Number of notifications against doctors falls

The number of notifications raised against medical practitioners fell in the most recent financial year – but the profession is still far more likely to be the subject of a complaint than any other sector, the latest AHPRA annual report shows.
 
In 2022–23 financial year, around 5.7% of medical practitioners were the subject of a notification, compared to 1.5% on average for all of those who work under the auspices of the national boards.
 
While it represents a drop from the previous year, when more than 6% received a notification overall, it means medical practitioners remain disproportionately represented in the statistics.
 
Of the 14 other professional health boards that sit under AHPRA, the next most likely to face a complaint are dentists, with 3.4% of that profession the subject of a complaint over the same period.
 
In total, medical practitioners made up 57% of those received a notification last year (7761 out of 13,584, including complaints made with the independently run Health Professional Councils Authority in NSW and the Office of the Health Ombudsman in Queensland).
 
The total is down from 8146 in the previous 12 months, with clinical care the most common concern raised.
 
Around 6000 notifications were closed in 2022–23, the majority of which (60.8%) were resolved without further regulatory action.
 
In its annual report, AHPRA said that changes introduced to the way it manages concerns mean more notifications are being closed at an earlier stage.
 
‘We reduced the number of open notifications, and closed substantially more notifications within three months of them being received,’ it stated.
 
‘The number of notifications open for more than 12 months fell by 12.8% across the year, excluding those being managed through a panel or tribunal process.’
 
The regulator said half of notifications involving high-risk health concerns were completed within three months, compared to 11% the previous year.
 
It also cited a reduction in the use of investigative and immediate action powers, and a significant increase in positive feedback from practitioners involved in the process.
 
This year, the regulator accepted 15 recommendations to help reduce the risk of suicide and harm to health practitioners subject to notifications, including a push to improve communication and understanding of substance abuse, and reduce delays.
 
It followed research commissioned by AHPRA which reported 16 confirmed deaths of practitioners subject to notifications from January 2018 to December 2021.
 
This month, the National Health Practitioner Ombudsman (NHPO) revealed fewer complaints had been made about AHPRA overall in the financial year, despite a 39% rise in those about the notifications process.
 
Responding to newsGP earlier this month, an AHPRA spokesperson noted that ‘the vast majority’ of complaints referred to the NHPO are closed with no further action required.


‘We increased resources focused on those issues we assess as posing a significant risk to the public,’ they said.
 
‘Through the introduction of a revised case-management process we also better identified low-risk notifications suitable for an early determination, while referring higher-risk notifications to our new strengthening practice team.’
 
Within its annual report, AHPRA notes a $25 million leap in employee costs, which rose to $176 million in the most recent financial year.
 
The annual report says those figures include salaries, fringe benefits tax, leave entitlements and on-costs, termination payments, WorkCover premiums, superannuation and contractors’ costs.
 
It notes that these increases are due to moves to ‘accelerate some of the work to meet Australia’s health workforce objectives’. 
 
This August, the Medical Board of Australia announced a 16% fee increase in its registration fee to cover increasing costs.
 
Fees from the boards are the main source of revenue for AHPRA, with the Medical Board charging the highest annual fee of all.
 
The AHPRA and national boards annual report also references costs resulting from regulatory changes the cosmetic industry.
 
A new cosmetic surgery hotline received 315 calls from 5 September 2022 to 30 June 2023, with a total of 157 notifications linked to cosmetic practice during the same time.
 
At the end of the financial year, 268 cosmetic notifications linked to 90 health practitioners remained underway, the regulator reported – with 177 of them relating to a total of just 15 practitioners.
 
The regulator also cited a cost of $4.5 million in 2022–23 for putting in place the recommendations from a review of regulations covering medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery.
 
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