In this issue...

Spotlight on Best Practice

The frequently heard principle of medical ethics, “first do no harm”, is one we take seriously at the Medical Council, and it guides our actions as we seek to protect the safety of the public and maintain their trust in our profession. While it is an injunction against overtreatment, it must be balanced with the obligation to act to benefit the patient.

As regulators, we strongly encourage open disclosure within the profession, and emphasize the importance of speaking up if a colleague may be compromising patient safety as a result of substandard performance or inappropriate conduct. Continued public trust in and respect for the medical profession relies in part on practitioners accepting patient safety and high professional standards are everyone’s business. Whilst notifying the regulator of concerns about a colleague is certainly difficult, it may be necessary in order to fulfil our responsibility to protect the community.

In this issue we explore who is who in medical regulation, the authorities needed to prescribe drugs of addiction and explain why you should avoid shortcuts when it comes to using your work log-in.

Associate Professor Richard Walsh, President, Medical Council of NSW

Ensure you're equipped to write that script!

Do you know what authorities you need to issue prescriptions?

Prescribing has emerged as a knowledge gap for some medical practitioners.

Patient safety depends on timely, quality clinical handovers

Communication between hospitals and doctors can have an enormous impact on the health outcomes of patients, and it all starts with a humble discharge summary.

Who's who in medical regulation?

It’s not top of mind but understanding but how the regulatory puzzle fits together can be useful. Most practitioners don’t think about medical regulation, hoping they will never need to know.  

An interview with Council President 
Associate Professor Richard Walsh

 We talk to Council President Assoc. Professor Richard Walsh about his medical career and the Council’s role in promoting high standards in the medical profession.  

Doctors can help patients leave rental homes to escape domestic violence

New tenancy laws now allow NSW medical practitioners to help their patients escape domestic violence by making a declaration which will help a tenant terminate a lease immediately and without penalty. To find out more, download the declaration form by visiting the NSW Fair Trading website.

Data safety all a hack?

Have you ever used someone else’s credentials because they were already logged in?
Do you try to cut corners by staying logged in to save time?
Have you ever updated your patients’ notes or written a prescription using someone else’s login?

If you answered yes to even one of the above then you could be exposing yourself and your patients to a breach of confidentiality leading to a complaint from a colleague or patient.

News bites 

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