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May 2024 Newsletter
Message from the President
Welcome to the first issue for 2024 of the Optometry Council of NSW (the Council) newsletter. This is my last message to you as Council President for the 2021 to 2024 term.
In October last year, the process for appointing for the 2024 to 2027 terms began. The NSW Governor will be appointing two practitioner members and one legal member from 1 July 2024 to join the recently appointed optometry practitioner member Albert Lee.
Council members are appointed by the Governor for a term of three years. However, members can apply to be reappointed. As member positions become vacant, or as terms are due to expire, an expression of interest is publicly advertised. Independent selection panels assess all applications and provide recommendations to the Health Professional Councils Authority (HPCA), the body that manages the appointment process independent of the Council. The HPCA conducts reference and probity checks to ensure that candidates are of good standing prior to providing the recommended candidates to the Minister for Health. The Minister for Health considers this information and makes recommendations to the Governor who then appoints the Council members.
I’d like to acknowledge the current members of the Council: deputy president Isabelle Jalbert and legal member Catherine Gregory. Catherine, Isabelle and I will have served three years on Council at the end of our terms in June 2024. Both Catherine and Isabelle have been dedicated and hard-working Council members and I would like to thank them for their knowledge, insight and counsel over the last three years. They have worked tirelessly to strengthen relationships with the profession and the community as the Council continues our regulatory role of protecting the public of NSW.
In this term we have worked with Optometry Australia's NSW division, producing and promoting webinars and podcasts to remind and inform all NSW registrants of their professional responsibilities and to share some insights into the regulation and complaints process here in NSW. If you have not already watched or listened to these productions I would recommend that you do. You can find them on the Council's website.
The Council received 29 complaints about 28 optometrists in 2022/23, with complaints and notifications made about 0.9% of the state’s 2,152 optometrists. There were no mandatory notifications made. The most common complaint category was about clinical care, followed by communication and billing. While patients were most likely to raise a complaint, employers and insurance companies were also a source of referrals to the Council.
All optometrists need to practice skilfully, ethically, safely, politely and within their scope of practice!
Derek Fails
President, Optometry Council of NSW
Connection, collaboration and learning at inaugural HPCA and NSW Councils Conference
Friday 12 April saw the Health Professional Councils Authority (HPCA) and NSW Heath Professional Councils (the Councils) successfully deliver their first joint all Councils Conference. A diverse collection of speakers and panellists across health regulation came together in Sydney to discuss and explore the latest regulatory themes, challenges and opportunities in the NSW co-regulatory landscape.
“Thank you to all presenters, panel members and attendees for participating in the inaugural HPCA and NSW Councils Conference, and to everyone involved in making this event a success. The opportunities provided by this conference to engage with a broad range of stakeholders will surely assist us in maintaining public safety and confidence in the practice of regulated professions in NSW,” said Ameer Tadros, Director, HPCA.
Call for Expressions of Interest - Professional members for the Council
The Optometry Council of NSW is currently appointing optometrists as members who may:
- sit on the Impaired Registrants Panel
- sit on the Performance Review Panel
- conduct professional performance assessments for the Council
- sit on the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT)
Professional members do not sit on the Council. Rather, they are contacted on an ad hoc basis to assist the Council in the above panels.
If you would like to express your interest as a professional member please advise us by COB 31 August 2024, indicating your availability and which area/s you are willing to assist in.
The Council and its role in regulating the profession
The Council is part of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) which was established in 2010. The Councils work under co-regulatory arrangements with the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) in NSW, and with the health professional Boards (National Boards) and Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) at a national level.
Regardless of a complaint being lodged with the HCCC, Ahpra or the Council, information will be shared between us. Ahpra will transfer any complaints received about NSW practitioners to the Council and HCCC for management. The HCCC and the Council consult on each complaint received to determine the next step in managing the complaint.
A complaint can be made about the health, performance or conduct of a registered health practitioner. Sometimes as a result of a complaint, a practitioner’s practice is restricted in some way to keep the public safe. This is done by imposing conditions on their registration. Any conditions placed by the Council on a practitioner’s registration are provided to Ahpra and are made available on the public register of practitioners. Conditions placed on registration apply nationally.
When a complaint is referred to the Council for management, we have different pathways available for managing complaints. The practitioner will be provided the details of the complaint and asked to respond to it. When managing complaints, we strive to ensure that our assessment and decision-making processes are fair, and the outcomes are for public protection and safety.
Further information is available on our website about:
2022/23 annual report
For the 2022/23 reporting period, the annual report for our Council is included in the joint report with the other health professional councils of NSW.
The Councils’ joint annual report has two parts:
Part 1
Information about all councils, including their strategic directions, activities, performance and financial results.
Part 2
Financial information that is specific to our Council, including audited financial statements for each council.
Tell us what you think
Please send us an email if you have a particular comment or suggestion about this edition.
