annual report 2019–2020 - ahta

Annual Report 2019–2020

ahta.com.au

2 AHTA Annual Report 2019–2020

Thank youThank you to the members who have served on the Committee of Management and sub-committees over the past year. With the generosity of their volunteered time, the AHTA has recorded many achievements. We also acknowledge our corporate partners, staff, course presenter team, life members and honorary members for their contribution.

Corporate partnersAustralian Medical Supplies

Carecompany

Essity

Hand Therapy Products

Leather Works Splinting

Maida Learning/handSPARK

Maurice Blackburn

Performance Health

OAPL

OPC Health

Ottobock Australia

Practitioner supplies

Push Braces

Rehacare

Total Patient care

StaffSarah DIXON Executive Support Manager, Operations

Josh DIXON Administration Officer

Kelly TONER Events and Communications Officer

Kate NOLLER Executive Support Manager, Strategy (until 22 June 2020)

Wendy ROWLAND Chief Executive Officer (commenced 10 February 2020)

Course presenter team

Hamish ANDERSON

Terra BREDY

Helen BURFIELD

Tracey CLARK

Rebecca CROWLEY

Shannon EDWICK

Karen FITT

Helen FITZGERALD

Crystal GOODWIN

Barbara HALL

Joy HANNA

Christina HARWOOD

Melissa JAMES

Brodwen MCBAIN

Melanie MCCULLOCH

Dave PARSONS

Kathryn PHILLIPS

Jeff SANDERSON

Susie STINTON

Vicki STRELAN (Retired November 2019)

Volunteers

Management CommitteeOlga ALKIN Secretary

Hamish ANDERSON President-Elect

Carla BINGAM Education Officer (retired March 2020)

Louise BROWN Communications Officer

Brigette EVANS Marketing Officer

Elizabeth GIUFFRE State and Territory Affairs Officer

Lara GRIFFITHS President

Helena HAYES Education Officer (commenced March 2020)

Rosemarie KOH Treasurer

Dave PARSONS Membership Officer

Credentialing CouncilAndrea BIALOCERKOWSKI

Elissa CAMPBELL (Independent)

Tracey CLARK (Chair)

Celeste GLASGOW

Judith HANNAN (Independent)

Melanie MCCULLOCH

Lisa O’BRIEN

Dave PARSONS

Elizabeth WARD

Professional PracticeKylie BEBEL

Sara BRITO

Sally COLWELL

Helena HAYES (Chair)

Jessica HOLDING

Shanna MAHOMED

AHTA Annual Report 2019–2020 3

AdvocacyJane AARONS

Jason FAIRCLOUGH

Lara GRIFFITHS (Chair)

Barbara HALL

Chen LI

Sath SEGRAN

Colette ZEMLJIC

Finance, Audit, Risk and GovernanceOlga ALKIN

Payal ALLEN (Independent) (Chair)

Sope DALLEY (Independent)

Rosemarie KOH

MembershipLouise BROWN

Jasmine CAMERON

Vanessa CHEUNG

Brigette EVANS

Elizabeth GIUFFRE (Chair)

Belinda HESSION

Adrian JOLLOW

Dave PARSONS

Amanda ROBERTSON

Gladys TAY

Research and ScholarshipsHamish ANDERSON (Chair)

Andrea BIALOCERKOWSKI

Nicola MASSEY-WESTROPP

Lauren MILLER

Susan PETERS

ConferenceJessica CHAN

Laura COWLING

Taya KLISOWSKI

Lani McAULIFFE

Melita RYAN

Romy STEELE

Stuart WILSON (Chair)

DivisionsACT

Victoria GORRINGE

NSW

Michelle CHIM

Adrian JOLLOW

Victoria TRICARDOS

Susan DUNN

NT

Jayne DONOVAN

SA

Charlotte NASH

Andi TAO

VIC

Stephanie EVEREST

Leanne GRAHAM

Kate WHARTON

WA

Victoria ALLBROOK

Jessica DE JONG

Sarah FAIRTHORNE

QLD

Margo COFFEY

Sally COLWELL

Amanda MACKILLOP

Frances THOMSEN

TAS

Vacant

RetiredGovernance

Joy HANNA

Janelle KILCULLEN

Education

Carla BINGHAM

Sarah WALSH

Elaine LEAHY

Credentialing council

Leigh CLARKE (Independent)

Geoffrey BARBARO (Independent)

Membership/Credential Officer

Katie WHITTLE

Divisional coordinators

Hana PEAKE (VIC)

Marissa KWIJAS (VIC)

Helen SCOTT (VIC)

Sarah FAIRTHORNE (WA)

Communications

Heather TAYLOR

Life MembersRosemary PROSSER (1999)

Wilma WALSH

Judith WILTON (2004)

Judith MORRIN (2004)

Janet DINDLER (2004)

Jenny BALL (2008)

Barbara WATSON (2009)

Birgit SVENS (2012)

Elizabeth WARD (2014)

Amy GEACH (2014)

Suzanne CARAGIANIS (2018)

Tracey CLARK (2018)

Anne WAJON (2018)

Honorary MembersJill BUTCHERS (1987)

Esther MAY (1989)

Cynthia NICOL (2005)

Matt WOODS (2007)

Ray HUTTENMEISTER (2007)

Nicola MASSEY-WESTROPP (2017)

Andrea BIALOCERKOWSKI (2019)


Accredited Hand TherapistsThe Accredited Hand Therapist (AHT) credential was introduced on 1 January 2018. The AHTA acknowledges our Accredited Hand Therapists. These members have demonstrated evidence of their competence, performance and professional suitability to provide safe, high-quality health services within hand therapy.

