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Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards

Final Annual Report

Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards Final Annual Report

DPC2888_Annual_Report_Cover_2011-2012_TEMPLATE_v1_OL.indd 1 5/07/12 4:46 PM

Dental Technicians Board of Queensland

Speech Pathologists Board of Queensland

2012-13

2012/2013 Final Annual Report for Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards

2012/2013 Final Annual Report for Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards 2012/2013 Final Annual Report for Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards

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ContentsGlossary 4

Letter of compliance 5

General Information 6

Non-financial Performance 13

Financial Performance 16

Governance – Management and Structure 17

Governance – Risk Management and Accountability 18

Governance – Human Resources 19

Appendices 20

Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2013 25

Criteria Checklist 47

Public availability

Copies of this final annual report are available at no cost by contacting the Department as follows:

In writing: GPO Box 48, Brisbane, Qld 4001.

Telephone: (07) 3234 0111.

Interpreter service statement

The Queensland Government is committed to providing accessible services to Queenslanders from all culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. If you have difficulty in understanding the annual report, you can contact us on (07) 3234 0111 and we will arrange an interpreter to effectively communicate the report to you.

ISSN 1837-526X

©Office of Health Practitioner Registration 2013

Government Information Licensing Framework (GILF) Licence

Licence:

This annual report is licensed by the State of Queensland (Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards) under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 3.0 Australia licence.

CC BY Licence Summary Statement:

In essence, you are free to copy, communicate and adapt this annual report, as long as you attribute the work to the Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards.

To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/3.0/au/deed.en

Attribution:

Content from this annual report should be attributed as:

The Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards annu-al report 2012-2013.


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GlossaryAdministration Act means the Health Practitioner Registration Boards (Administration) Act 1999 (now repealed).

AHPRA means the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency established under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009.

CT X-ray computed tomography – sometimes called a CAT scan, a non-invasive medical test to help in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.

FTE Full Time Equivalent – a way to measure a worker’s involvement in a position.

IT Information Technology

Legislation Custodian for the purpose of the Queensland Health processes for monitoring of legislative compliance by the agencies that report to the Minister for Health - the Executive Officer, Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards.

Legislative scheme means the scheme in place in Queensland during the period of this report for regulation of the health professions, consisting of the Administration Act, the Professional Standards Act and the Registration Act for each regulated profession.

National registration scheme or national scheme means the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme which arose from the 2008 COAG agreement to establish a single national scheme to create nationally consistent, rigorous registration and accreditation arrangements.

NRAS See National registration scheme

Office means the Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards or OHPRB.

Operational Plan means a Plan covering a 12 month period that describes objectives, milestones and how these outcomes will be achieved, in line with the Strategic Plan 2008-2013.

PID Act means the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010

Professional Standards Act means the Health Practitioners (Professional Standards) Act 1999

QCAT means the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

REGIS (Registrations Information System) – was a program and database which allowed for the retention and accessing of registration information by the Office, and provided registrants with an online tool to update their details and renew or restore registration. REGIS also allowed the general public to check the registration status for registrants of the health practitioner Boards administered by the Office.

Registration Act/s means, subject to context, one or more of the Registration Acts (now repealed) that during the period of this report provided for the registration of health

practitioners in Queensland and for other purposes. These were:

• Dental Technicians Registration Act 2001 and

• Speech Pathologists Registration Act 2001.

Repeal Act means the Health Practitioner and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2013.

Service Agreement means an agreement made under the Health Practitioner Registration Boards (Administration) Act 1999 (now repealed) between the Executive Officer and a Board for the provision of administrative and operational support by the Office to the Board.

The Boards (or health practitioner registration boards) means, during the period of this report, the Dental Technicians Board of Queensland and Speech Pathologists Board of Queensland.

TRIM is an Electronic Document and Records Management System which was utilized by the Office.

Transitional Office means the Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards after 1 July 2010.


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Letter of compliance

The Honourable Lawrence Springborg MP Minister for Health GPO Box 48 BRISBANE QLD 4001

30 June 2013

Dear Minister

I am pleased to present the final Annual Report 2012-2013 of the Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards.

