Nurses support national registration

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The Australian Health Minister’s Advisory Council is inching closer to a national registration and accreditation scheme for the country’s nursing sector, which many say is long overdue.The scheme will make it easier for nurses to accept interstate job offers without first having to re-register at state level. It will also mean that nurses banned from practising in one place will be unable to practice elsewhere in Australia. National registration will come into place from July 1 next year.The scheme has been in the pipeline since last year after the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) signed an intergovernmental agreement to create a single national registration system for the first time. But the concept of national registration and accreditation has been discussed for decades in Australia. In fact, it was first advocated by the Consumers Health Forum in its submission to the Inquiry into Medical Education and Workforce in 1987. The process will mean that all of the approximately 285,000 nurses working in Australia (which is half of the country’s health workforce) will be automatically registered at a national level. Nurses will share the national system with several other health professionals, including physiotherapists, podiatrists and psychologists.One practising nurse, who did not wish to be named, said she is in strong support of national registration. “I think it’s about time. It’s going to make it a lot easier for nurses who travel or who want to gain experience in other states for a few months.”State health ministers have been finalising how the registration process will work for many months, and have appointed a board. While much of the detail is yet to be finalised, it has been decided that the process also provides a good opportunity to put additional checks and balances in place, including mandatory criminal history and identity checks for nurses registering for the first time in Australia. All other registrants will be required to make an annual declaration on criminal history matters when they re-new their registration.

The scheme will also include mandatory reporting of professionals who are placing the public at risk of harm, including practising under the influence of drugs or alcohol or sexual misconduct.Dr Louise Morauta, project director, Registration and Accreditation Implementation Project, says nurses will automatically be registered nationally on 1 July, 2010. They will be advised ahead of that date of their registration status from 1 July, 2010.There has been some suggestion that literacy standards or additional hurdles for international nurses wanting to work in Australia will be put in place as part of the national registration process, but Dr Morauta said nothing has yet been decided. However there is industry concern that such a measure may reduce a supply of nurses into the country, putting even greater pressure on the health system. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there. The board hasn’t even met yet. There’s been no decision on the registration process, and that’s quite a long way off,” Dr Morauta said.Recent media headlines has also added to the confusion surrounding the process after national registration was linked to the recent controversy that could have seen home birthing made illegal. Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon recently said she was concerned that as an unintended consequence of national registration, home birthing may be driven underground. Days later, Roxon announced a two year exemption from holding indemnity insurance for privately practising midwives who can’t obtain cover for attending a home birth, reinstating legal home births, for now. Roxon wants input into the national registration scheme from as many quarters as possible. Last year, her department committed $100,000 to the Consumer Health Forum to coordinate input into the scheme. “This national scheme will provide greater safeguards for consumers and promote a more flexible and sustainable health workforce,” Roxon said recently.Meanwhile, the scheme has the support of the Australian Nurses Federation. Secretary Ged Kearney said the process will make accepting interstate job offers far easier. He said there will still be the option for nurses to register online, and each state and territory will have offices located in their capital cities. “It shouldn’t be any different to the current system, really.”However Kearney isn’t counting on a smooth transition. “I think in the beginning there might be some glitches as databases are cleaned up, but eventually the system will be seamless.”

He also called on the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council to keep the accreditation of nursing courses separate from the role of the national board. His thoughts on the matter are shared by the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Council (ANMC). “Accreditation should be performed by an independent body that can determine the appropriateness of nursing courses for the purpose of preparing nurses for registration. We support the application by the ANMC to develop into that body.”

By Nina Hendy

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