Jane AARONS 1/01/2018

Cherie ACETO 1/01/2018

Natalia ALFARO 1/01/2018

Olga ALKIN 1/01/2018

Emma ALLARDYCE 18/10/2019

Victoria ALLBROOK 1/01/2018

Katie ANDERSON 1/01/2018

Hamish ANDERSON 1/01/2018

Katie ANJOU 1/01/2018

Nick ANTONIOU 1/01/2018

Sheree ASHTON 1/01/2018

Lisa BACHMAYER 4/01/2018

Anna-Lisa BAKER 1/01/2018

Jenny BALL 1/01/2018

Sarah BAXTER 1/01/2018

Kristine BEACHAM 1/01/2018

Kylie BEBEL 1/01/2018

Anna BEGBIE 1/01/2018

David BENN 1/01/2018

Elizabeth BESGROVE 1/10/2019

Sally BEWLEY 1/01/2018

Rose BIGGINS 1/01/2018

Carla BINGHAM 1/01/2018

Frances BLACK 1/01/2018

Clare BLACK 1/01/2018

Sheralyn BLANCH 1/01/2018

Catherine BOAG 1/01/2018

Carmel BOHAN 1/01/2018

Anita BOURTON 1/01/2018

Alice BOYLE 1/01/2018

Victoria BRAY 3/01/2018

John BRECKENRIDGE 1/01/2018

Terra BREDY 1/01/2018

Kelly BRIODY 1/01/2018

Sara BRITO 1/01/2018

Louise BROWN 1/01/2018

Lisa BROWNE 1/01/2018

Ben BUGDEN 1/01/2018

Helen BURFIELD 1/01/2018

Karen BURFORD 3/01/2018

Christopher BURTON 1/01/2018

Alison BUTCHER 1/01/2018

Bethany BUTLER 1/01/2018

Brent BYRNE 1/01/2018

Jasmine CAMERON 1/01/2018

Jo CAMPBELL-SMITH 1/01/2018

Suzanne CARAGIANIS 1/01/2018

Angela CARPENTER 1/01/2018

Susan CARROLL 1/01/2018

Kara CEPO 3/01/2018

Jessica CHAN 1/01/2018

Holly CHANCE 1/01/2018

Florence CHECK 1/01/2018

Vanessa CHEUNG 1/01/2018

Jacqueline CHEVIS 1/01/2018

Cassandra CHIESA 1/01/2018

Michele CHIM 1/01/2018

Catherine CHONG 1/01/2018

Tracey CLARK 1/01/2018

Justine CLARKE 1/01/2018

Anita CLERKE 1/01/2018

Libby CLEWETT 1/01/2018

Margo COFFEY 1/01/2018

Brooke COLBY 1/06/2020

Tanya COLE 1/01/2018

David COLE 1/01/2018

Hayley COLEMAN 1/01/2018

David COLES 1/01/2018

Sheree COLQUHOUN 1/01/2018

Sally COLWELL 1/01/2018

Julie CONDON 1/01/2018

Kate CONNOR 1/01/2018

Rebecca CONNORS 1/01/2018

Nicola COOK 1/01/2018

Marguerite COPLEY 1/01/2018

Stacey CROSS 9/01/2018

Rebecca CROWLEY 1/01/2018

Kate CRUMP 1/01/2018

Jaslyn CULLEN 1/01/2018

Ben CUNNINGHAM 1/01/2018

Lucinda CUNNINGHAM 1/01/2018

Travis CUSHION 1/01/2018

Katherine DALTON 1/01/2018

Rebecca DARBY 1/01/2018

Judy DAVIDSON 1/01/2018

Jeannie DAVIS 1/01/2018

Nicole DE CARTERET 1/01/2018

Kaveeta DEUT 1/01/2018

Trudie DISERENS 1/01/2018

Sue DOMAN 1/01/2018

Jayne DONOVAN 4/01/2018

Catherine DOSSETOR 1/01/2018

Louise DREYER 1/01/2018

Sue DRIESSENS 1/01/2018

Natasha DUFFIN 1/01/2018

Susan DUNN 1/01/2018

Shannon EDWICK 1/01/2018

Nicole EKMAN 1/01/2018

Erica ELLIOT 1/01/2018

Susanne ELLIS 1/01/2018

Michelle ERICSSON 1/01/2018

Fiona EVANS 1/01/2018

Gretel EVANS 1/01/2018

Brigette EVANS 1/01/2018

Amy EVERT 1/01/2018

Jason FAIRCLOUGH 1/01/2018

Rebecca FARR 1/01/2018

Judith FELDMAN 1/06/2020

Yvonne FELLNER 1/01/2018

India FENELON 1/01/2018

Sarah FINDLAY 1/10/2019

Karen FITT 1/01/2018

Megan FITZGERALD 1/01/2018

Helen FITZGERALD 1/01/2018

Michael FITZGERALD 1/01/2018

Libby FLEMING 1/01/2018

Kylie FLYNN 1/01/2018

Emmeline FOOKS 1/01/2018

Tasha FORBES 1/01/2018

Melanie FORBES 1/01/2018

Paul FOSTER 1/01/2018

Diana FRANCIS 1/01/2018

Angela FRIGERIO 1/01/2018

Stacey FRITSCH 1/01/2018

Archena FULLER 3/01/2018

Simon GARBELLINI 1/01/2018

Amy GEACH 1/01/2018

Josephine GIBBS 1/01/2018

Cara GILBERT 1/01/2018

Elna GILDENHUYS 1/01/2018

Leesa GILKEY 1/01/2018

Nicole GINTINGS 1/01/2018

Elizabeth GIUFFRE 1/01/2018

Celeste GLASGOW 1/01/2018

Sharon GOLDBY 1/01/2018

Crystal GOODWIN 1/01/2018

Victoria GORRINGE 1/01/2018

Rosemary GOSPEL 1/01/2018

Jennie GRAETZ 1/01/2018

Leanne GRAHAM 1/01/2018

Vanessa GRANT 1/01/2018

Lara GRIFFITHS 1/01/2018

Anne GRONDIN 1/01/2018

Therese GUILD 1/01/2018

Brett HAIG 1/01/2018

Niki HAIG 1/01/2018

Barbara HALL 1/01/2018

Katrina HALL 1/01/2018

Joy HANNA 1/01/2018

Kate HARKIN 1/01/2018

Jamie HARRADINE 1/01/2018

Christina HARWOOD 1/01/2018

Kelsey HASKELL 3/01/2018

Helena HAYES 6/01/2018

Caroline HAYES 1/01/2018

Karyn HAYES 1/01/2018

Lauren HEDGE 1/01/2018

Diane HEDIN 1/01/2018

Amanda HEENAN 1/01/2018

Danielle HEINEMANN 1/01/2018

Jane HERMOLIN 1/01/2018

Belinda HESSION 1/01/2018

Joanne HETHERINGTON 1/01/2018

Melissa HIRTH 1/01/2018

Sarah HISLOP 1/01/2018

Jessica HOLDING 1/01/2018

Patricia HOLMES 1/01/2018

Sandra HOOKINS 1/01/2018

Korina HORNE 1/01/2018

Rosemary HOUSE 1/01/2018

Alva HOWARD 1/01/2018

Lauren HUDSON 1/01/2018

Amanda HUGHES 1/01/2018

Stacey JACKSON 1/01/2018

David JACOBS 1/01/2018

Melissa JAMES 1/01/2018

Michael JANETZKI 1/01/2018

Ranjani JAYAWARDENA 1/01/2018

Heidi JEN 3/01/2018

Nadia JENKINS 1/01/2018

Bhavana JHA 1/01/2018

Dane JOHNSON 3/01/2018

Adrian JOLLOW 1/01/2018

Raymond JONGS 1/01/2018

Jennifer KAESS 1/01/2018

Supriya KARNIK 1/01/2018

Sathish KARUNANIDHI 1/01/2018

Lisa KEENAN 1/01/2018

Bernadette KELLY 1/01/2018

Sandra KEVILL 1/01/2018

Rebecca KEVILL 1/01/2018

Angela KIBBLE 1/01/2018

George KIKILAS 1/01/2018

Janelle KILCULLEN 1/01/2018

Rebecca KILTY 1/01/2018

Emma KITE 1/01/2018

Taya KLISOWSKI 1/01/2018

Rosemarie KOH 1/01/2018

Kate KRUGER 1/01/2018

Grace LAM 1/01/2018


Erika LASSIG 1/01/2018

Elaine LEAHY 1/01/2018

Mary LEE 1/01/2018

Jordan LEFMANN 1/01/2018

Taryn LESTER 1/01/2018

Annie LEUNG 1/01/2018

Karina LEWIS 1/01/2018

Melinda LEWIS 1/10/2019

Chen LI 7/04/2020

Jim LIAKOS 1/01/2018

Renee LIM 1/01/2018

Felicia LIM 1/01/2018

Clare LION 1/01/2018

Farida LITTLEMORE 1/01/2018

Elizabeth LOMAX 1/01/2018

Yoke LOW 1/01/2018

Clare MACEY 15/04/2020

Amanda MACKILLOP 1/01/2018

Shanna MAHOMED 4/01/2018

Clare MAPLE-BROWN 1/01/2018

Stephanie MARCHESI 3/01/2018

Sophie MARDEN 1/01/2018

Jo MARSH 1/01/2018

Jennifer MATHIAS 1/01/2018

Ruth MATZELLE 1/01/2018

Sally MAYFIELD 1/01/2018

Lani MCAULIFFE 1/01/2018

Brodwen MCBAIN 1/01/2018

Luke MCCARRON 1/01/2018

Kathleen MCCARTHY 1/01/2018

Melanie MCCULLOCH 1/01/2018

Catherine MCCUTCHEON 1/01/2018

Lindy MCDONALD 1/01/2018

Shawn MCDOWELL 1/01/2018

Rachel MCDUFF 3/01/2018

Georgia MCGUINNESS 1/01/2018

Rachel MCKAY CAMERON 7/04/2020

Emily MCMASTER 1/10/2019

Beth MCNEISH 1/01/2018

Samantha MEARS 6/01/2018

Catherine MENZIES 1/01/2018

Cathy MERRY 1/01/2018

Lauren MILLER 1/01/2018

Zoe MILNER 1/01/2018

Kathy MINCHIN 1/01/2018

Jessica MIRABILE 1/01/2018

Mary MITCHELL 1/01/2018

Fiona MOATE 1/01/2018

Colleen MOLONEY 1/01/2018

Judith MORRIN 1/01/2018

Anna MUNRO 1/06/2020

David MUTTON 1/01/2018

Emilie MYERS 1/01/2018

Charlotte NASH 1/01/2018

Leith NICHOLSON 1/01/2018

Lisa O’BRIEN 1/01/2018

Alanna O’BRIEN 1/01/2018

Paula O’CONNOR 1/01/2018

Nicole ODEWAHN 18/10/2019

Jacqueline OLDHAM 1/01/2018

Fiona ORTON 1/01/2018

Joanne O’SULLIVAN 1/01/2018

Hayley O’SULLIVAN 1/01/2018

Rosemary OVERTON 1/01/2018

Kelly PAPATOLICAS 1/01/2018

David PARSONS 1/01/2018

Ashley PATTISON 7/04/2020

Hana PEAKE 1/01/2018

Catherine PEARSON 1/01/2018

Susan PETERS 1/01/2018

Tanya PFEIFER 10/01/2020

Kathryn PHILLIPS 1/01/2018

Kimberley POLLARD 1/01/2018

Charmaine POLLARD 1/01/2018

Barbara POPP 1/01/2018

Jessica PORTER 1/01/2018

Taryn POST 1/01/2018

Letitia POWER 1/01/2018

Suzy PRICE 1/01/2018

Kristy PRITCHARD 3/01/2018

Rosemary PROSSER 1/01/2018

Ceri PULHAM 1/01/2018

Daniel PURTELL 3/01/2018

Amanda RANFORD 1/06/2020

Caitlin RAWSTRON 1/01/2018

Kate RAYNER 1/01/2018

Catherine REID 1/01/2018

Alexandra RETALLICK 1/01/2018

Antonia RIPPEY 1/01/2018

Karen RITCHIE 1/01/2018

Louise ROANTREE 1/01/2018

Yvette ROBERT 1/01/2018

Lucille ROBERTS 1/01/2018

Amanda ROBERTSON 1/01/2018

Renee ROCK 1/01/2018

Meredith ROGERS 1/01/2018

Melita RYAN 1/01/2018

Mahender SAMTANI 1/01/2018

Jeffrey SANDERSON 5/01/2018

Kerrie SANDERSON 1/01/2018

Dion SANDOZ 1/01/2018

Sathyaraj SANDRA SEGRAN 1/01/2018

Meg SCHIBLI 1/01/2018

Anna SCOTT 1/01/2018

Helen SCOTT 1/01/2018

Heather SELFE 1 /01/2018

Lachlan SHADDOCK 15/03/2018

Jacki SHANNON 1/01/2018

Laura SHORNEY 1/01/2018

Damien SILVESTER 1/01/2018

Germaine SIM 1/01/2018

Maryanne SIMPSON 4/01/2018

Jane SKEEN 1/01/2018

Alexandra SMALLMAN 1/06/2020

Jane SMITH 1/01/2018

Jo-Anne SOBB 1/01/2018

Mikayla SOUTHAM 1/10/2019

Achini SOYSA 1/01/2018

Catherine SPENCER 1/01/2018

Gloria SPRATT 1/01/2018

Teresa SQUIRES 1/01/2018

Emma STAPLES 1/01/2018

Roisin STEADMAN 1/01/2018

Kerry STINGEL 1/01/2018

Suzie STINTON 1/01/2018

Adrienne STOKES 1/01/2018

Vicki STRELAN 1/01/2018

Jane SUTTON 1/01/2018

Marin SUZUKI 1/01/2018

Birgit SVENS 1/01/2018

Andi TAO 1/10/2019

Rachel TATTERSALL 1/01/2018

Gladys TAY 1/01/2018

Beth TAYLOR 1/01/2018

Emma TAYLOR 1/01/2018

Heather TAYLOR 1/01/2018

Cathy THOMAS 1/01/2018

Emma THOMSEN 1/01/2018

Frances THOMSEN 1/01/2018

Felicity THORLEY 1/01/2018

Kate THORN 1/01/2018

Marisa TRAINO 1/01/2018

Thuy TRAN 1/01/2018

Susan TRAN 1/01/2018

Bethanie TREVENEN 1/01/2018

Victoria TRICARDOS 1/01/2018

Vera TSE 1/01/2018

Joseph TUPPEN 1/01/2018

Ngaire TURNBULL 1/01/2018

Lisa TURNER 1/01/2018

Suna VAN STADEN 1/01/2018

Daniel VUKOVIC 1/01/2018

Anne WAJON 1/01/2018

Sally WAJON 10/01/2020

Melissa WALLACE 1/01/2018

Wilma WALSH 1/01/2018

Sarah WALSH 1/01/2018

Elizabeth WARD 1/01/2018

Michael WARD 1/01/2018

Mark WASHYN 1/01/2018

Barbara WATSON 1/01/2018

Jade WEBB 1/01/2018

Clare WEBB 1/01/2018

Lin WEGENER 1/01/2018

Naomi WHITE 1/01/2018

Kerry WHITE 1/01/2018

Katie WHITTLE 1/01/2018

Linda WIELEMAN 1/01/2018

Faye WIFFEN 1/01/2018

Sean WIFFEN 1/01/2018

Julia WILD 1/01/2018

Riley WILLEMSE 1/10/2019

Fiona WILLIAMS 1/01/2018

Susan WILLIAMS 1/01/2018

Tyrone WILLIAMS 3/01/2018

Jodie WILLIAMSON 1/01/2018

Stuart WILSON 1/01/2018

Judith WILTON 1/01/2018

Amy WISEMAN 3/01/2018

Anna WISHINK 1/06/2020

Sue WITCHALLS 1/01/2018

Elizabeth WITHEROW 1/01/2018

Jade WONG 1/01/2018

Andrea WONG 1/01/2018

Jennifer WOODWARD 1/01/2018

Laura ZAHRA 1/01/2018

Colette ZEMLJIC 1/01/2018

Vanessa ZWECK 1/01/2018


The Australian Hand Therapy Association is a not-for-profit, member-based, national peak body for hand therapy in Australia.

Practitioners in Hand Therapy are allied health professionals, university trained as physiotherapists or occupational therapists who, through further education, clinical experience and independent study, have become proficient in the treatment of upper limb conditions resulting from injury, disease or deformity.

The AHTA’s vision is for wide recognition of hand therapy as an area of specialty practice.

The AHTA’s mission is to advance the hand therapy profession to improve outcomes for patients and the community.

Registered address: Level 1 96 Lytton Road, East Brisbane, Queensland, 4169 AUSTRALIA ABN: 72 874 453 636

External audit conducted by: Morris & Batzloff, Chartered Accountants, Queensland, AUSTRALIA

This Annual Report covers the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020.


ContentsPresident and CEO 8

Secretary 11

Management Committee 12

Credentialing Council 13

Treasurer 14

Membership 15

Conference 17

Communications 20

Education 22

Research and Scholarships 23

Marketing 24

Library and Resources 25

State and Territory Affairs 26

Financial Statements 33

Independent Audit Report 38

Certificates of Insurance 40


President and CEO

Lara Griffiths President

Wendy Rowland Chief Executive Officer

As the President and CEO of this unique and inspiring association it gives us great pleasure to report on the 2019/20 year against the 2019/20 Strategic Plan.

Provide professional development opportunitiesThe 2019/2020 financial year started off well, with fantastic attendance at a number of courses breaking previous records. The demand for our Introduction to Hand Therapy course was particularly high, which has been well attended by both New Graduates and 4th year students. This course comes with a credit towards affiliate/associate membership, depending on the attendees’ status, which has been well received and taken up by several participants, as reflected in membership numbers.

23 special interest group meetings were held around the country, with a special mention to the SA SIG team who had Professor Greg Bain present The wrist: a new perspective on anatomy, imaging and reconstruction. This SIG meeting was incredibly popular, and Professor Bain kindly offered to repeat his talk as a national webinar, which had incredible attendance with over 180 members joining in live for this presentation in January.

Courses are scheduled rotationally around the country and we also attempt to meet the needs of therapists in the smaller capital cities. With this in mind, we took our Fundamentals course to Tasmania in December of 2019 which had good attendance and gave local therapists a chance to participate in education on home soil and show off the lovely city of Hobart to therapists visiting from around the country.

2020 started off strong with great attendance over the Australia Day long weekend Fundamentals course on the

Gold Coast. We also held Mobilisation in Melbourne and Arthritis in Sydney in February, but as our Elbow course in Melbourne drew nearer, things began to change.

On 11 March, while some of the Management Committee, staff and members were attending the 12APFSSH/8APFSHT Conference, the World Health Organisation, deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity of a novel virus, named the Coronavirus (COVID-19), made the assessment that COVID-19 could be characterised as a pandemic.

The Australian Government took decisive action and mandated that no more than 100 people could gather on mass. Australian borders were closed to all non-residents on 20 March. Social distancing rules were imposed on 21 March, and state governments started to close ‘non-essential’ services such as pubs and clubs, gyms and pools.

The final day of the 12APFSSH/8APFSHT Conference was cancelled. Little did those who attended the Conference dinner the evening before realise that this would be their last event where more than 100 people would gather for many months.

Our Elbow course in Melbourne, albeit with lower attendance than expected due to the emerging situation, continued as planned. Within days, the staff and volunteers got to work to re-define how professional development would look for its members. The staff set about postponing all face-to-face courses until after 30 June and as time went on, to 30 September. The association would not be able to conduct courses as

it had done every other year and 12 of our scheduled courses were unable to be run in this financial year.

Without an online learning platform, the Education Committee, Digital Education Officer, State and Territories Divisional coordinators and staff worked together to deliver five national webinars over the coming months. The SIG teams delivered six online webinars during this period.

