Health check plan ditched for older doctors

The Medical Board of Australia (MBA) has scrapped a controversial proposal to put in place compulsory health checks for older doctors following strong and widespread pushback.
 
In August last year, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and MBA said they were considering a plan to impose mandatory health checks every three years for doctors once they turn 70, which would become annual for doctors aged 80 and above.
 
They said the move was under consideration due to older doctors being more likely to be the subject of a notification.

The proposal was immediately criticised by the RACGP, which argued in a submission that ‘no evidence is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of mandatory health checks in reducing patient harms and notifications’.
 
But on Thursday, the Board announced it is abandoning the proposal after hearing the concerns of stakeholders and will now work towards a ‘more nuanced and collaborative solution’.
 
‘The Board values the contribution of late career doctors to their patients, the medical profession and our community,’ MBA Chair Dr Susan O’Dwyer said.
 
‘There are also some clear issues in the practice of some doctors in this group that health checks alone won’t address.
 
‘We heard the concerns of some stakeholders and want to work together to find a proportionate solution to a nuanced and sensitive problem.
 
‘We are keen to collaborate with the profession on supporting this group of doctors to keep their practice safe and their knowledge and skills up to date.’
 
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright welcomed the change in stance and said the college’s calls in support of older GPs had been listened to.
 
‘We are pleased that the MBA has taken our feedback on board,’ he said.  
 
‘Ageist rules such as mandatory age checks or retirement ages aren’t the answer. We all need to work to the age and with the capacity that we can, should and want to. 
 
‘Mandatory health checks don’t reduce patient harms or notifications. Instead, they risk increasing administrative burdens for GPs and worsening workforce shortages.’
 
A Board analysis of AHPRA notifications about late-career doctors from 2022–24 found a ‘relatively small’ number of late-career doctors involved in regulatory actions, including 60 in 2023–24 and 70 in 2022–23.
 
However, it noted this is 1.6 times the rate for doctors aged under 70, with regulatory action around communication concerns happening 2.5 times more often, 1.8 times more often for clinical care, and 1.4 times more often for pharmacy or medication issues.
 
By comparison, regulatory action for health concerns took place just 1.08 times more among older doctors.  
 
In its announcement, the MBA acknowledges there is no existing research showing health checks would reduce notifications, while noting that its code of conduct ‘already encourages registered medical practitioners of all ages to have a GP and take care of their health’.
 
Dr Wright, whose father was aged 80 when he retired from general practice, agrees with the approach.
 
‘Having worked with GPs in their 70s and 80s, including my father, I know the invaluable care our highly experienced senior GPs can offer,’ he said. 
 
‘The most important message here is that no matter your age, everyone should have a regular GP, and that includes doctors themselves.
 
‘What we need to do is reduce barriers that prevent clinicians from seeking this care and continue growing the GP workforce.’ 
 
There were 201 submissions in response to three options put forward by the MBA last year, which included keeping the status quo, mandatory health checks with a GP, or ‘extensive and detailed’ assessments by specialist occupational physicians.
 
The MBA said an advisory group will work with older doctors, specialist colleges, doctors’ health organisations, CPD homes, medical defence organisations and the AMA on strategies designed to keep late-career doctors in safe practice.
 
It will also track complaints data to ensure ‘emerging profession-led approaches’ are effective in managing risk to patients.
 
The MBA notes that the proportion of late-career doctors went down between 2020 and 2025, decreasing from 6.8% to 4.8% of the workforce.
 
However, there are more than 3000 GPs aged 70 and older in Australia, a figure which led the RACGP to warn the proposal to introduce health checks could push doctors away from the profession and exacerbate existing workforce pressures if it went ahead.
 
In October this year, the World Medical Association also expressed its opposition to mandatory age-based retirement or health checks with its Statement on Ageing Physicians instead backing ‘evidence-based competency evaluation’.
 
Last year, a newsGP poll showed 56% of 1715 respondents did not back the proposal with 7% declaring they were unsure.

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