Due to an expected surge in demand for Australian health workers in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has established a new pandemic sub-register to fast track the return to the workforce of experienced and qualified health practitioners.
“The sub-register will enable doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists, who previously held general or specialist registration and left the register of practitioners or moved to non-practising registration in the past three years, to return to practice. Only those who are properly qualified, competent and suitable will be returned to the register,” said AHPRA in a statement.
AHPRA is in the process of contacting more than 40,000 practitioners in Australia who meet the criteria to tell them they will be added to this new sub-register.
“We want more of our critical health practitioners available to work as part of the health system in responding to the pandemic,” said AHPRA CEO Martin Fletcher. “Patient safety remains an important focus and registered practitioners who were subject to regulatory action in the past three years will not be re-registered. Employers and health departments will also play an important role by undertaking employment and probity checks and providing any induction and training which may be needed.”
With the support of Australia’s health ministers, the Medical Board of Australia, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and the Pharmacy Board of Australia, the short-term pandemic response sub-register will run for the next 12 months. It will operate on an opt-out basis with practitioners added to the pandemic sub-register automatically.
