No images? Click here August 2023 NewsletterMessage from the PresidentSince our last newsletter there have been changes to the membership of the Council. Cassandra Mackenzie was one of the inaugural practitioner members of the Council when it was first established upon paramedicine’s commencement in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme in 2018. Cassandra has now moved interstate and no longer maintains NSW as her principal place of practice as a paramedic and, as a consequence, has resigned from the Council. The formative stage of any new body defines the direction and nature of that body well into the future. As an experienced clinician and leader Cassandra has played a key role in establishing the culture and approach of the Council as a new entity with a focus on fairness, integrity, respect, transparency and procedural justice. We are sad to see Cassandra’s time on Council come to an end, however she leaves an enduring legacy that supports high standards in protecting the public through regulatory practice. We are grateful for her service on Council and wish her well in the next chapter of her career. We would also like to acknowledge the service of Phillip Ebbs. Phillip served as a practitioner member of the Council for 11 months. Unfortunately, Phillip was not able to complete his term due to a change of circumstances. Phillip brought a depth of wisdom and insight in considering notifications made against paramedics. His calm, respectful and empathetic approach was greatly appreciated by practitioners and Council members. The vacancies left by Cassandra and Phillip’s departure have now been filled following an open selection process. The Council is pleased to welcome Ms Tanya Somani and Dr Paul Simpson as new practitioner members. They both bring a breadth of experience and understanding concerning paramedicine practice and the role of paramedicine in the provision of health care which is outlined in their bios below. They are settling into their new role and already the positive impact of their expertise is evident. Adjunct Associate Professor Alan Morrison ASM Paramedicine Council of NSW from l to r: Paul Simpson; Tanya Somani: Alan Morrison; Margo Gill; Ruth Townsend; Peter Lang Introducing our new Council membersTanya Somani - Practitioner Member Tanya began her career in paramedicine in 2008 practicing in metropolitan and regional NSW Australia. Tanya completed a Bachelor Paramedicine (University Tasmania). Tanya developed an interest in infection control attaining a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Redesign (University Tasmania) with a focus on Environmental Cleaning of ambulances and attained an infection prevention and control qualification from Australian College Infection Prevention & Control. During this time, Tanya co-authored peer-reviewed journal article and book chapter, contributing to a growing body of knowledge in this specialist area. Tanya also worked as part of the Sydney Metropolitan Ambulance Infrastructure program working as Program Manager for Make Ready Model, working in partnership with HealthShare NSW which received the Council of Ambulance Authorities Award for Excellence in 2021. Tanya also received the Safety Thinker Award 2021 for NSW Ambulance, International Woman of the year award 2021 from Council Ambulance Authorities and received a Commissioner’s Citation in 2021. Tanya is currently the Health Relationship Manager for NSW Ambulance. Tanya is passionate about advancing the paramedic profession in Australia with a strong focus on standards of professional care in paramedicine. Paul Simpson – Practitioner Member Associate Professor Paul Simpson is a paramedicine academic at Western Sydney University and a registered paramedic. Paul works clinically as an Intensive Care Paramedicine in the private sector in metropolitan Sydney and with NSW Ambulance. Paul is the Editor-in-Chief of the international peer-reviewed journal, Paramedicine, and a member of the Australasian College of Paramedicine’s national research advisory committee. Paul is an active researcher who has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on various areas of paramedicine; an accreditation assessor for the Paramedicine Board of Australia’s university accreditation scheme; and Lead Assessor at Western Sydney University for Ahpra competency and performance assessments. Paul is a strong proponent of work-life balance and wellness, and having lost these at one point, seeks to give voice to this whenever possible. Vale Steven TougherThe tragic loss of paramedic Steven Tougher earlier this year was distressing for everyone associated with the profession, however of course most acutely felt by Steven’s family, friends and close colleagues. The Council joined with the rest of the paramedicine profession in expressing its condolences to the Tougher family and Steven’s close colleagues. Steven has been remembered as someone deeply committed to serving the community as a paramedic with integrity and empathy which will remain as an enduring legacy for all of us. Aboriginal Cultural Safety StrategyOn 7 June, the Councils and the HPCA launched their joint Aboriginal Cultural Safety Strategy 2023 – 2024. Attendees heard from several guest speakers including Ms Deb Willcox AM, NSW Health Deputy Secretary, Health System Strategy and Patient Experience. You can read more about the launch here. The Strategy aims to improve the experiences of Aboriginal people who interact with the NSW healthcare and regulatory system through:
