No images? Click here Physiotherapy Council of NSW NewsletterDecember 2023![]() Message from the PresidentWelcome to our second newsletter for 2023, with its focus on ‘Informed Consent’. We appreciate physiotherapists have a heavy workload, and lots of emails in your inbox competing for attention, so we are endeavouring to provide support and education to practitioners that is meaningful in your day-to-day practice. We would appreciate your feedback on the content we distribute to ensure this is the case – see the quick questionnaire at the end of the newsletter. It is also not uncommon for physiotherapists to have high workloads, long hours, and emotional demands which can lead to burnout, mental health issues, and stress, and these are significant concerns generally in the healthcare professions. With this in mind, the Council has commenced the process of developing a podcast series which will be designed to assist practitioners in dealing with some of these issues. Our first podcast was on how to avoid having a complaint being made about you (Episode 1: Managing Patient Dissatisfaction and Complaints). Our newest podcast is on informed consent (Episode 2: Informed Consent) which helps practitioners ensure they have the appropriate consent to treat in a range of situations and so is worth a listen. Recent cases in the media have highlighted this issue as a cause of patient dissatisfaction (i.e., consent around cosmetic surgery, and a recent complex, high-profile case that provides a good example of what can happen around informed consent. Details of the decision are available in Austlii, Case Law and the HCCC), so it is worth a listen. Below are some reference sites around burnout which may also be able to assist practitioners who are currently encountering issues in this area. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year, and that you all find some time to spend with family and friends. See you in 2024. Regards Elizabeth Ward NSW Health Professional Councils and Health Professional Councils Authority joint Aboriginal Cultural Safety Strategy 2023-24In June 2023, the NSW Health Professional Councils and the Health Professional Councils Authority (HPCA) launched its joint Aboriginal Cultural Safety Strategy. The joint Strategy aims to improve the experiences of Aboriginal people who interact with the NSW healthcare and regulatory system. Our Strategy aligns with existing state and national initiatives to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people. The Councils, HPCA and regulatory system exist for the benefit and protection of the NSW community and we acknowledge that Aboriginal people have, and continue to suffer, disproportionate levels of disadvantage, including in health outcomes. Our Strategy aims to strengthen cultural safety within the NSW regulatory system through increased participation of Aboriginal people and collaboration with stakeholders. To read more about the Strategy and its launch, visit the HPCA website ![]() Registration Renewal - FeesAs you are aware, the annual registration fees for physiotherapy practitioners for 2023/24 have been published by the Physiotherapy Board of Australia (the Board). The fees for physiotherapy practitioners in NSW for 2023/24 will be $160. Fees were payable via the Board website by 30 November 2023. There are two components to the annual fee, with the first one (registration and accreditation) set by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and the second (the complaints fee) set by the Physiotherapy Council of NSW. Physiotherapy generally has a low volume of complaints compared with many other professions, reflective of a high proportion of ethical practitioners. As a result, this year the Physiotherapy Council of NSW has again been able to provide a rebate to NSW physiotherapy practitioners of $34. The complaint fee reflects costs arising from the regulatory activity on complaints. The annual registration fee is a cost recovery model and there is no cross-subsidisation across other health professions. To learn more, please visit the Physiotherapy Board of Australia. Meet our Council MembersEach newsletter, we aim to profile two of our Council Members. This newsletter features profiles of Liz Ward and Ellen O'Brien. Profile: Elizabeth Ward, BSc, PGD (Phty), MPH, MHlthSc (Phty), GAICD, APAM, Life Member AHTA, President of the Physiotherapy Council of NSW ![]() Elizabeth has been a Practitioner Member of the Physiotherapy Council of NSW since 2015, and this is her third term on Council. She is the current President, and a member of one of the two Complaints and Notification Committees. Elizabeth has also been an active member of the Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA) for 20 years and has served as AHTA Vice President, Chair of the Governance Committee, and was a founding member of the AHTA Credentialling Council. She is currently the Treasurer and Executive Committee Member of the International Federated Societies of Hand Therapy (IFSHT) for the 2023-2025 triennium, which has meant learning how to operate and manage a Swiss Bank account and deal with multiple worldwide currencies. Elizabeth is also a Board Member of the Hunter, New England, and Central Coast Primary Health Network (HNECC PHN) which commissions services across the whole 130,000 square kilometres of the region and supports general practices and allied health practices to improve the health of the community. As one of only two allied health practitioners on the Board, she provides an important voice to champion the importance of allied health to achieve equitable and optimum health outcomes across the spectrum of care. Profile: Ellen O'Brien, BSc, MSc, MBA, MEIANZ, MAICD, Community Member of the Physiotherapy Council of NSW ![]() Ellen is a sustainability strategist with high-level skills and extensive experience in non-financial corporate reporting. She has specialist expertise in environmental, sustainability, carbon and greenhouse gas emissions and safety reporting and non-financial governance. Ellen has post-graduate qualifications in science (MSc.) and business administration (MBA) and is a certified environmental practitioner (CEnvP), a member of the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand (MEIANZ) and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD). She has been a community member of the Physiotherapy Council since 2021 and sits on one of the Council’s complaints and notifications committees. As a community member of Council, Ellen is cognisant of representing the community interests. In particular, community consumer rights in terms of the level of care they receive and she has a commitment to ensure that the highest standards of professionalism and ethics are upheld by the physiotherapy practitioners. Physiotherapy Council videos and podcastsAs physios we are always looking to help our patients. With cost of living pressures increasing, people are looking for ways to save money or get more value out of what money they have already spent. This can often extend to private health insurance and other third-party provider rebates. Take a look at the following scenario regarding professional conduct. What do you think the best way to deal with this situation is? Once you’ve thought about it, follow the link below to see how this physio, while trying to help, is doing the wrong thing – and then have a look at the recommended course of action below: Please feel free to share this with your colleagues – it can make a valuable In-service topic! Informed Consent podcast Obtaining informed consent is a legal and ethical requirement and a cornerstone of good physiotherapy practice. Communication issues and a lack of informed consent often form a major part of complaints received by the Council. To shed light on this important topic, members of the Council sat down for a discussion that can be accessed via the following link: The Physiotherapy Board of Australia mandates that physios complete at least 20 hours of CPD per year. Hopefully you are doing more than the minimum! The time you spend watching, listening and reflecting on the above videos and podcasts can be added to your CPD log and used as a future reference for the work you have put in. We suggest you make Informed consent the topic of your next practice or department in-service and discuss your thoughts with your colleagues. Do you need further details?The Council website offers educational resources to support practitioners with abiding by the professional Code of Conduct. For more information on how to meet your professional responsibilities under the National Law or to review the Code of conduct for registered practitioners, visit the Board's website. Tell us what you thinkYou can send us an email if you have a particular comment or suggestion about this edition of the newsletter or you can have your say via our anonymous survey which takes two minutes to complete and is open all year round. |