2014/15 National Scheme annual report launched

05 Nov 2015

The 2014/15 annual report: AHPRA and National Boards has been published.

The report details the work of the National Boards and AHPRA in implementing the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme over the 12 months to 30 June 2015.

There are now more than 637,218 health practitioners registered to practise in Australia, from 14 different professions, representing overall growth of 2.9% over the past year.

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Chair, Dr Lynette Cusack said assurance, challenge and improvement in proportionate regulation remained the focus for all National Boards.

‘The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia strives to be a driving force for positive change and thought leadership in public safety and facilitating access to health services,’ Dr Cusack said.

‘Our efforts continue to identify a range of activities to improve patient safety and the quality of regulation for health professions. This report helps to inform the public and registered nurses and midwives how we meet our objectives and responsibilities on their behalf,’ she said.

‘Information about each of these registered health practitioners is easily available to the community through the national online register,’ said Martin Fletcher, Chief Executive Officer of AHPRA.

‘Maintaining an up to date national register is one of the most important ways in which we protect the public.’

For the nursing and midwifery professions, the report reveals that:

• There is a total of 370,303 enrolled nurses, registered nurses and midwives registered at the end of June 2015, an increase of 2.2 per cent from the previous year. This includes: 
  • 268,634 registered nurses 
  • 61,880 enrolled nurses 
  • 3,682 midwives 
  • 5,585 enrolled nurses and registered nurses 
  • 62 enrolled nurses and midwives 
  • 59 enrolled nurses, registered nurses and midwives, and 
  • 30,401 registered nurses and midwives. 
• 1,131 notifications (concerns/complaints) were received about nursing registrants and 65 about midwifery registrants (excluding NSW where there is a co-regulatory system)¹ 
• 1,222 notifications about nursing registrants and 84 about midwifery registrants were closed by 30 June 2015 
• of the 1,306 cases closed under the National Scheme, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NNMBA) determined: 
  • to take no further action or that the case was to be handled by the relevant health complaints entity in the relevant state or territory in 734 nursing cases and 44 midwifery cases 
  • that conditions be imposed on a nursing practitioner’s registration in 176 cases and a midwifery practitioner’s registration in 15 cases 
  • cautions to be issued 161 nursing cases and 12 midwifery cases, 
  • no cases resulted in cancellation or suspension of midwifery registration, and 
  • 12 cases resulted in cancellation or suspension of nursing registration. 
• the NMBA supported 97.5 per cent of nurses and midwives to renew their registration online 
• the NMBA developed and reviewed various registration standards and guidelines, including five mandatory registration standards across both nursing and midwifery professions, and 
• many projects were completed including: 
  • safety and quality guidelines for privately practising midwives, and 
  • model of supervision for privately practising midwives. 
  • the revision of the re-entry to practice policy.

The 2014/15 Annual Report includes a detailed report - including data - for the Nursing and Midwiifery Board of Australia.

A media release about the report - with data across professions and jurisdictions - is published on the AHPRA website.

A report, which presents the data specific to nursing and midwifery practice, will be published on the Board’s website before the end of the calendar year.

For more information

• Go to the AHPRA Annual Report 2014/15
• Read the National Scheme media release 
• Lodge an online enquiry form 
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 9275 9009 (overseas callers) 
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

Download a PDF of this Media release - 2014-15 National Scheme annual report launched - 5 November 2015 (213 KB,PDF)

¹NSW is part of the National Scheme but notifications about practitioners’ health, performance and conduct are handled by the HCCC and the NSW health professional councils supported by the HPCA.