The Health Ombudsman and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) are working together to improve the monitoring of conditions placed on registered health practitioners, according to a case review published today by the Health Ombudsman.

The review—Managing practitioner compliance with conditions of registration—examines a particular case in which a practitioner breached his conditions at least 191 times before AHPRA or the Queensland Board of the Medical Board of Australia (QBMBA) took further action and suspended the practitioner’s registration.

Health Ombudsman Leon Atkinson-MacEwen said that when the matter came to his attention it was clear something was not right in the way conditions were being monitored.

“Conditions imposed on a practitioner’s registration are only as effective as the monitoring processes in place to ensure they are adhered to.

“If practitioners do not comply with conditions on their registration this must be identified as quickly as possible and relevant steps taken to protect the public”, said Mr Atkinson-MacEwen.

Mr Atkinson-MacEwen said that, while this is an extreme case, conditions are not imposed lightly, as even a single breach could put the health and safety of the public at risk.

AHPRA’s response to the Health Ombudsman’s recommendations outlines a range of significant initiatives already underway to improve the effectiveness and consistency of their monitoring processes.

The Health Ombudsman said he was pleased AHPRA were open to working with him to progress these improvements.

“AHPRA have been very receptive to my recommendations and I look forward to continued collaboration between my office and AHPRA to strengthen the health service complaints management system in Queensland even further.”

The Health Ombudsman will publish another report in six months providing an update on AHPRA’s implementation of the recommendations from the case review.

Media contact:

media@oho.qld.gov.au 0427 483 656