Undertakings
An undertaking is a voluntary, written commitment made by a practitioner to either do, or refrain from doing, something relating to their profession. Undertakings may be accepted to mitigate risks to public health and safety or where it is otherwise in the public interest.
The Health Ombudsman may accept undertakings from a registered health practitioner as a form of immediate registration action.
OHO Undertakings Library
The undertakings library has been developed to provide a consolidated structure that supports:
- consistency in recommendations to the Health Ombudsman and authorised officers
- consistency in the undertakings appearing on the Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) public register and the national public register of health practitioners, and
- a best practice approach to monitoring compliance with undertakings.
The undertakings included in the library have been developed to ensure each:
- is able to be complied with by the practitioner
- is proportionate to the risk identified and mitigates that risk
- is able to be objectively monitored through available evidence
- clearly outlines the responsibilities of the practitioner.
The requirements detailed in the undertakings library and their corresponding forms will be used as a benchmark in the recommendations being made to the Health Ombudsman about any undertakings offered.
Structure of the library
The OHO Undertakings Library uses the following framework:
Scope of practice: This is the component of the undertakings which addresses the particular behaviour or issue giving rise to the immediate registration action.
‘Monitoring’ undertakings: These are the supplementary undertakings that define the practitioner’s responsibilities, the Health Ombudsman’s expectations, authorisations for accessing and sharing of information, and information needed to monitor compliance with the ‘scope of practice’ undertakings.
Configurable elements: Within some undertakings there are configurable elements which the user can modify in such a way as to address the particular circumstances in which the undertakings are to be recommended. Examples of configurable elements include timeframe for completion, frequency of reporting, identified patient groups, gender and/or age of patients where contact is restricted, etc. Within this document configurable elements appear in highlighted yellow text, bracketed with # - i.e. #example#.
Offering undertakings template
It is recommended to use the Schedule of Undertakings Template when offering undertakings.
Approved forms
The undertakings library contains reference to “approved forms”. These forms capture monitoring requirements and form part of the restriction with which a health practitioner must comply