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December 2024 Newsletter
Message from the President
Welcome to the 2024 newsletter from the Podiatry Council of NSW - my first as Council President.
I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to Dr Kristy Robson and Mr Luke Taylor who recently finished their terms on the Council. Both Kristy and Luke made substantial contributions to the Council over many years, and we are extremely grateful for their leadership and service.
Council membership changes
During the year we welcomed new member Alan Kennedy, a public podiatrist from Sydney, who joined the Council in July. I was appointed as President; Jessica Knox was re-appointed as Deputy President and Leanne Houston is our legal member.
NSW infection control inspections
The Council continues to perform infection prevention and control inspections of practices across the state. In the last financial year, 30 inspections were completed. Of the 30 inspections 15 were fully compliant with the infection control standards, however 15 had issues identified.
Some common issues included:
- autoclave machine requiring a service / be calibrated
- sharps containers full, with no collection service established
- treatment chairs needing repairs
- full disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) not being used / available
- instrument reprocessing room needing improvements
- no specific infection control policy unique to the practice being available.
From these common issues, I’d like to especially highlight the need for an infection control policy that is unique and tailored to your practice, as well as the importance of having suitable PPE available such as disposable aprons.
I’d also urge practitioners to review the infection prevention control standards, as adhering to them will help protect your practice, patients, staff and the wider community.
As we approach the close of 2024, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a joyful and safe festive season.
Peta Tehan
Council President
Artificial Intelligence
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) recently published a statement on meeting your professional obligations when using Artifical Intelligence (AI) in healthcare. You can find the full statement here.
Due to technological advancements, many practitioners are starting to use AI to enhance their efficiency in practice. Regardless of what technology is used in providing healthcare, it’s important to remember the practitioner remains responsible for delivering safe and quality care as well as ensuring their practice meets the professional obligations in their Code of conduct.
Key things practitioners should take note of when using AI:
- being transparent about their use of AI with consumers
- gaining informed consent
- ensuring that confidentiality and privacy of your consumer is protected and kept in line with health record legislation
- remembering that ultimately the health practitioner is accountable for delivering safe and quality care, including accurate and relevant patient records.
Managing health records
Maintaining good health records helps keep the public safe by contributing to the continuity of healthcare.
The Podiatry Board of Australia has collaborated with six other health professions to create a new practitioner resource for managing health records which is available on the Ahpra website.
The managing health records web page includes:
- a summary of what the Code of conduct says about practitioners' health record management obligations
- managing health records – a self-reflective tool to help practitioners reflect on the adequacy of their record keeping and management processes.
Checklist for practitioners handling feedback and complaints
To help practitioners manage feedback and complaints a checklist has been developed by Ahpra, the National Boards and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, in consultation with stakeholders and consumers.
The checklist aims to better equip practitioners to handle patient complaints as well as resolve issues quickly and effectively when they are first raised.
Mandatory notifications
By law, registered health practitioners, employers and education providers must make a mandatory notification in some limited circumstances. Mandatory notifications help to protect the public by ensuring that Ahpra and the National Board are alerted to any potential risks to the public.
Understanding when to make a mandatory notification and when not to, is an important way you can help to protect the public and support your colleagues. Click here to find out more.
Connection, collaboration and learning at the 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.
The conference was opened with a Welcome to Country on Gadigal land conducted on behalf of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. Master of Ceremonies Adam Spencer then presented a virtual welcome from the Hon Ryan Park MP, Minister for Health and Minister for Regional Health. Mr Park encouraged attendees to embrace the opportunity to connect and collaborate with fellow regulators in a face-to-face setting.
“The way health services are delivered is constantly evolving, and it is important that your work continues to be responsive to the needs of the NSW community,” he said.
Managing difficult patients – how to de-escalate a situation
Dealing with difficult patients requires listening, empathy and calmness. When there are signs of anger or verbal aggression it’s important to stay calm and be mindful that anger may be a sign that the person is in distress, experiencing fear or frustrated. Remember that it’s not possible to reason or problem solve with someone who is enraged.
Effective communication skills are the key to settling, resolving and de-escalating a situation. Although it’s not your role to stop the person being angry, the below steps may help to make the person feel calmer. Only then that you can look at how to deal with the situation and address their concerns.
The LOWLINE model has been developed to assist professionals and workers in the healthcare field in de-escalating situations. LOWLINE stands for Listen, Offer, Wait, Look, Incline, Nod, Express.
- Listen to what the issue is and the person's concerns
- Offer reflective comments to show that you have heard what their concerns are
- Wait until the person has released their frustration and explained how they are feeling
- Look and maintain appropriate eye contact to connect with the person
- Incline your head slightly, to show you are listening and give you a non-threating posture
- Nod to confirm that you are listening and have understood
- Express empathy to show you have understood
Understanding your personal responsibilities as a registered health practitioner
A reminder that the Podiatry Board of Australia maintains a list of registration standards that are available on its website. These cover areas including:
- CPD
- criminal history
- English language
- professional indemnity
- recency of practice
Codes and guidelines
There are several codes and guidelines also provided by the Podiatry Board of Australia to help guide your work as a podiatrist:
Tell us what you think
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