Furthermore, the AHTA demonstrated how nimble and agile it could be by establishing online course offerings for Introduction to Hand Therapy and Assessment and Treatment of the Wrist. We also accelerated negotiations with the University of Sydney for a Pain Management online course, a new offering to members that can be used as an Elective for credentialing purposes. As the new financial year begins, we continue to look for ways to offer our education program in the ever changing COVID-19 climate.

Finally, the association provided grants through its regional and remote grants program to four members. The purpose of the Regional & Remote Grants is to foster accessible education for members living in regional and remote areas.

Promote and communicate the practice of hand therapyThe Marketing sub-committee, in conjunction with the Credentialing Council, created a number of new member and

Table 1: Number of course attendees

Year No of Course Attendees

2009/2010 116

2010/2011 175

2011/2012 138

2012/2013 168

2013/2014 203

2014/2015 283

2015/2016 242

2016/2017 391

2017/2018 432

2018/2019 555

2019/2020 397

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1237777021742338049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1237777021742338049&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.who.int%2Femergencies%2Fdiseases%2Fnovel-coronavirus-2019%2Fevents-as-they-happen

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1237777021742338049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1237777021742338049&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.who.int%2Femergencies%2Fdiseases%2Fnovel-coronavirus-2019%2Fevents-as-they-happen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_distancing


patient resources this financial year. With a particular focus on the AHT credential, brochures promoting the credential to therapists, referrers and patients were created and printed. The member and student brochures were also refreshed and made into a new format easy for emailing and printing locally.

The patient condition brochures were launched at the 2019 AHTA Conference in Brisbane with fantastic feedback received for these documents. They are now available on the members area of the website for download and printing.

With declines in patient numbers the marketing sub-committee created some COVID-19 items to assist in promoting therapist services during this time. The association also used these items on the AHTA website and social pages to promote to patients that therapists were available to help, particularly as surgeries were put on hold.

The year closed out with Hand Therapy Awareness Week 2020, with our campaign to find a Local Legend – a therapist that goes above and beyond for their patients. The Marketing sub-committee had the unenviable task of determining the winner from all the amazing entries received from across Australia. After much debate, they couldn’t look past the nomination from a gorgeous little girl named Verity, who at 5 years old had some amazing results under the care of Nick Criticos from Action Rehab. Nick was awarded the associations’ Local Legend for 2020!

Advocate on behalf of members and the profession In February 2020, a team of volunteers responded to a request from Worksafe Victoria in relation to the development of treatment codes for hand therapy delivered by Accredited Hand Therapists (AHTs). While discussions have been promising, at the time of writing, the outcome of the recommendations put forward are not yet confirmed.

In March 2020, the AHTA received a letter from Private Healthcare Australia, welcoming allied health professional associations to provide a submission on the evidence of clinical effectiveness of teleconsultations by both video and by telephone. A team of therapists generously volunteered many hours of their time to respond to the request and provide a submission which was

titled: Evidence of clinical effectiveness of telehealth consultations by Hand Therapists: for the consideration of Private Healthcare Australia.

The Advocacy Committee was formed in June 2020. Members of this committee include the President, CEO, Barb Hall (WA), Jane Aarons (VIC), Sath Segran (WA), Collette Zemlijic (QLD), Chen Li (NSW) and Jason Fairclough (NSW). The committee will aim to address issues affecting members including recognition of the AHT credential by insurers, DVA, and state based organisations including, but not limited to, TAC, MAIB, etc. Also, on our agenda is investigating and defining the advanced scope of practice of an AHT and how this type of practitioner fits into the public hospital practice model.

One of the positives to come out of the COVID-19 crisis has been the AHTA’s strengthened relationship with the Allied Health Professions Association (AHPA). There is no doubt that the profile of Allied Health has been raised during this pandemic and we continue to work hard to keep that momentum going. A lot of people are talking about getting back to normal but is that what we want? Normal for Allied Health has been less than optimal so we have an opportunity to move on to something better. We will continue our efforts as a collective voice through and with the AHPA and our members to find the recognition that our members deserve.

Table 2: Number of AHTA Courses and Events

Year No

of C

ours

es

No of Special Interest Group

(SIGs) and other events To

tal e

vent

s*

2009/2010 3 0 3

2010/2011 6 0 6

2011/2012 7 0 7

2012/2013 7 0 7

2013/2014 12 0 12

2014/2015 12 0 12

2015/2016 9 0 9

2016/2017 15 9 24

2017/2018 17 15 32

2018/2019 24 29 53

2019/2020 16** 23 39

* Total events include: Courses, Webinars, Special Interest Group Meetings – Does not include the Annual Conference.

** COVID-19 impact: There were 12 courses postponed from March 2020 – June 2020.

Table 3: Volunteer Contribution

YearCommittee

membersSubcommittee

membersTotal active volunteers

Total Membership*

% of total membership

2009/2010 9 20 29 322 9

2010/2011 9 20 29 372 8

2011/2012 10 43 53 406 13

2012/2013 10 39 49 472 10

2013/2014 10 42 52 541 10

2014/2015 10 49 59 617 10

2015/2016 11 39 50 673 7

2016/2017 11 47 58 759 8

2017/2018 10 43 53 815 7

2018/2019 9 57 66 805 8

2019/2020 9 54 63 868 7

* Includes AHTS, Associates, Life Members, Honorary Members, Subscribers and Affiliates.


Establish, develop and promote standards and best practice in hand therapyThe Credentialing Council continue to provide advice on standards in hand therapy and best practice in education. The Council contributed to the work of the Education Committee in the establishment of the Pain Management course and reviews of elective courses to ensure that they meet essential criteria determined and set out in a policy for the approval of an elective course.

Support research into hand therapyThe Association allocates $15,000 every year for research scholarships. The Research and Scholarships Subcommittee have this year administered seven current AHTA funded research projects with regular project reviews.

Foster international and professional linksOur relationship with the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy (IFSHT) has continued with Dr Anne Wajon sitting as the current Immediate Past President. The president of the AHTA also continues to be the Australian delegate providing advice and support to the international federation as required.

The AHTA continues to liaise with the Asia Pacific Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy (APFSHT). Members of the AHTA were integral to the organisation, the day to day running as well as providers of outstanding papers at the most recent APFSHT conference held in Melbourne in March 2020. Rosie Koh and Hamish Anderson were members of the conference organising committee and worked tirelessly with their fellow committee members to deliver an outstanding conference despite difficult circumstances. The AHTA Committee of Management hope to further engage with the APFSHT over the next 3 years.

We continue to engage with Hand Therapy New Zealand (HTNZ). The president of HTNZ attended our most recent face to face meeting to discuss ways in which the two associations may collaborate in the future including future combined conference opportunities.

The Association allocates funding for the purpose of philanthropic grants for members to participate in. There were no applications received this financial year for philanthropic funding. It is possible that the presence of COVID-19 has been responsible for this.

Govern and manage the association wellIn February 2020, a Chief Executive Officer was employed following many years of discussion.

Wendy Rowland set about interviewing each member of the Committee of Management, the Chair and a member of the Credentialing Council to determine the needs of the association.

In the period from March to June 2020 the associations structure was reviewed and updated to better deliver on the four key strategic goals of the association; a three-year strategic plan 2020–2023 was developed through collaboration and consultation.

In May, a Finance, Audit, Risk and Governance Committee was established and met for the first time.

AHTA’s CEO, Wendy Rowland attended a meeting with the Federal Minister for Health, The Hon Greg Hunt and 27 Allied Health Organisations, 20 February 2020, Melbourne.


Secretary

Olga Alkin Secretary

This has been a very successful year for the association with many achievements. The most important and significant achievement was the appointment of our first CEO of the AHTA. Wendy Rowland has come on board with great leadership skills and a deep knowledge of the running of an association. On behalf of the Governance and Management Committee, we are extremely happy with the way that Wendy has approached her first few months in leading our association forward.

Another important achievement was the formation of the Finance, Audit, Risk and Governance Committee. Composition of the Committee includes the CEO, treasurer, secretary, and 2—3 independent members

with experience in finance, accounting, risk management and law. The committee has been established with the view of increasing the AHTA’s financial sustainability and providing expertise in relation to governance.

I am looking forward to seeing how the Association continues to grow and change throughout the next financial year.

(L—R) Developing international links — Hana Peake from Victoria, Suzanne Caragiannis from South Australia, Gangtey from Butan and Rosie Koh from Victoria.

(L–R) Anne Wajon and Sally Wajon from New South Wales.

GAZi PHOTOGRAPHY www.gaziphoto.com

Hand Surgery and the Digital Revolution Conference, Melbourne, March 2020.


Management Committee


Hamish Anderson President-Elect

Olga Alkin Secretary

Rosie Koh Treasurer

Helena Hayes Dave Parsons

Brigette Evans Louise Brown

Elizabeth Giuffre

The Australian Hand Therapy Association is a not-for-profit Association subject to the Incorporation Associations Act QLD and ASIC.

The AHTA is governed by a Constitution (Own Rules) which was last amended on 21 November 2019. The Management Committee has responsibility for the control and direction of the affairs of the Association. The Management Committee met throughout the year to fulfil its obligations.

The number of meetings and attendance by each member during 2019–2020 are shown in table 4

Table 4: Management Committee Meetings – Attendance

Member Meetings attendedMeetings eligible to

attend

Olga ALKIN 5 5

Hamish ANDERSON 5 5

Carla BINGAM 4 4

Louise BROWN 5 5

Brigette EVANS 5 5

Elizabeth GIUFFRE 5 5

Lara GRIFFITHS 5 5

Helena HAYES 1 1

Rosemarie KOH 5 5

Dave PARSONS 2 2

Meeting via Zoom May 2020.


Credentialing Council

Tracey Clark Chair Credentialing Council

The Credentialing Council (CC) is responsible for the regulatory framework of the scope of practice of Hand Therapy in Australia. In fulfilling its function, it provides recommendations to the Committee of Management (COM) to admit Accredited Hand Therapists (AHT) as members of the Association.

During 2019/2020 the CC met every 2 months, including 2 half-day face to face meetings in October and March.

The key achievements of the CC for the reporting period include:

• Recommendation of 23 AHTs to the COM

• Approval of 57 mentorships

• Development of a mentor database to facilitate mentorship of mentees who do not have a nominated mentor

• Presentation of a fully subscribed mentor workshop at AHTA Conference 2019

• Approval of academic programmes from Derby University and the Auckland University of Technology as elective units

• Presentation of the AHT Programme at the Victorian and NSW Hand Surgery Associations Annual Conferences and the APFSSH/APFSHT Congress

• Completion of the trademarking process of the AHT logo and post nominals

• Collaboration with AHTA Marketing to produce an AHT brochure

• Engagement with WorkSafe Victoria to develop fee codes which recognise the AHT credential

• Ongoing discussions with APA toward the recognition of AHT as a titled scope of practice

• Surveying the first cohort of AHTs and sharing their experience with members

In response to member feedback at the 2019 AGM, the CC revised the AHTA reaccreditation requirements to make them both streamlined and achievable. It is our hope that the new guidelines will facilitate a genuine engagement with continuing education and foster a culture of lifelong learning. The updated guidelines have been shared with members and are on the AHTA website.

It would not be a 2020 Annual Report without some mention of the impact of COVID-19. The CC responded to the disrupted AHT course availability by extending the 5-year completion period by six months for all applications received after March 30.

There were several changes to the membership of the CC over the past

12 months. We farewelled our first two independent members, Geoff Barbaro and Leigh Clarke, and welcomed two new independent members, Judith Hannan and Elissa Campbell. Judith sits on the Optometry Board of Australia. Her knowledge and experience at AHPRA are valued inputs to the Council. Elissa Campbell is Research and Policy Manager at Audiology Australia. The Council benefits from Elissa’s extensive background working in health law and policy for a variety of not-for-profit organisations. There was also a change to our COM representative, with Katie Whittle completing her term on the COM. Thank you to Katie for sharing her experience as membership secretary and for being our line of communication with both COM and the membership. Dave Parsons is our new COM representative, and has hit the ground running, being a former member of the Accreditation Steering Committee.

It has been a privilege to work with the highly skilled and dedicated team of professionals who make up the CC. Thank you for your commitment and thank you to AHTA staff for your support. We look forward to another productive year.


Treasurer

Rosie Koh Treasurer

The 2019/2020 financial year was a productive yet eventful year. We had a successful 2019 annual conference in Brisbane, welcomed our first CEO and formed a Finance, Audit, Risk and Governance Committee (FARGC). At the same time, COVD-19 demanded a swift organisational response and transition to an online environment in the last four months of the financial year. In doing so, we have continued to invest in online formats for our courses and improve our existing website for ease of use. Regretfully, in navigating the uncertainties of COVID-19, we had to postpone our national AHTA 2020 conference, but we look forward to reconnecting in Perth during 26—29 August 2021.

