May 2024 Newsletter

Managing health records (newly released information from Ahpra)

Maintaining good health records helps keep the public safe by contributing to the continuity of healthcare. 

The Chiropractic Board of Australia has collaborated with six other health professions to create a new practitioner resource for managing health records. The resource is published on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency's (Ahpra) website.

The managing health records resource includes a summary of what the code of conduct says about practitioners’ health record management obligations. It also features a self-reflective tool for managing health records to help practitioners reflect on the adequacy of their record keeping and management processes.

Checklist for practitioners handling feedback and complaints

A new complaints 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 help practitioners effectively handle feedback and complaints when they are first made directly to the health provider.

Key points

• A new checklist has been launched to help registered health practitioners better address complaints from patients and clients.
• Consumers, health complaints bodies, professional organisations and indemnity insurers were consulted in the development of the checklist.
• The checklist aims to better equip practitioners to handle patient complaints and to resolve issues quickly and effectively when they are first raised.

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. 

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 – de-escalation

Dealing with difficult patients requires listening, empathy and calmness. When there are signs of anger or verbal aggression it is important to stay calm and be mindful that anger may be a sign that the person is in distress, experiencing fear or frustration.  Remember that it is 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. It is not your job to stop the person being angry, but the below steps may help to make the person feel calmer. It is only then that you can look at how to deal with the situation and their concerns.

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 Chiropractic Board of Australia maintains a list of registration standards that are available on its website. These cover areas including:

• Continuing professional development
• Criminal history
• English language
• Professional Indemnity
• Recency of practice

Codes and Guidelines

There are several codes and guidelines also provided by the Chiropractic Board of Australia to help guide your work as a chiropractor:

• Code of conduct Chiropractic Board of Australia - Code of conduct
• Advertising a regulated health service Chiropractic Board of Australia - Advertising a regulated health service
• How to meet your social media obligations Chiropractic Board of Australia - Social media: How to meet your obligations under the National Law
• Guidelines for mandatory notifications Chiropractic Board of Australia - Guidelines for mandatory notifications