Below is a description of the ways in which an Aboriginal community controlled health service can ensure that its GPs are appropriately qualified and trained, have current Australian registration and participate in continuing professional development. Not all of these good practices are required by the Standards, but they illustrate the many practical and creative things that ACCHSs can do to ensure they deliver services of high safety and quality to their community.
All new GP staff members are credentialed prior to being offered employment. All GP employment files contain copies of current Australian medical registration (every year) and CPD points (every 3 years), which includes the completion of a basic CPR course. The service ensures that GP registrars are supervised and enrolled in approved training courses.
All new GPs, including locums, participate in an induction program, and are provided with the necessary information they need to perform affectively in their roles, including cultural safety training. This includes ensuring they know how to access different sections of the Medicare website (www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider) for all the relevant information it contains. New staff members are provided with a mentor to provide support and advice as required.
Administrative staff access the AHPRA practitioner registration website (www.ahpra.gov.au) to ensure all GPs have current Australian registration. Copies of registration certificates are placed in each staff member’s employment file. Administration staff maintain a register of professional registration expiry dates for GPs.
Position descriptions include formal designation of responsibility for specific roles in addition to core job functions – such as continuous quality improvement, complaints management, information technology, risk management, cleaning, infection control, sterilisation or vaccine management.
All staff members participate in an annual performance management planning and review, which includes a review of training undertaken and the identification of training required or requested for the next year.
Staff members can describe their roles and responsibilities and this is consistent with documented position descriptions. In the smaller satellite clinics a number of these responsibilities are included in the one staff member’s position description. The main clinic has a number of staff members who are allocated only one core responsibility and this is also included in their position descriptions.
Training calendars from state health departments, Medicare Locals, local health services and NACCHO state or territory affiliates are available in varied locations within the service and are also distributed by email to staff.
The health service’s strategic plan includes a staff training and development plan, with a budget.
Clinical supervision is provided to staff members when required.
Administration staff maintain a register of all staff members’ CPR training and its expiry. The service organises CPR training in accordance with RACGP guidelines (in other words, consistent with ARC guidelines) for all staff members to attend. CPR training should be at least once every 3 years but some health professionals consider it should be done annually.
Below are some of the ways in which an Aboriginal community controlled health service might choose to demonstrate how it meets the requirements of this criterion for accreditation against the Standards. Please use the following as examples only, because your service may choose other, better-suited, forms of evidence to show how it meets the criterion.