Key figures for the 19/20 financial year:

• Total income for the financial year was $743,937

• Total expenses for the financial year was $833,156

• Surplus (Deficit) for the financial year was ($89,219)

• Total Equity for the association as of 30 June 2020 is $572,458

Membership subscriptions added $327,020 to revenue, an increase of $36,605 from the previous year. Educational courses followed next at $245,741 to revenue, a decrease in $115,301 from the last period. This decrease was due to postponed courses as a result of COVID-19. Income from the October 2019 Conference was $53,668 compared to $62,415 from the October 2018 Conference, a decrease of $8,747. The association received COVID-19 relief payments of $46,500: $30,000 stimulus payment and $16,500 Job Keeper payments.

Education expenses amounted to $262,698 for the year, a decrease of $47,645 in comparison to last year. The course portfolio ran at a loss of $16,949 for the year. This loss was due to significant investment in presenter training to deliver quality and sustainability of the association’s education.

Human resource expenditure amounted to $283,135, an increase of $106,607. The increase is due to the employment of a CEO, leave entitlements renumerated due to a staff member’s resignation and the employment of a casual staff member to assist while a staff member was injured. Also, the remaining staff worked overtime to manage the operations during this time. Workers compensation provided $39,957 in offset.

Finance, Audit, Risk and Governance CommitteeThe Finance, Audit, Risk and Governance Committee (FARGC) was formed to provide best-practice governance as the association continues to grow. This Committee brings together specialists from financial analysis, risk management and legal backgrounds who have a passion for healthcare. The Committee aims to provide advice on quality assurance and improvement, risk identification and mitigation and compliance with legal requirements. The formation of the Committee is ongoing, and independent members will be on board for a two-year term.

The chair of the Committee is Payal Allen, who is a CPA and a senior consultant experienced in risk management, internal audit, corporate governance and strategy. Her qualifications are a Master of International Finance and Professional Accounting from Deakin University and an MBA from The University of Melbourne. She has led interdisciplinary teams to deliver strategic value within settings such as financial services, public health, and not-for-profit organisations over the past 18 years.

The second independent member is Sope Dalley, who is a Chartered Accountant with 15 years of experience in finance/business analytics, management consulting and external audit roles within multinational organisations across five countries. He holds an MBA from The University of Melbourne and an expected Master of Analytics Management at the end of 2020.

We are very grateful for the contribution from our two independent members and look forward to appointing a third independent member with a legal background in the new financial year.

Our initial focus has been on financial reporting and budget review. The FARGC has recommended the operational conversion from cash to accrual accounting, and quarterly financial summaries, according to portfolios. This conversion involved a substantial change to infrastructure within Xero, our accounting software. We have also commenced discussion on strategies for diversification of income to improve the association’s financial position during these challenging times. Finally, the FARGC will update the association’s risk management through the identification of organisational risk and strategies for mitigation.

It has been a challenging time, with an additional layer of complexity to navigate through.

On behalf of the FARGC, I thank the staff for their diligence and the membership for continued patience and support.

Table 5: Surplus/Deficit After Tax

YearAHTA Surplus/Deficit

After Tax

2009/2010 $39,383

2010/2011 $48,262

2011/2012 $43,080

2012/2013 $30,895

2013/2014 $45,651

2014/2015 $40,564

2015/2016 $6,854

2016/2017 $120,149

2017/2018 $80,793

2018/2019 -$11,099

2019/2020 -$89,219

Thank youAHTA is very grateful to Charles Klvana, Managing Director, Eye on Books and Norm Hoare, Director, Morris Blatzoff Audit Assurance Services for their financial and auditing services during the 2019/20 financial year.


Membership

Dave Parsons Membership Portfolio Officer

As my first report as Membership Portfolio Officer it would be fitting to thank my predecessor, Katie Whittle, for her tireless efforts in the role over the past 6 years. Katie, your service to the association through your commitment to the membership portfolio over the past years is incredibly valued and has no doubt contributed to the Association’s mission. On behalf of all members of Association, you have our sincerest thanks.

The Association continues to grow its most valuable asset, our members. Compared to the same period last year, the association has recorded a modest increase in our membership from 805 to 868. This is such pleasing news. The growth in our membership demonstrates an increasing number of occupational therapists and physiotherapists choosing to pursue a career in our area of practice, while expressing their faith in the AHTA to service the needs of its members. I want to stress that we do not take your membership for granted and we will constantly strive to provide a valued service to our membership.

With the onboarding of our new CEO, Wendy Rowland, I know the AHTA will continue to serve our member’s needs in leaps in bounds. A new CEO brings about positive change for the membership portfolio. A restructure of the association has resulted in a new committee who has the mission to improve the value of your AHTA membership. The membership committee is the amalgamation of a variety of different operational groups within the AHTA and the elected chair is Elizabeth Giuffre. I have no doubt this restructure will result in tangible benefits to the AHTA membership and the AHTA more broadly.

Finally, it would be remiss not to mention the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our members and the wider hand therapy community. The AHTA is committed to listening to our members and providing the required support to assist our members through this challenging time. The AHTA has created and implemented a policy to assist those members who are experiencing special circumstances in their lives that may result in difficulty paying their membership by the due date. For those members who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we encourage you to contact the AHTA to discuss the options available to you.

On a more personal note, I would like to express my thanks for the wonderful community we have within the hand therapy profession. While the future is unknown, I am comforted in the knowledge that we have a strong and supportive community within the AHTA. This sense of community will see us through this tough time and, if I could find a silver lining in all of this, will become stronger as we all reflect on what is really important in our own lives.

Take great care and all the very best.

Table 6: Membership figures

Year No

of A

HTS

No

of

Ass

ocia

tes

Tota

l M

embe

rshi

p*

2009/2010 163 141 322

2010/2011 168 189 372

2011/2012 170 221 406

2012/2013 171 284 472

2013/2014 193 330 541

2014/2015 207 383 617

2015/2016 232 415 673

2016/2017 278 449 759

2017/2018 366 422 815

2018/2019 359 414 805

2019/2020 376 458 868

* Includes AHTS, Associates, Life Members, Honorary Members, Subscribers and Affiliates.


AwardsAHTA sponsored Curtin University AwardsThe AHTA sponsors Curtin University’s School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology Prize Giving Ceremony each year. Two awards are presented as well as an annual Subscription for Affiliate Membership with the AHTA.

The award for the Highest Mark in Orthoses and Upper Limb Rehabilitation was presented to:

Yi NING NGOO

The award for the Highest Mark in Orthoses and Orthoses and Rehabilitation Science was presented to:

Clare ARCHER

Congratulations to you both.

Jill Chapman Award for Best Clinical PaperRosie HOUSE: Using what we know, better: Targeted Hand Therapy Treatment following Surgical Intervention for Dupuytren’s Disease

AHT GraduatesThe AHTA awarded the following members the Accredited Hand Therapist credential during the 2019/2020 financial year.

Emma ALLARDYCE

Elizabeth BESGROVE

Bethany BUTLER

Brooke COLBY

Judith FELDMAN

Sarah FINDLAY

Kate KRUGER

Melinda LEWIS

Chen LI

Clare MACEY

Rachel MCKAY CAMERON

Emily MCMASTER

Anna MUNRO

Nicole ODEWAHN

Ashley PATTISON

Tanya PFEIFER

Amanda RANFORD

Alexandra SMALLMAN

Mikayla SOUTHAM

Andi TAO

Sally WAJON

Riley WILLEMSE

Anna WISHINK

Australian Hand Surgery Society Prize Best Research PaperViana VUVAN: Cross-sectional study of pain comorbidity, somatosensory and psychosocial features in severe persistent lateral elbow tendinopathy

Leanne Breen Memorial Award for Best PosterMelissa WALLACE: Orthotic management for the non-operative treatment of acute, closed, stable, volar plate injuries of the proximal interphalangeal joint: A Systematic Review

Founders Lecture AwardCeleste GLASGOW

Clare Archer – Presented by Dave Parsons Yi Ning Ngoo – Presented by Dave Parsons


Conference

Christina Harwood Conference convenor

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2019 conference. To those who supported the sponsors, presented papers and posters, mingled and met new people and carved up the dance floor; thanks for giving the conference a super positive vibe and contributing to our profession.

Thank you also to the 220 delegates who completed the conference survey. We take the feedback very seriously, and every year, the conference committee read through the conference survey results of the last 2—3 years so they can try to shape the next conference according to what you, our membership, want. This year, when giving an overall rating of the event, 62% of respondents said it was excellent and 34% said it was good. We are happy to have pleased 96% of you!

The only problem is, we are not a jar of Nutella and can’t please everyone! For every person who found a lecture dry or boring, there is someone who reported it was their highlight. All we can really do is pick up trends. So you all know that we really really really do listen to you, I wanted to highlight a few of these trends and address them here.

HighlightsWe got loads of positive feedback about our steps to create an environmentally and baby-friendly conference, our games aimed at socialising, and the panel discussions. Our key-note speaker Dr Hagert of course got almost unanimous excellent reviews and despite not everyone getting into her workshop, therapists have loved being able to access the video we recorded of it. The non-clinical sessions on Therapist wellness and Therapists in Business received very high scores by those who attended (apart from the last-minute fill-in speaker – sorry!).

Money Money MoneyConferences cost money. Loads of it. While YRD help us to maintain a tight budget, it is difficult to predict and work with because we don’t know how many people are coming until a few weeks out. While we did well this year due to Dr Hagert, conferences held in Brisbane & Perth normally have a much smaller profit than say Sydney or Melbourne, so the overall profit/revenue of the national conference has to be averaged out over 4—5 years. Cost to the participant is a recurring strong theme and something that we consider at every step of the way. For example, our other option of venue this year was the Sofitel, which some of you may feel would have been a nicer venue and closer to 5 Stars than the Pullman was. Unfortunately, the Sofitel contract also required a 70-room accommodation booking, in order to book the venue. Their room prices were $250 per night, which would mean a $750 outlay just for accommodation. We couldn’t guarantee that 70 participants would book this accommodation at this price, with so many cheaper options nearby, and so we chose the Pullman. This venue had excellent service, much cheaper accommodation and a smaller room booking commitment. At every turn we try to make decisions based on economics to ensure value for money for our membership. A quick google search tells me that our conference fees are on par with similar events, so we are not more expensive than others. All of that aside, I get it, attending conferences can feel like a big spend, especially once you add flights and accommodation. We don’t have a solution to that yet, but every year the conference just gets better so perhaps either future committees will find a way to cut costs, or

it will get so ridiculously awesome you just won’t even notice the money you spend!

Speakers and the content of their presentationsThere are two types of speakers at our conferences. Those presenting clinical or scientific papers, who have voluntarily submitted an abstract that has been judged and accepted, and invited speakers, who the committee have asked to speak because they are experts in their field. Historically, invited speakers (apart from the international guest speaker) are not paid. Even our international guests generally have their flights and accommodation paid for, but do not receive a “speakers fee” as such. This year, we paid a very small fee to some of the speakers in the concurrent sessions who were not therapists, because they had to take an entire afternoon off work. All other speakers were unpaid. While we give them a detailed brief on what we would like them to discuss, we don’t believe it is appropriate, professional or friendly, to review, edit or “bounce” a speaker if their talk is not up to scratch. We are grateful that they have been generous enough to share their time and their knowledge with nothing but a handshake and $20 gift in return.

The speakers who present scientific and clinical papers – firstly – WELL DONE. To be accepted for presentation, these papers are subject to a standardised assessment and review process with objective scoring to ensure fair and reasonable judging. This scoring assessment was/is available on the website. Papers were not chosen dependant on the author’s profession or position and anyone is free to submit a scientific or


clinical paper. I am thankful we have so many therapists taking on research projects and sharing their results with us. Presenting your research is a nerve-racking experience, especially question time. I know I have completely choked on questions before, and I am grateful that we have a supportive audience who manage to balance critical appraisal of the content with appreciation of the authors’ efforts.

All speakers – both invited and submitted, are asked if they will make their talks available to put online and share with delegates. It is completely up to the speakers if and when they do this. We would love them all available in advance, but most speakers are still working on their talks in the week leading up to the conference or are protective of their emerging research and their Intellectual Property. Fun fact: when publishing an article, most articles require the author to sign a waiver that this work has not been published or disseminated elsewhere. While generally an oral presentation is permissible, journals can view written handouts (i.e. a PowerPoint presentation published online or details of results on social media) as prior publication and they may refuse to publish the work.

The upside of this is, if we can’t write down everything we hear in the session, we can probably find their results published in a journal in the near future.

SocialisingTwo quick points – money and space! We would have loved to have our welcome drinks on the rooftop bar this year, but we would not all fit. And while we would love to create an amazing fabulous conference dinner with fairies dancing in starlight, Verve champagne and Taylor Swift on stage (or is that just me), unfortunately Fabulous is not in the budget. Fortunately, I think the fun-loving, dancing, laughing energetic crew that you all are mean we would have fun in a barn if there was a beer and sausage sanga with sauce.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us on the Conference Survey and I hope this has helped to explain why we make some of the decisions we do. I know the Perth crew are getting excited to show their best in August 2021! I’ll see you there!

