PSR Newsletter, January 2020

Welcome to the January 2020 edition of the quarterly PSR Panel Newsletter.

Agency activity summary for the quarter

In the period from 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2019 the Agency received 62 new requests (61 practitioners, 2 of whom had been referred previously, and 1 employer). The Agency finalised 43 requests. This comprised:

• 36 effective s 92 agreements
• 5 effective final determinations
• 2 s 91 ‘no further action’ outcomes

A total of $15,124,670 in repayment directions were made from the finalised matters. Of the finalised matters, 31 (72%) involved some form of disqualification.

In this period 6 new peer review Committees were established and 8 practitioners were referred to AHPRA because of significant patient safety concerns.
 

New appointments to the PSR Panel

No new appointments to the Professional Services Review Panel were made since the last newsletter. The AMA provided feedback on a number of proposed appointments in late December. These appointments have now gone to the Minister for consideration.
 

In early February PSR will advertise for appointment to the Determining Authority. Current members will be eligible to reapply for appointment. The term of office is 2 years.

• These roles are competitive and include: Chair of the Determining Authority
• Discipline member of the Determining Authority (Medical, Dental, Optometry, Chiropractor, Nurse practitioner, Midwife)
• Community member
   

Panel member training information

Training dates for 2020 have been scheduled as follows:

• Saturday 9 May 2020 for NSW and Queensland members
• Saturday 16 May 2020 for Victorian, SA, WA and Tasmanian members

PSR Panel members will be contacted in March in regards to travel arrangements.

If Panel members have a particular subject matter they feel should be included in training then please forward suggestions to Andrew Shelley who is planning the training program.
 

Important administrative issues for Panel members

This is a reminder that Committee members need to review draft and final reports in a timely manner. This occurs through GovTeams for document sharing and security purposes. If you have any difficulties accessing the system please contact Zac Pagan for assistance.
 

Australian Bushfires

Due to bushfires, air quality has become a concern in many areas of Australia. PSR's Health and Safety Committee is meeting to review the situation and liaising with the Department of Health to ensure a safe workplace is provided to staff and Panel Members. If you have any concerns please contact the office for an update.

In accordance with a Directive from the Prime Minister, PSR will also enable staff who wish to participate in fighting the bushfires to take paid special leave. Please contact the office to receive further details.
 

PSR Outcomes