AHPA responds to first issues paper for Scope of Practice Review

AHPA welcomes the independent review team’s release of the first issues paper for the Unleashing the Health Workforce Scope of Practice review and its focus on practical, achievable reforms.

The paper concluded that a stronger primary care system would be supported by health professionals working at “full scope of practice”, but that there was a “range of barriers” preventing this.

One of the core barriers to top-of-scope practice by allied health practitioners is legislative and funding roadblocks to non-medical prescribing.

The authors specifically touched on the UK’s approach to non-medical prescribing, which allows many allied professionals such as physiotherapists and dietitians with additional training to have prescribing authority.

It is important to highlight barriers preventing allied health professionals from directly referring patients to medical specialists, despite the evidence of its cost-effectiveness and improvements to timeliness of care. Many allied health professions work closely with medical specialists and their training, expertise and scope of practice allows them to identify and diagnose health conditions requiring referral to secondary and tertiary medical services.

Yet Medicare and many State and Territory health systems require that referrals are made by a general practitioner, often drawing on input from an allied health practitioner. This adds costs for the health system and health consumers and creates delays in access to treatment without adding clinical value.

Digital systems like My Health Record will help track such referrals, ensuring that GPs remain in the loop and can continue to provide oversight and support while being freed up to focus on high-value services.

Constituting another barrier to top of scope work is the concept of “self-regulation”, which many equate to a lack of regulation. Self-regulating allied health professions have invested heavily in the development of strong regulatory structures that parallel those that apply to the allied health, nursing and medical professions regulated by AHPRA.

The regulatory structures set up by self-regulating health professions are recognised by Medicare, private health insurers, and all state and territory accident and compensation schemes.

The decision by Australian health ministers to exclude many allied health professions from the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme is based on their lack of risk to health consumers and the effectiveness of self-regulation

At a time when Australia’s health workforce is under unprecedented pressure to meet consumer demand, addressing workforce shortages will require a sector-wide cultural shift, to enable better interdisciplinary training and understanding, improved use of digital health technology to support multidisciplinary care, and relinquishing some of the gatekeeping roles that medical professions have taken on.

The review’s final report and implementation plan is expected to be published in October this year.

AHPA responds to first issues paper for Scope of Practice Review

AHPA welcomes the independent review team’s release of the first issues paper for the Unleashing the Health Workforce Scope of Practice review and its focus on practical, achievable reforms.

The paper concluded that a stronger primary care system would be supported by health professionals working at “full scope of practice”, but that there was a “range of barriers” preventing this.

One of the core barriers to top-of-scope practice by allied health practitioners is legislative and funding roadblocks to non-medical prescribing.

The authors specifically touched on the UK’s approach to non-medical prescribing, which allows many allied professionals such as physiotherapists and dietitians with additional training to have prescribing authority.

It is important to highlight barriers preventing allied health professionals from directly referring patients to medical specialists, despite the evidence of its cost-effectiveness and improvements to timeliness of care. Many allied health professions work closely with medical specialists and their training, expertise and scope of practice allows them to identify and diagnose health conditions requiring referral to secondary and tertiary medical services.

Yet Medicare and many State and Territory health systems require that referrals are made by a general practitioner, often drawing on input from an allied health practitioner. This adds costs for the health system and health consumers and creates delays in access to treatment without adding clinical value.

Digital systems like My Health Record will help track such referrals, ensuring that GPs remain in the loop and can continue to provide oversight and support while being freed up to focus on high-value services.

Constituting another barrier to top of scope work is the concept of “self-regulation”, which many equate to a lack of regulation. Self-regulating allied health professions have invested heavily in the development of strong regulatory structures that parallel those that apply to the allied health, nursing and medical professions regulated by AHPRA.

The regulatory structures set up by self-regulating health professions are recognised by Medicare, private health insurers, and all state and territory accident and compensation schemes.

The decision by Australian health ministers to exclude many allied health professions from the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme is based on their lack of risk to health consumers and the effectiveness of self-regulation

At a time when Australia’s health workforce is under unprecedented pressure to meet consumer demand, addressing workforce shortages will require a sector-wide cultural shift, to enable better interdisciplinary training and understanding, improved use of digital health technology to support multidisciplinary care, and relinquishing some of the gatekeeping roles that medical professions have taken on.

The review’s final report and implementation plan is expected to be published in October this year.