This pilot audit has been modelled on the well-established approach to auditing compliance with core registration standards so involves adding an extra declaration about advertising compliance when chiropractors apply for renewal of registration in 2018. (The National Law enables a National Board to require any other reasonable information3 to be included with a renewal application.)

‘The audit will potentially improve compliance with advertising obligations across the entire registrant population, not just those who have had an advertising complaint,’ Ms Ayscough said.

When applying to renew their registration, chiropractors will be required to complete a declaration in response to the following statement:

I confirm that if I advertise my services or my business as a chiropractor that advertising complies with section 133 of the National Law and the board’s advertising guidelines as it: 

  • is not false, misleading or deceptive or likely to be misleading or deceptive
  • does not offer a gift, discount or other inducement without stating the terms and conditions of the offer
  • does not use testimonials or purported testimonials about the service or business
  • does not create an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment, and
  • does not directly or indirectly encourage the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of my services.

Practitioners who are renewing non-practising registration and those who have contacted AHPRA in response to a complaint about their advertising in the past 12 months will not be included in the audit sample.

Ms Ayscough said the audit would not delay a decision on the application for renewal.

The audit will be carried out by AHPRA’s Advertising Compliance Team from January 2019 and will involve a random sample of chiropractors who renewed their registration in 2018.

‘One of the audit’s main objectives is to analyse the rate of advertising compliance for those health practitioners who advertise and who have not been the subject of an advertising complaint in the past 12 months,’ Ms Ayscough said.

Other objectives of the audit are:

  • to inform the evaluation of the compliance and enforcement strategy
  • establish the rate of advertising compliance within the profession, and
  • address any non-compliance with advertising obligations identified in the audit.

A pilot audit report addressing the above objectives and including data analysis and recommendations will be prepared for National Boards to consider the pilot outcomes and implications for future compliance work.

For information about your advertising obligations see the advertising resources page at www.ahpra.gov.au/Publications/Advertising-resources.aspx.

3 Section 107(4)(e) of the National Law

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New results format for OET English language test; registration standards remain unchanged

AHPRA and the Chiropractic Board have started accepting an updated format of test results for the Occupational English Test (OET).

All National Boards have a registration standard for English language skills, which require applicants for initial registration to demonstrate English language skills to be suitable for registration. The OET is one of the English language skills tests accepted by the Chiropractic Board.

The English language level being tested by OET remains the same. Test takers are not being measured differently, with the only change being the way the OET scores are described. As such, the National Boards’ English language skills registration standards referring to OET have not changed. Rather, updates have been made to internal systems and relevant application forms to accommodate and reflect the new numerical scale. You can read more in the news item.

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Keep in touch with the Board

  • Visit our website for news about the profession and for registration standards, codes, guidelines, policies and fact sheets.
  • Lodge an online enquiry form.
  • For registration enquiries call 1300 419 495 (from within Australia).
  • Address mail correspondence to: Dr Wayne Minter, Chair, Chiropractic Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne VIC 3001.

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Page reviewed 8/11/2018
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