The Strategy was developed by the Councils and HPCA Aboriginal Cultural Safety Working Group. The group is comprised of members of the Councils, community members, and representatives from the Ministry of Health's Centre for Aboriginal Health. The Group comprises 50% Aboriginal membership and the Strategy is informed by their generously shared expertise, lived experience and knowledge. Registration v EmploymentParamedicine commenced participation in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) in 2018, joining the other 15 health professions already included in the scheme. Although five years have passed since joining the NRAS, registration is still a relatively new area for paramedics, and a deep understanding of what it means to be a registered health practitioner, specialising in paramedicine, is still developing across the profession. An area that comes up from time to time during the Council’s engagement with paramedics is understanding the distinction between the regulatory frameworks of registration and employment. Many paramedics have been used to dealing with a single majority employer in each state who have and continue to manage complaints made against paramedics during the course of their employment. Some paramedics therefore wonder why they may also have to engage with the Council. This is because employers and the Council perform two separate roles in accordance with their purpose. The Council is an operational arm of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS). The primary purpose of the NRAS is to protect the health and safety of the public from the perspective of a health profession (paramedicine) to the public. The employer is concerned with the health and safety of the public from the position of an employer to an employee. The NRAS aims to protect the safety of the public in a number of ways including by ensuring that registration is only granted to health practitioners who are suitably educated and qualified to practice competently and ethically. Our obligations and responsibilities as registered health practitioners are described in the Paramedicine Board’s Registration Standards, Code of Conduct and Professional Capabilities for Registered Paramedics. The employer has their own code of conduct that employees are required to follow. It is different from the professional code of conduct that paramedics, as part of a registered profession, are also required to follow. As paramedics we are personally responsible for practicing professionally, safely and competently in accordance with these standards. Our professional accountability relationship with the public through the Paramedicine Board, and additionally in NSW the Paramedicine Council, is a personal one and we cannot delegate our registration obligations or responsibilities to any other organisation or person, including an employer. From that perspective the Council, when looking at complaints, will explore issues or concerns with individual practitioners. Paramedics might work for more than one employer and whilst the context of practice is relevant, the Council will look at matters from the perspective of regulatory standards and professional practice rather than any specific employer requirements. It is possible the Council may take action on matters from a registration standards perspective that an employer has closed. Alternatively, it is possible at times an employer may take action in relation to specific employment contract requirements that are not relevant to registration and will not involve the Council or Board. Some practical examples of this personal responsibility for maintaining professional standards as a registered health practitioner include:
It is possible that an employer may from time to time make voluntary or mandatory notifications to the Board or Council about an employee, particularly in relation to the last three examples above. It is however your responsibility to ensure you are proactive in meeting your obligations as a registered health practitioner. You cannot delegate this responsibility to an employer. Taking the time to understand your personal obligations and accountabilities as a registered health practitioner is, in itself, an important personal professional responsibility. In doing so you play your part in protecting the public, ensuring you are doing everything you can to ensure they receive safe, high quality health care. You may find the following resources useful in understanding your personal responsibilities as a registered health practitioner: Have you changed your personal information or your principal place of practice?Form Request for change of personal details - CHPD-00 must be used for requesting a change of personal details including change of name, address, contact details and gender. (You can also change your contact information online by logging in to your Ahpra account at www.ahpra.gov.au/login ) Tell us what you thinkYou can send us an email if you have a particular comment or suggestion about this edition or you can have your say via our anonymous survey which is open all year round https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FGWJJDH |