Table 7: Conference: Sponsorhip, Surplus and Delegates

Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Location Lorne Gold Coast Perth Sydney Adelaide Melbourne Brisbane

Sponsorship $46,348 $46,840 $39,821 $54,712 $51,626 $46,930 $59,315

Profit $34,192 $24,775 $24,000 $71,063 $34,822 $40,264 $59,993

Delegate Numbers

334 286 272 412 307 416 433


Communications

Louise Brown Communications Officer

NewsletterOur quarterly newsletter FingerPrint continues to provide members with case studies, research articles, clinical pearls and updates on upcoming AHTA courses. One of the important roles of the newsletter is also to provide periodic updates from what the committee of volunteers and the new CEO are working on. FingerPrint is a valuable resource for keeping abreast of upcoming professional development opportunities, including AHTA courses, external courses and conferences nationally and internationally.

Thank you very much to the members who submit their research, case studies and review contributions. Case studies and course reviews tend to make up the majority of content submitted, and there are some fantastic research articles put together. FingerPrint has to cater for therapists of all levels of experience, from novices to experts, so your time spent sharing knowledge is appreciated.

eNEWS

In March this year we started sending the eNEWS on a weekly basis, as a smaller and more frequent publication to disseminate a combination of news from the AHTA office, special interest groups and other relevant information in an effort to streamline communications and reduce email overload. We welcome Amanda Robertson from Victoria who has taken on the volunteer role of organise the eNEWS, and she jumped in at the deep end when the rollout of the new format was hastened by the need for frequent communications as the implications of the pandemic snowballed rapidly in late March and we scrambled to respond to frequently changing news and directives. I thank all of you for your patience as Amanda, Wendy Rowland, Kelly Toner and I have all endeavoured to keep the information timely and relevant, finding some balance between delivering you the content you need and not overloading your inbox.

Table 8: Fingerprint statistics

Issu 120 (Sep) 121 (Dec) 122 (Mar) 123 (Jun)

Impressions 4721 1076 1856 2849

Reads 760 574 501 639

Average Time 5:26 9:50 9:52 6:59

Clicks 38 41 20 27

Access

Desktop 38 44 49 44

Tablet 54 52 49 51

Phone 8 4 2 5

Countries (ranked):

Australia Australia Australia Australia

USA USA Singapore USA

India Singapore Hong Kong Canada

New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand Germany

Japan Switzerland USA Italy

Singapore Ireland Singapore

Brazil Maldives South Africa

Sri Lanka Switzerland South Korea

Canada Netherlands

France New Zealand

ahta.com.au l 1

NEWSLETTER OF THE

FEATURES

Feature: Patient-Reported Outcome Measures from a Non-clinimetricians Perspective.

Feature: Tightrope CMC joint Arthroplasty of the thumb

Review: Repair of the Supraspinatus Muscle – A literature review and case study

Issue 121, Oct - Dec 2019

UPDATES

2020 Course Dates

Coming Events

2019 Conference wrap up

Portfolio Reports

What a year!

ahta.com.au l 1

NEWSLETTER OF THE

FEATURES

Feature: APFSHT/APFSHH Triennial Conference

Feature: Importance of the healthcare provider-patient relationship in facilitating return-to-work

Review: AHTA Elbow Course

Issue 120, Jul - Sep 2019

UPDATES

2019 Course Dates

Coming Events

Portfolio Reports

Hello Spring!

ahta.com.au l 1

NEWSLETTER OF THE

FEATURES

Coronavirus (COVID-19), Telehealth and the Research & Scholarships Subcommittee

Distal radius fracture malunion: surgical and therapy decisions for the older adult

Hand Therapy Awareness Week Wrap Up

Issue 123, Apr - Jun 2020

UPDATES

From the CEO

2020-21 Course Dates

Portfolio Reports

Regional and Remote Grants

Winter Warmers

ahta.com.au l 1

NEWSLETTER OF THE

FEATURES

Feature: Vale Evelyn Mackin

Feature: AHTA Meeting with Federal Minister for Health

Research: De Quervain’s: Parents recovery from 2014 to 2018Feature: A novel dynamic splint for the first CMC joint

Issue 122, Jan - Mar 2020

UPDATES

AHTA appoints a CEO

2020 Course Dates

Upcoming events

Portfolio Reports

From great to greater


Google groupThe google group continues to grow. We now have 550 members who have opted to join, 10% more than last year, ranging from those therapists quite new to the field, to highly experienced clinicians. I am occasionally contacted by AHTA associate members who have been members for some years but were not members of the group as they weren’t aware of it or did not know they needed to send a request to join. If you aren’t a member of the google group then please do send a request through to [email protected] so that you can be added.

The google group covers clinical and non-clinical topics, from splinting to software, ergonomics to arthroplasties. In the last 12 months, around 150 different topics

were discussed, from complex clinical presentations to sourcing hard to find resources as we scrambled to adapt to the challenges of providing therapy during the pandemic. It was a particularly useful resource this year for therapists helping each other navigate the challenges such as telehealth, finding new avenues for obtaining PPE, and supporting eachother with the varying restrictions state by state.

Remember that you can search through the backlog of topics to find all of the previous discussions. The google group is overseen by Gladys Tay who diligently keeps an eye on the group and handles the onboarding of new members. Thankyou Gladys, for volunteering to run the group.

Thanks must go to the excellent subcommittee, Gladys Tay and Amanda Robertson for all of their work and support. It is time for me to step down as Communications Officer, however I am grateful for the opportunity it has presented me to work with the excellent therapists who cheerfully volunteer their time and support on sub committees and the committee of management, and make it a great experience to be a part of. Thankyou also to the AHTA office staff who are always working as hard as they can to provide the best level of support possible.

Table 9: e-News statistics

eNEWS Edition Deliveries Total Opens Unique Opens Clicks Locations (ranked)

June 25 2020 2269 1270 656 56 AUS, USA, NZ, Hong Kong, UK

28.90% 2.50%

June 18 2020 2279 1385 694 78 AUS, USA, UK, Hong Kong, NZ

68.60% 8.20%

June 10 2020 2300 1312 751 79 AUS, USA, NZ, UK, Singapore

32.70% 3.40%

June 3 2020 2310 1665 791 82 AUS, USA, NZ, Singapore, UK

34.20% 3.50%

May 27 2020 2321 2279 964 74 AUS, USA, NZ, UK, Hong Kong

41.50% 3.20%

May 20 2020 2346 1905 844 96 AUS, USA, NZ, UK, Hong Kong

36% 4.10%

May 12 2020 2236 1615 692 139 AUS, NZ, USA, Hong Kong, UK

30.90% 6.20%

April 30 2020 2262 1282 612 52 AUS, NZ, USA, UK, Hong Kong

27.10% 2.30%

April 22 2020 2268 1655 697 139 AUS, NZ, USA, UK, Hong Kong

30.70% 6.10%

April 15 2020 2278 1836 697 150 AUS, NZ, UK, USA, Hong Kong

30.60% 6.60%

April 8 2020 2291 1960 783 104 AUS, NZ, USA, UK, Singapore

34.20% 4.50%

April 1 2020 835 1324 554 111 AUS, USA, UK, Hong Kong, India

66.30% 13.30%

March 26 2020 2303 6305 1002 178 AUS, USA, NZ, UK, France

43.50% 7.70%

mailto:[email protected]


Helena Hayes Education Officer

Carla Bingham Education Officer

This year has certainly shaken up the Education Committee and its proceedings, while also allowing us to evolve with clarity and expand our way forward into new areas. It has been predominantly a time of transition, but as 2020 continues we are re-forming and moving forward with new strategies. We sadly said farewell to Carla Bingham after almost 3 years in the role of Education Officer. I would like to thank her for her tireless work and the experience that she has brought to the AHTA.

Under the guidance of our highly competent and strategic new CEO, Wendy Rowland, the Education Committee has undertaken a new structure and has evolved to become the Professional Practice Committee (PPC). In May of 2020 I was elected to the position of chair of the PPC by the Committee of Management and I look forward to assisting the AHTA to adjust and develop its educational opportunities over the coming two years. I have a skilled and enthusiastic team and we are expanding in order to ease the workload on volunteers.

This financial year we have:

• Presented a full suite of courses covering three levels of learning for our members.

• Begun a review of the Fundamentals Course and its assessment, with a view to some content becoming online pre-learning modules.

• Supported the development of a new elective course, “Pain Management Skills for hand therapy clinical practice” for our members wishing to achieve AHT status or expand their specialist knowledge. This course has been approved by the Credentialing Council and is delivered by The University of Sydney.

• Assisted in the adjustment of the Introduction to Hand Therapy Course to be presented in an online format.

• Reviewed our policy and procedures for the development of Elective Courses for the AHT credential.

• Reviewed our policy and procedures for the accreditation of external educational courses by the AHTA.

• Accredited two external courses for the benefit of our members – GemT Dry Needling of the Upper Limb and TheraCPD Fracture Management.

• Experienced the wonderful educational and networking opportunity of the combined Asia Pacific Conference (12APFSSH and 8APFSHT) in Melbourne in March 2020.

• Welcomed our new CEO Wendy Rowland and reviewed our strategic plan and terms of reference as we evolved to become the PPC.

• Expanded the number of PPC members to provide a dedicated team of volunteers focusing on the accreditation of external course work.

• Provided a significant number of Webinars over the last six months to continue to provide educational opportunities to our members during the time of COVID-19.

• We have also farewelled our Course Coordinator – Kylie Bebel and would like to thank her for her tireless work over the last few years and wish her all the best for the future.

The end of 2019 saw the AHTA run its full suite of courses, which were well attended. As you will all be aware, COVID-19 has significantly affected our ability to run face to face courses during the first half of 2020. The need to establish a suite of online offerings to our members has never been more important and this has been a significant focus over the past six months. We are progressing quickly to be able to offer course work in an online capacity and the fruits of this work should become evident in the second half of 2020.

As our online platform is developed, more course work will become available with components or whole courses accessible online. This will not replace our face to face education, however it will enhance our ability to reach rural and remote therapists and to engage the Asia Pacific and other international regions in our quality course work. It will also enable our time during face to face course work to be focused on practical learning rather than teaching theory, that can be learnt in an online fashion.

We sadly postponed our conference in Perth this year due to COVID-19 and rescheduled it for 2021. We can all look forward to experiencing beautiful Perth next year and hopefully reuniting in a face to face environment. We thank the conference committee for their hard work and the difficult decisions that have had to be made over the last six months.

Our strategic plan for the next 12 months includes further work on developing new elective course work in the areas of Wound Management and Imaging, and the revision of current core course work with a view to components of these courses becoming available online. We are working hard behind the scenes to adapt to our current situation and continue to provide quality education to our therapists.

We welcome ideas and feedback from our members at any time and are always looking to expand our educational opportunities for our members. We wish you all a safe and healthy year to come.

Education


Research and Scholarships

Hamish Anderson President-Elect Chair of the Research and Scholarship Committee

The Research and Scholarship committee have been active throughout 2019/20 working towards the objectives set out in the AHTA’s strategic plan. The role of the committee is to promote and provide support for the research and philanthropic projects of AHTA members.

Achievements aligned within the current strategic plan:

• Regular communication to members via eNEWS, updates in the FingerPrint quarterly newsletter, and the Research-Hub articles.

• Administration of the seven current AHTA funded research projects with regular project reviews.

• Providing mentorship and support to members currently undertaking or planning to begin research projects.

• Regularly reviewing application forms and requirements for research funded by the AHTA.

• Monitoring online survey requests to ensure they meet the demands of members.

• Discussing and establishing co-operation in international research projects with like associations.

Research Projects 2019/20Over the course of the year, the committee has monitored and provided support for 9 AHTA funded research projects. Two of these were approved this year, 5 others are ongoing and 2 were completed. Congratulations to Brodwen McBain and Germaine Sim on their successful applications for funding:

Brodwen McBain – Clinical and sonographic characteristics of de Quervains syndrome.

Germaine Sim – The use of mobilising orthoses in the management of post-traumatic elbow contractures.

Philanthropic GrantsNo applications were received for philanthropic funding this year and so unfortunately the money put aside for this purpose was not allocated. It is possible that the presence of COVID-19 has been responsible for this. We would encourage members to apply for access to this money if required for philanthropic ventures.

Research ProjectsAt the time of writing the committee has 2 applications for research funding that they are reviewing. This is less than we had last year, and it is possible again that the presence of COVID-19 has had an impact here. We would like to encourage applications for funding and remind members that this committee exists to help you with the processes and demands of research funding and research projects.

In closing, I must make special mention of the members of the Research and Scholarship Committee: Andrea Bialocerkowski, Nicola Massey-Westropp, Lauren Miller, and Susan Peters. I have learnt so much working with you all over the past two years and am in awe of your collective intellect. Without your expertise, patience and dedication nothing would be achieved.


Marketing

Brigette Evans Marketing Officer

With what has arguably been the most challenging year for many, including the Association, from a marketing perspective we have thoroughly enjoyed sharing the wonderful achievements of our members and the Association itself. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members and volunteers that have been a positive support through this time, with special mention to our incredible staff.

Our marketing committee continue to focus on highlighting the importance of hand therapy through many avenues. Throughout the year we have had some fantastic monthly blogs. This has attracted nice attention from the general public and has helped educate people on common hand therapy topics. Having a greater university presence this year has supported interested students as they enter their careers. This has been a great step towards students completing the AHTA Introduction to Hand Therapy course. We have aimed to change the focus of the Social Media messaging over the last 12 months. While striving to keep all members informed, we have made the main focus educating all on what is hand therapy — the Fun Facts have been a big hit. Thank you to the subcommittee members for your ongoing hard work and commitment to the AHTA.

This year saw the rollout of the much-anticipated patient information handouts. The feedback from these has been overwhelming, thank you. We hope these are assisting your patients and have been a useful tool for all members. Another big thank you to all of our members that have assisted with bringing these together.

The AHTA 2019 Annual Conference was another great opportunity for the AHTA showcase the amazing work of its members. Thank you to everyone involved in putting on this great event.

I would like to take the opportunity to welcome and thank Wendy, our incredible CEO. In what has been a challenging 6 months stepping into this new role, Wendy has taken it all in her stride and has led the

AHTA to make some significant positive changes in a short period of time. As these changes are being implemented, we are seeing a smoother, more cohesive approach to the marketing of the AHTA. Having Wendy represent the AHTA at important National Allied Health meetings is assisting to build the reputation of the AHTA. This presence has also meant the AHTA are involved in crucial COVID-19 communication. This has assisted members in keeping them informed and up-to-date in a rapidly changing environment. Thank you Wendy!

Our Hand Therapy Awareness Week 2020 couldn’t have been more enjoyable. The marketing committee thoroughly enjoyed reading through all entries for the Local Legends competition. This was incredibly uplifting and has highlighted what a strong, supportive, gifted and committed group of colleagues we have.

We look forward to what will be another wonderful year ahead!

Pictured L–R: Nick Criticos, Action Rehab; Verity Watkins, Patient; Wendy Rowland, AHTA CEO and Emma Ellison, Clinical Education Account Manager, Performance Health.


Library and Resources Adrian Jollow Library and Resources Officer

The library continues to loan both physical and online items to members. The online options include access to Science Direct for the publications of Hand Clinics, Journal of Hand Therapy and Journal of Hand Surgery from 2004 onwards. EBSCO provides access to search via Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Source, MEDLINE with Full Text, CINAHL Plus with Full Text. There has been some ongoing interest from members in accessing hard copies of earlier issues of the Journals and texts from the library over the past 12 months.

Following the survey from last year, we have continued to offer the online resource, Exploring Hand Therapy videos to members. Access to the video courses continues through the Members section of the website, under resources and then online education resources. Under the agreement, the following courses have been available:

• Brachial Plexus: Secrets of Treating TOS

• Elbow: An Evidenced Based Approach to Effective Rehabilitation

• Intrinsics: Unravel the Mystery

• X-Ray Vision for the Therapist: I’ve Got You Under my Skin

• All About the Thumb CMCJ Osteoarthritis

• Burns: Stop, Drop and Rehab

• Hand Therapy Boot Camp

• Mirror Mirror on the Wall: Motor Imagery

• Wound Care for the Hand Specialist: Heal em up Quickly

• Ergonomics: Tips, Tricks & Trivia

With the results from the 2020 Member Survey, we will reassess the value of the Exploring Hand Therapy modules and expand or reduce based on member input.

The period from March through to June was a fairly busy time for therapists and interest in online educational resources. There were 813 pageviews of the AHTA online educational resources link via the members section on the website during this period.

Resources for Purchase We continue to have a selection of books available for purchase through the AHTA website covering a range of topics. Resources available for sale via the website include:

• Hand and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation: A Quick Reference Guide & Review, 4th Edition

• ASHT Test Prep for the CHT Exam, 3rd Edition

• ASHT Clinical Assessment Recommandations (3rd Edition): Impairment-Based Conditions

• Everyday Upper Extremity Anatomy: A Clinical Guide, Reference and Interactive Workbook

• Evidence Based Hand and Upper Extremity Protocols: A Practical Guide for Therapists and Physicians

• Hand Splinting Orthotic Intervention – Principles of Design & Fabrication 2nd Edition

• Caring for the Painful Thumb – 2015 Edition

Online JournalsOur online journals have continued to be well supported by members throughout 2019/20. Science Direct (Elsevier) provides

access to Hand Clinics, Journal of Hand Therapy and Journal of Hand Surgery (American). We have full text access to The Journal of Hand Surgery (American) and Journal of Hand Therapy back to 1995 and Hand Clinics back to 2002.

Members use of both Science Direct and EBSCO has been slightly lower than in previous years.

Science Direct remains our more popular platform. Over the past 12 months there were 11,231 searches with 19,631 full text articles downloaded.

EBSCO, our other online journal source, hosts Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Source, MEDLINE® with Full Text, and CINAHL®. Over the past 12 months we have seen a decrease in the usage of this platform. There were 2,437 searches conducted, and 151 full text articles were downloaded.

Table 10 Science Direct journal database

0500

1000150020002500

Jul 19 Aug 19 Sep 19 Oct 19 Nov 19 Dec 19 Jan 20 Feb 20 Mar 20 Apr 20 May 20 Jun 20

Full-text article requests Searches

Table 11 EBSCO journal database

0100200300400500600700

Jul 19 Aug 19 Sep 19 Oct 19 Nov 19 Dec 19 Jan 20 Feb 20 Mar 20 Apr 20 May 20 Jun 20

Full-text article requests Searches


State and Territory Affairs

Elizabeth Giuffre State and Territories Affairs Officer

Over the reporting period of July 2019 to June 2020 our subcommittee has continued to work and focus towards the strategic plan objective of ‘providing professional development opportunities’, and the past 12 months has definitely provided some distinct and unforeseen challenges.

July – December 2019, was for the most part, business as usual. Our special interest group meetings were running across the country and although the in-person attendance was still higher, there was a growing number of attendees accessing the meetings remotely via the Zoom platform. 2019 also saw us introduce a new way of registering for the meetings, automatic upload of CPD certificates via the member portal on the website and apart form a few infancy issues everything was running smoothly.

Jump to January – June 2020 and there were a handful of States and Territories lucky enough to hold one face to face meeting before the lockdown and social distancing restrictions were announced in March. We had to cancel upcoming interest group meetings that had been planned and advertised. We moved our subcommittee meeting forward to discuss and brainstorm ideas of how we could keep the special interest group meetings going in some form. Within weeks our Divisional Coordinators had started to source and lock in presenters to present as part of the S&T SIG National Webinar program.

Accessing SIG meetings via Zoom is nothing new for some of our members as we have been offering this as an option for certain events since 2016, but this is the first year we have offered a SIG as a completely remote online event.

I would like to thank all of our Divisional Coordinators who have volunteered over this time period, including those that have stepped down over the last 12 months. Hana Peake, Marissa Kwijas and Helen Scott stepping down and Stephanie Everest, Leanne Graham and Kate Wharton who have taken over this role (VIC), Amanda McKillop, Sally Colwell, Frances Black and Margo Coffee (QLD), Sarah Fairthorne, Vicky Allbrook, Jesse DeJong (WA) Victoria Gorringe (ACT), Michele Chim, Adrian Jollow, Susan Dunn and Victoria Tricardos (NSW), Charlotte Nash and Andi Tao (SA) and Jayne Donovan (NT). The dedication and determination of this hardworking team does not go without appreciation and I would like to take this time to formally acknowledge and thank them for their contribution over the past 12 months. It is thanks to them that we have been able to offer so many

remote webinars and this is greatly valued, as it not only continues to offer professional development opportunities but has also allowed individuals a continued sense of connection to other members and our Association.

I need to also formally thank Sara Brito in her role as Digital Education Officer. Sara has dedicated her time and expertise to our subcommittee since April and has guided and supported the Divisional Coordinators with this transition and has hosted these webinar presentations. We are very appreciative of this.

As I look forward to the next 12 months, I hope to see the return of face to face SIG meetings as social distancing restrictions are eased, but I know no matter what the months bring our subcommittee will be able to continue to support our members.

Table 12: Number of attendees at national webinars (May–June 2020)

0 50 100 150 200 250

Chronic pain and trauma; illuses to consider in …

ACT pain centre: MDT assessment and treatment of …

Looking at pain from a different perspective (Vic)

Telehealth Q&A Panel

Introduction to trauma informed care (QLD)

Taping techniques of upper limb conditions (SA)

Reconstruction of the burnt upper limb (QLD)

103

116

211

46

110

187

139


New South Wales DivisionVictoria Tricardos, Michele Chim, Adrian Jollow and Susan Dunn, NSW Divisional Coordinators

In NSW, the Divisional Coordinator roles continue to be held by Victoria, Michele, Susan and Adrian for the period of July 2019 to June 2020. In the latter half of 2019 we had a number of inspiring speakers for our Special Interest Group.

We were lucky enough for the Founder and Director of NOI, Associate Professor David Butler to present to us. For those of you who have never had the opportunity to hear David speak, he is a very dynamic presenter who spoke to us about pain sciences in a way that made the concept seem very straight forward. It was a very well attended meeting both in person and online.

We also had a talk by Twee Bridges who is a certified Kinesio Taping Instructor. Twee was happy to adapt her teaching for us to focus on ‘Kinesio Taping the upper limb’. The talk was a really practical session where we all had the chance to try different taping methods.

Our last meeting for the year was combined with our Christmas party in December. Adrian managed to secure a new location for us to hold this in Pyrmont, which seemed to be a popular option judging by the turnout. Our speaker, Dr Rosemary Prosser, needs no introduction in the hand therapy world and is recognised as a leading expert in the wrist and hand. Rosemary spoke to us about the latest research on assessment, examination and treatment of the wrist. She also gave us some really practical advice on how to base your treatment on research and also take into account the symptoms of the patient.

Apart from the Christmas meeting (which was in person only), the other meetings were well attended in person and on-line (using the Zoom platform). Divisional Coordinators as well as the AHTA executive are working closely to streamline the registration process (for NSW Interest Group Meetings) via the new AHTA website.

In a bid to reduce waste, we tried to encourage people attending in person to bring their own plate and cup as a trial at the end of last year. This went surprisingly well

and is something which we may consider permanently moving forward.

The first half of 2020 was a quiet time for NSW Special Interest Group meetings. No in person meetings took place initially as we were waiting for the COVID-19 situation to settle down. With lockdowns then being in place the state interest group meetings were then replaced with National Webinars.

We are continuing to look for locations in the Inner West of Sydney to hold our

Special Interest Group Meetings as we have consistent feedback to try to move the location to allow everyone to attend. We do have a potential new site, which hopefully we can use later in the year pending social distancing rules.

Plans for in person meetings for the remainder of this year are tentative and will depend on the evolving COVID-19 restrictions in NSW.

Rebecca Crowley enjoying the Christmas meeting with her NSW colleagues.


Victoria DivisionLeanne Graham, Stephanie Everest and Kate Wharton VIC Division Coordinators

Victoria has undergone a transition from 2019 to 2020 with a completely new team of Divisional Coordinators; Stephanie Everest, Kate Wharton, and Leanne Graham. In late 2019 we farewelled the full SIG divisional co-ordinator team of Helen Scott, Marissa Kwijas, and Hana Peake, and we sincerely thank them for their hard work over the past three years. Having a full new team has brought its share of challenges and we thank our members for their patience and support as we learn the ropes.

This year has seen our numbers grow by one new AHT – congratulations to Emily McMaster – 24 associates and one new affiliate. Our current member number is 176.

The Victorian SIG meetings have continued to be held on a bimonthly basis. There continued to be a mix of attendees via zoom as well as live attendance up to and including February this year, when COVID-19 halted our ability to meet face to face.

August 2019’s meeting included presenters Peter Maloney (Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon), who presented on wrist salvage procedures and dietitian Danika Carty, whose presentation was on nutrition and wound healing.

October’s presentation included pulley injuries and rehabilitation in rock climbers presented by Karen Fitt as well as Pearse Fay’s presentation on the use of 3D printed figure 8 splints compared to thermoplastics.

The VHSS annual meeting was held on the 27th November 2019 and as always was well attended by hand therapists. The guest Speaker was Prof Warren Hammert from the University of Rochester, New York, who presented on DRUJ arthritis, Vascular disorders, and Nerve repairs. Hand Therapy was represented by Rosie House who spoke on targeted HT treatment following collagenase treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture.

December’s pre-Christmas gathering included a presentation on osseo-integrated

prostheses vs replantation for digital amputations.

The February 2020 meeting was a hit thanks to an amazing session put together by Accredited Hand Therapist Jeff Sanderson. We had an in-depth and hands-on session covering the anatomy, pathology, prevention and evidence-based treatment of forearm rotation stiffness. There was a presentation of various splints which those in attendance were able to don and test. The Jas Splints were made available by Renata from Medi Australia and Emma from Performance Health and Brodwen McBain demonstrated the Prosupinator.

A highlight for Victoria this year was the APFSSH/APFSHT being held in Melbourne in March 2020 at the Melbourne Convention Centre. The organisers did a fantastic job especially given the daily changes in whether speakers were able to attend from various parts of the world, with last minute live video conferencing and recorded sessions. There were many excellent sessions and we were fortunate to hear from Judy Colditz and Don Lalonde, along with Dr Marc Garcia-Elias, Dr Aviva Wolff and Ms Alison Taylor as well as presentations delivered by therapists from across the nation as well as our local hand therapists including Melissa Hirth, Hamish Anderson, Daniel Purtell, Emily Donavon, Sara Brito and Brodwen McBain.

On Sunday 24 May 2020, Alison Taylor gave a live two-hour presentation including a Q&A session from the USA to over 160 attendees via zoom on the topic “Looking

at pain from a different perspective”. This webinar was designed to give clinicians a few different ways to assess and treat pain in the hand by looking closer at skin and fascia, as well as joint alignment. By utilising Kinesio tape and a few other tricks we can eliminate pain during treatment. Alison presented on “Treating without pain – taping for the upper limb” at the APFSSH/APFSHT Meeting in Melbourne in March however one of her two sessions was cancelled due to the worsening COVID-19 situation cutting short this conference. The May webinar was an excellent session, and much appreciated by those who did not get to see her session at the APFSSH/APFSHT conference.

Given the COVID-19 situation in Victoria at present there are no plans for face to face meetings in the next few months. If the situation improves, this will be reviewed. We have a plan for another two webinars including one on acute management of traumatic hand injuries presented by the team from RMH.

We would like to thank each presenter for their time and contribution to our profession, as well as those who attended our SIG meetings in person or via zoom live streaming within the past year. We are grateful for your support and look forward to more of our members contributions. We welcome anyone who wishes to present at a special interest group meeting to contact the Victorian divisional team via email [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


South Australia DivisionCharlotte Nash and Andi Tao SA Division Coordinators

Across the board, 2020 was the year that was! This year has been dominated by the novel Corona Virus of 2019, and across all sectors, our members have been scrambling to adapt, respond and continue providing care during an unprecedent health crisis.

At an organisational level, the efforts over the previous years to provide video access has been time well spent as we were able to adapt quickly to an entirely online format of service delivery. As a team, the Divisional Representatives across the country worked with Sara Brito, who organises the webinars, to switch any upcoming state meetings to national webinars to enable people across the nation continued access to ongoing professional development. These meetings were a resounding success with attendance numbers higher than ever recorded. The SA Team extends our heartfelt thanks to the AHTA organising committee for their ongoing support during this time.

We have continued to welcome new members over the past year, and we look forward to supporting their learning needs during the coming months when the future is not always certain. This year has seen the SA cohort grow with a total of 41 members – 7 new associates and 2 newly Accredited Hand Therapists. We continue to actively promote membership with the AHTA within both public and private sectors and encourage learning opportunities for both members and non–members in formal and informal settings. We have welcomed Andi Tao to the Divisional Representative team, and together we have been able to provide CPD both prior and during the lockdown. Over the coming months, we are looking forward to resuming face to face meetings as per our state restrictions and will ensure every attendees’ safety to the best our capacity with appropriate COVID-Safe Planning.

mailto:ahtasa.sig%40ahta.com.au?subject=


Western Australia DivisionVicky Allbrook, Jess De Jong and Sarah Fairthorne WA Division Coordinators

At the beginning of 2020, Sarah Fairthorne left the sub-committee as she began her maternity leave. We wish her beautiful family the very best. Consequently, we are currently seeking another subcommittee member to join us. We remain motivated towards providing excellent education opportunities for WA and ongoing support to our WA members, now in the context of COVID-19.

Our meetings are held in central Perth on Saturday mornings. They run for 3 hours and have 3—4 presentations each session. Meetings continue to be run by a public or private practice (on a rotational basis).

Meetings and topics in 2019/ 2020 Financial year have included:

September 2019 — Specialist on Hand

• Adherence to Hand Therapy HEP;

• Electronic options for exercise prescription; and

• “A Day at the Prom.”

December 2019

• Berlin meeting feedback and clinical peals – Tasha Forbes

• TFCC – Mr Angus Keogh

• Christmas Quiz! – HULC

Due to COVID-19, we did not hold any state interest group meetings in the first half of 2020. WA was lucky enough to host

the first face-to-face meeting on the 1st of August. To meet with hospital, state and federal guidelines only 30—40 people were permitted to attend in person, with Zoom offered to all as an alternative.

Additionally, ATHA members were invited to join our surgery colleagues at the WA Society of Hand Surgeons annual scientific meeting held in July 2019. We were very lucky to have Tony Berger from Melbourne, as our national speaker, and Raja Sabapathy, renowned international guest speaker from Ganga Hospital in India.

Perth was host to the Orthotic Fabrication Mobilisation course in October 2019, which is always a fantastic and hands-on learning experience. We continue to encourage all our members to embrace new learning opportunities and it has been exciting to see how Telehealth/Zoom has enabled us to continue to learn and grow in these interesting times. We know that many WA members stayed up late to watch Elisabet Hagert’s Webinar earlier this year!

The conference that was scheduled to be held in Perth in 2020 has now been rescheduled to the 26—29th August 2021.

In WA, and I’m sure the same is true nationally, universities had to cease many student placements to meet appropriate precautions. We look forward to being able to welcome back students to hand therapy placements soon.

The total number of members for WA is 129. WA has welcomed 3 new affiliate members, 7 new associate members and would like to congratulate Clare Fortescue, Rachel McKay Cameron, Judith Feldman, Kate Hodgkinson and Amanda Ranford for achieving their AHT membership in the last financial year.

We would like to thank all of the wonderful WA presenters from the last financial year and look forward to the upcoming education opportunities.


Queensland DivisionMargo Coffey, Sally Colwell, Frances Black and Amanda MacKillop QLD Division Coordinators

2020 has sure been unprecedented, but despite this, the Queensland division has continued to have strong membership growth and professional development opportunities. Our current membership sits at 234 members. Of these, we have 102 AHTs, 128 Associates, 2 Affiliates and 2 Life Members. Welcome to our new associates and congratulations to our new AHTs!

The highlight of this reporting year was the successful 2019 AHTA Conference held at the Pullman, Brisbane. Well done to our fabulous conference committee who worked tirelessly to deliver such a high quality and fun event.

As the QLD Divisional Representatives, we are continually trying to adapt and deliver ongoing professional development opportunities, particularly in this new climate. We have delivered 4 SIG meetings over the 2019—2020 reporting year. These presentations being:

• Digital replants, by Dr Libby Anderson (36 attendees),

• Arthritis, a focus on the thumb and future directions of surgery, by Dr Dan Rowe (32 attendees),

• Reconstruction of the burnt hand, by Dr Carl Lisec (offered as a national webinar with 139 attendees), and

• Trauma Informed Care, by Martha Druery (offered as a national webinar with 110 attendees).

We are greatly appreciative to all those involved in both hosting and presenting our meetings. Thank you for embracing the obligation to contribute to our profession and ensure the ongoing success of the AHTA.

We are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the successful applicant for the Jamieson Trauma Institute PhD Scholarship – Enhancing Occupational Performance in Orthopaedic Trauma Patients with Distal Radial Fractures. The purpose of this PhD Scholarship is to improve the evidence base behind occupational therapy management of distal radius fractures by identifying factors that influence successful return to occupational performance following injury. The expected outcome of this research is to devise a new clinical guideline to assist with early identification of those patients at risk of

poor health outcomes following distal radius fracture.

Germaine Sim has commenced her PhD into splinting for the stiff elbow. We will look forward to her future publications.

We are quietly watching the progress made by the First Contact Team of clinicians here in Queensland in relation to diagnostic imaging. We will happily update members as negotiations progress.

Finally, we encourage our Queensland members to keep us abreast of achievements, projects, research, publications and feedback from SIG meetings. If you work with a quiet achiever, please let us know about their work too! We rely on our members to keep us up to date so together we can celebrate the advancement of our profession.

We look forward to seeing you all in the near future, be it in the real or virtual world!


Australian Capital Territory DivisionVictoria Gorringe ACT Division Coordinator

Despite the challenges of 2020 ACT special interest group meeting had record numbers

The following meeting were delivered in 2019-2020:

• Flexor tendon injuries by Dr Igor Policinski

• Tennis elbow by Sally Faulder

• Motec Wrist replacement by Cara Gilbert

• Wrist ligament injuries by Dr Chris Roberts

• Complex regional pain syndrome by the ACT Pain Centre

ACT hosted its first online webinar with record number of over 100 attendees. This was a very successful meeting with overwhelmingly positive feedback.

I am excited to announce that a position for a second divisional coordinator has been approved, if anyone is wanting to volunteer for this position please email [email protected] to further discuss the role.

Over this past year with the challenges we have had to face, the ACT has continued to provide education, support and connection for our members, a hugely positive achievement given the current climate.

Northern Territory DivisionJayne Donovan NT Division Coordinator

This last year our membership numbers have increased to 12 AHTA members. We have had an increase in associate members from four to seven, while our full membership/AHT numbers remain at five.

The last year has seen many changes in the NT as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. General Hand Therapy interest groups have traditionally been held in Darwin every three months with most of our members attending and regularly presenting. Due to social distancing these have not occurred since February, however, as the situation eases

they will potentially recommence in the coming months. In the interim members have been very appreciative for online webinars and national SIG’s that still enable access to PD. In the next year we hope to re-establish regular interest groups with greater utilisation of technology for remote therapists.

Previously members have been reluctant to change from general interest group to AHTA specific due to our small membership, however, as this slowly grows it is a topic I will again explore.


AUSTRALIAN HAND THERAPY ASSOCIATION INCFINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30TH JUNE 2020

CONTENTSStatement of Management Committee 33

Statement of Income & Expenditure 34

Statement of Financial Position 35

Statement of Cash Flows 35

Notes to the Financial Statements 36

Independent Audit Report 38

STATEMENT BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEEThe committee has determined that the association is not a reporting entity and that this special purpose financial report should be prepared in accordance with the accounting policies outlined in Note 1 to the financial statements.

In the opinion of the committee the financial report as set out on pages 33 to 39:

1 Presents a true and fair view of the financial position of AUSTRALIAN HAND THERAPY ASSOCIATION INC as at 30 June 2020 and its performance for the period ended on that date.

2 At the date of this statement, there are reasonable grounds to believe that AUSTRALIAN HAND THERAPY ASSOCIATION INC will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due.

This statement is made in accordance with a resolution of the committee and is signed for and on behalf of the committee by:


23 September 2020

Rosie Koh Treasurer

23 September 2020

Financial Statements


STATEMENT OF INCOME & EXPENDITUREFOR THE YEAR ENDED 30TH JUNE 2020

NOTES

2020 2019

$ $

INCOMEMembership Subscriptions 309,512 273,074Membership Applications 17,315 17,341Newsletter Subscriptions 193 128Conference 53,668 62,415Courses & Workshops 245,741 361,042Advertising & Promotions 12,107 12,960Interest Group 2,836 1,139Interest Received – Bank 217 9,209Knowledge & Resources 10,901 10,147Grant - Regional & Remote 4,500 4,500COVID Relief:- Jobkeeper 30,000 –- Cash Flow Boost 16,590 –Workers Compensation Wages Reimbursement 39,957 –Sundry Income 400 1,455TOTAL INCOME 743,937 753,410

EXPENSESAdvertising & Promotion 15,947 7,923Accounting Fees 3,793 4,119Auditors Remuneration - Fees 3,350 3,000Awards 2,300 1,300Bank Charges and Merchant Fees 8,387 9,720Board & Governance Expenses 26,961 42,480Conference 5,841 30,815Computer Expenses 13,996 9,079Courses, Workshops & Meetings 262,698 310,343Depreciation and Amortisation 12,095 8,795EBSCO - Science Direct 64,699 58,862Gratuities & Sundry Expenses 1,974 612Honorarium Fees 17,700 12,750Insurance 11,570 11,287Interest Group 2,217 2,534Knowledge & Resources 9,222 8,840Legal Fees 13,430 6,948Postage 1,796 4,014Printing & Stationery 4,884 4,629Publications & Information Resources 948 7,176Scholarship Funding 22,371 12,385Subscriptions 12,459 9,680Superannuation 24,197 14,434Telecommunications 7,186 3,763Teleconference – 2,493Wages & Salaries 283,135 176,528

TOTAL EXPENSES 833,156 764,509

SURPLUS (DEFICIT) BEFORE INCOME TAX (89,219) (11,099)Income Tax Expense – –SURPLUS (DEFICIT) AFTER INCOME TAX (89,219) (11,099)Retained Profits at beginning of Financial Year 661,677 672,776Retained Profits at End of Financial Year 572,458 661,677


STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 30 JUNE 2020

NOTES

2020 2019

$ $

CURRENT ASSETS

Cash at Bank 748,078 734,401

Prepayments 10,063 15,054

Trade Debtors 10,412 8,851

Stock on Hand - At Cost 8,140 11,739

776,693 770,045

NON CURRENT ASSETS

Office Equipment at Cost 12,897 6,663

Less Accumulated Depreciation (4,102) (2,181)

8,795 4,482

Website Design at Cost 40,052 35,842

Less Accumulated Amortisation (22,602) (12,689)

17,450 23,153

TOTAL ASSETS 802,938 797,680

CURRENT LIABILITIES

Fees in Advance 137,730 81,289

GST Payable 13,109 10,684

Other Creditors 49,059 14,811

Provisions 3 30,582 29,219

230,480 136,003

NET ASSETS 572,458 661,677

MEMBERS EQUITY

Retained Earnings 572,458 661,677

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWSFOR THE YEAR ENDED 30TH JUNE 2020

NOTES

2020 2019

$ $

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

Receipts from customers & members 798,675 752,003

Payments to suppliers (774,510) (752,149)

Interest received 217 9,209

Net Cash provided by Operating Activities 2 24,382 9,063

Purchase of Non-Current Assets (10,705) (16,612)

Net increase/(decrease) in cash held 13,677 (7,549)

Cash at the beginning of financial year 734,401 741,950

Cash at the end of financial year 748,078 734,401


NOTES TO AND FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30TH JUNE 2020

NOTE 1 — ACCOUNTING POLICIESThe committee has prepared the financial statements on the basis that the Registered Australian Body is a non reporting entity because there are no users dependent on general purpose financial statements. The financial statements are therefore special purpose financial statements that have been prepared in order to meet the needs of members.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the significant accounting policies disclosed below, which the committee has determined are appropriate to meet the needs of members. Such accounting policies are consistent with the previous period unless stated otherwise.

The financial statements have been prepared on an accrual basis and are based on historical costs unless otherwise stated in the notes. The accounting policies that have been adopted in the preparation of the statements are as follows:-

Revenue and Other Income

Revenue Recognition:The association has applied AASB 15: Revenue from Contracts with Customers (AASB 15) and AASB 1058: Income of Not-for-Profit Entities (AASB 1058).

Operating Grants and Sponsorship:When the association received operating grant revenue and sponsorship it assesses whether the contract is enforceable and has sufficiently specific performance obligations in accordance with AASB 15.

When both these conditions are satisfied, the association - identifies each performance obligation relating to the grant - recognises a contract liability for its obligations under the agreement -recognises revenue as it satisfies its performance obligations.

Capital Grants:When the association receives a capital grant, it recognises a liability for the excess of the initial carrying amount of the financial asset received over any related amounts (being contributions by owners, lease liability, financial instruments, provisions, revenue or contract liability arising from a contract with a customer) recognised under other Australian Accounting Standards.

The association recognises income in profit or loss when or as the company satisfies its obligations under the terms of the grant.

Interest Income:Interest income is recognised as received.

Revenue from the rendering of a service is recognised upon the delivery of the service to customers.

All revenue is stated net of the amount of goods and services tax.

Employee ProvisionsProvision is made for the association’s liability for employee benefits arising from services rendered by employees to the end of the reporting period. Employee provisions have been measured at the amounts expected to be paid when the liability is settled.

Income TaxThe incorporated association is not carried on for the purpose of profit or gain to its individual members and accordingly income from members is not subject to income tax. Income tax is provided for on income from non members on the Principle of Mutuality rule and is charged as an expense in the financial statements.

Goods and Services TaxRevenues, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of goods and services tax (GST). The net amount of GST recoverable from, or payable to, the taxation authority is included as part of payables.

Impairment of AssetsAt the end of each reporting period, the committee reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have been impaired. If such an indication exists, an impairment test is carried out on the asset by comparing the recoverable amount of the asset, being the higher of the asset’s fair value less costs of disposal and value in use, to the asset’s carrying amount. Any excess of the asset’s carrying amount over its recoverable amount is recognised in the income and expenditure statement.


NOTE 2 — RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH PROVIDEDBY OPERATING ACTIVITIES

NOTES

2020 2019

$ $

Surplus (deficit) after income tax (89,219) (11,099)

Depreciation 12,095 8,795

Employee Entitlements (2,382) 11,943

Other Provisions 3,745 (10,229)

Decrease/(increase) in receivables 3,505 (6,451)

Decrease/(increase) in stock 3,599 (2,253)

Increase/(decrease) in payables 93,039 18,357

NET CASH PROVIDED BY/(USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES 24,382 9,063

NOTE 3 — PROVISIONS

NOTES

2020 2019

$ $

Employee Entitlements 32,204 34,586

Income Tax (1,622) (5,367)

30,582 29,219

NOTE 4 — MORTGAGES AND CHARGESThere are no mortgages, charges and securities of any description affecting any of the property of the incorporated association at the close of the said year.

NOTE 5 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTSNo matters have arisen since 30 June 2020 which would have a material effect on these financial statements.

NOTE 6 — COVID-19 PANDEMICIn response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, in March 2020, the Australian Government implemented restrictions relating to events and public gatherings, founded upon physical distancing and hygiene principles to protect the community from the spread of COVID-19. The AHTA postponed 12 face-to-face courses, equating to 24 days of education from 15 March, 2020 -30 June 2020.

NOTE 7 — CONTINGENT LIABILITIESThere were no contingent liabilities at 30 June 2020.


REPORT ON THE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL REPORT

OpinionWe have audited the financial report of Australian Hand Therapy Association Inc (the association), which comprises the assets and liabilities statement as at 30 June 2020, the income and expenditure statement for the year then ended, statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies, and the certification by members of the committee on the annual statements giving a true and fair view of the financial position and performance of the association.

In our opinion, the accompanying financial report presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the association as at 30 June 2020 and its financial performance for the year then ended in accordance with the accounting policies described in Note 1 to the financial statements and the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 as it applies to a Registered Australian Body.

Basis for OpinionWe conducted our audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in accordance with the ethical requirements of the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board’s APES 110: Code ofEthics for Professional Accountants (the Code) that are relevant to our audit of the financial report in Australia. We have also fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with the Code.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Emphasis of Matter - Basis of AccountingWe draw attention to Note 1 to the financial report, which describes the basis of accounting. The financial report has been prepared to assist the association to meet the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 as it applies to a Registered Australian Body. As a result, the financial report may not be suitable for another purpose. Our opinion is not modified in respect of this matter.

Responsibilities of the Committee for the Financial ReportThe committee is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial report in accordance with the financial reporting requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 as it applies to a Registered Australian Body and for such internal control as the committee determines is necessary to enable the preparation and fair presentation of a financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial report, the committee is responsible for assessing the association’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters relating to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the committee either intends to liquidate the association or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial ReportOur objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial report as a whole is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with the Australian Auditing Standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions ofusers taken on the basis of this financial report.

As part of an audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards, we exercise professional judgement and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:

• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.

• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the asso ciation ‘s internal control.

• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the committee.

• Conclude on the appropriateness of the committee’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the association’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial report or, if such disclosures are inadequate to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the association to cease to continue as a going concern.

• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial report, including the disclosures, and whether the financial report represents the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

• Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the financial information of the entities or business activities within the group to express an opinion on the financial report. We are responsible for the direction, supervision and performance of the audit. We remain solely responsible for our audit opinion.

Independent Audit Report


We communicate with the committee regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

Norman J Hoare Registered Company Auditor Morris & Batzloff Chartered Accountants 141 Logan Road, Woolloongabba

Dated: 3 September 2020


Certificates of Insurance

Aon Risk Services Australia Limited ABN 17 000 434 720 . www.aon.com.au Aon has always valued the privacy of personal information. If you would like a copy of our Privacy Policy, you can contact us or access it from our website at www.aon.com.au.

25 October 2019 Australian Hand Therapy Association Inc. PO Box 5111 WEST BUSSELTON WA 6280

In our capacity as Insurance Brokers to Australian Hand Therapy Association Inc., we hereby certify that the undermentioned Insurance Contract is current. This certificate is issued as a matter of information only and confers no rights upon the certificate holder. This certificate does not amend, extend or alter the coverage afforded by the policy detailed below.

Class of Insurance Association Liability

Insurer Chubb Insurance Australia Limited (40%) Insurance Australia Limited (40%) Allied World Assurance Company (20%)

Policy Number AONPRM1GHRG

Period of Insurance From: 10-Oct-19 To: 10-Oct-20

Class of Insurance Limit of Liability

Section 1: Professional Liability Section 2: Management Liability Section 3: Association Liability Section 4: Employment Practices Liability Section 5: Employee Fraud or Dishonesty ($100,000 limit) $20,000,000 any one claim and Sections 1, 2, 3 & 4: $40,000,000 in the aggregate

Situation/Location Anywhere in Australia Yours faithfully

Mick Singh Signed for and on behalf of Aon Risk Services Australia Limited

PO Box 1331 Parramatta NSW 2124 Level 1, 130 George Street,

Parramatta NSW 2150 DX 8248 Parramatta

phone +61 2 8623 4101 fax +61 2 9253 7299

email [email protected]

GPO Box 4189, Sydney NSW 2001 Level 33, Aon Tower

201 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000 DX 10206 Sydney Stock Exchange

phone +61 2 9253 fax +61 2 9253 7799

email

Certificate of Currency




In our capacity as Insurance Brokers to Australian Hand Therapy Association Inc., we hereby certify that the undermentioned Insurance Contract is current. This certificate is issued as a matter of information only and confers no rights upon the certificate holder. This certificate does not amend, extend or alter the coverage afforded by the policy detailed below. Class of Insurance Voluntary Workers Personal Accident

Insurer Accident & Health International Pty Ltd



Limit of Liability Death & Capital Benefits $ 100,000 Weekly Benefits $ 1,000

Situation/Location Anywhere in The Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand

Yours faithfully

Mick Singh Signed for and on behalf of Aon Risk Services Australia Limited Important notes

• This certificate is a summary of cover only. Please refer to the Policy Wording and Schedule for its full terms and conditions.

• Aon does not guarantee that the insurance outlined in this Certificate will continue to remain in force for the period referred to as the Policy may be cancelled or altered by either party to the contract, at any time, in accordance with the terms of the Policy and the Insurance contracts Act 1984 (Cth).

• Aon accepts no responsibility or liability to advise any party who may be relying on this Certificate of such alteration to or cancellation of the Policy.

• This Certificate does not: o Represent an insurance contract or confer rights to the recipient : or o Amend, extend or alter the Policy.

PO Box 1331 Parramatta NSW 2124 Level 1, 130 George Street,

Parramatta NSW 2150 DX 8248 Parramatta

phone +61 2 8623 4265 fax +61 2 9253 7299

email [email protected] Certificate of Currency




In our capacity as Insurance Brokers to Australian Hand Therapy Association Inc., we hereby certify that the undermentioned Insurance Contract is current. This certificate is issued as a matter of information only and confers no rights upon the certificate holder. This certificate does not amend, extend or alter the coverage afforded by the policy detailed below. Class of Insurance Public & Products Liability

Insurer Insurance Australia Limited t/as CGU



Limit of Liability $10,000,000 any one occurrence and in the aggregate for Products

Situation/Location Anywhere in Australia

Yours faithfully

Mick Singh Signed for and on behalf of Aon Risk Services Australia Limited Important notes

• This certificate is a summary of cover only. Please refer to the Policy Wording and Schedule for its full terms and conditions.

• Aon does not guarantee that the insurance outlined in this Certificate will continue to remain in force for the period referred to as the Policy may be cancelled or altered by either party to the contract, at any time, in accordance with the terms of the Policy and the Insurance contracts Act 1984 (Cth).

• Aon accepts no responsibility or liability to advise any party who may be relying on this Certificate of such alteration to or cancellation of the Policy.

• This Certificate does not: o Represent an insurance contract or confer rights to the recipient : or o Amend, extend or alter the Policy.

PO Box 1331 Parramatta NSW 2124

Level 1, 130 George Street, Parramatta NSW 2150

DX 8248 Parramatta phone +61 2 8623 4265

fax +61 2 9253 7299 email [email protected]

Certificate of Currency

PO Box 5111, West Busselton, WA 6280

T: 08 9778 9070

E: [email protected]

ABN: 72 874 453 636 ahta.com.au

annual report 2019–2020 - ahta

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