I certify that this annual report complies with:

• The prescribed requirements of the Financial Accountability Act 2009 and the Financial and Performance Management Standard 2009.

• The detailed requirements set out in the Annual Report Requirements for Queensland Government Agencies.

A checklist outlining the annual reporting requirements can be accessed on page 47 of this report.

Yours sincerely

Michael Demy-Geroe

Executive Officer



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General Information

From the Executive OfficerThe Health Practitioner and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2013 received Royal Assent on 27 March 2013. By the operation of that Act the remaining two boards within the legislative scheme for the health professions in Queensland, viz. the Dental Technicians Board and the Speech Pathologists Board were abolished effective on the proclaimed date, 20 May 2013. The closure date for the Office was set for 30 June 2013.

As a consequence, this is the final annual report of the Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards, a Queensland Government entity which had endured in various forms for almost 80 years.

Throughout the year under review and up to the date of abolition of our client boards and the Office, OHPRB staff continued to actively and assiduously provide quality administrative and operational support which would enable the Boards to fulfill their statutory roles. Even in the countdown months preceding the end of year festive season in 2012, our staff members were handed another challenge when the Office, together with all infrastructure had to relocate to new premises, our previous arrangement with AHPRA having expired. This substantial logistical exercise was accomplished with no interruptions to our service delivery to clients. It is further testimony to the resilience, dedication and capability of the staff of the Office.

As the narrative of our organization included with this report documents, OHPRB had a long history of fulfilling its role competently and professionally, often against all odds. Our orderly closure is but one of the achievements of the staff of the Office, of which we can be justifiably proud.

I am pleased, once again, to record my appreciation for the commitment, hard work and enthusiasm of all staff members which underpinned the successes of our final year of operation; and also for the co-operative assistance of officers of the Queensland Health Department. It has been a great privilege for me to have had the opportunity to lead OHPRB for the final 3½ years of its existence, in culmination of a career with the Office spanning a quarter of a century.

Michael Demy-Geroe

Executive Officer


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A Beginning and an End: An Outline of Eight Decades of OHPRB History

Introduction

The Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards was established as an independent public service agency on 7 February, 2000, when the provisions of the Health Practitioner Registration Boards (Administration) Act 1999 came into operation. If the closing Office were regarded as a distinct entity in the field of health practitioner regulation only from that date, the history of our agency would cover a very short time span. Yet the Office in its final incarnation was built on structures which had long been in place. The Office indeed claims lineal descent from reforms introduced by former Premier E M (Ned) Hanlon, during his term as Home Secretary.

With the completion of the phased introduction of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme on 1 July 2012, leaving only two professions under State regulation, the remnant of the regulatory and administrative support structure which served the health professions and health consumers in this State so well for decades, became unviable. Legislation was introduced at the end of 2012 which would abolish the legislative scheme and close the Office.

Foundations

In December 1933, Secretary Hanlon steered through Parliament the Medical and Other Acts Amendment Bill 1933. The new legislation came into force on 1 March, 1934. Under the Act a regulatory structure was established which provided greater government control over the five professional boards then in existence. This was achieved by requiring each board to be constituted by a majority of government appointees. The capacity of professional associations to influence registration and health workforce issues was thus substantially diminished. Moreover, under Part 7 of the new legislation, the boards’ ability to employ their own administrators was removed and there was henceforth to be a single registrar for all regulated health professions, a public servant who would be responsible for the provision of administrative and operational support to the boards.

In introducing the Bill in Parliament, Hanlon announced it was intended that the registrar “…would be a Government Officer [who] would occupy an office in the Government Buildings so that close touch could be maintained with the Home Secretary’s Department.” Previously the professional registration boards, with the exception of the Medical Board, ie the Dental, Pharmacy, Nurses and Masseurs and Opticians Boards, had directly employed their own secretary/registrar, and individually engaged other administrative staff as needed. Some registration boards were said to have even carried out their role from the premises of the relevant professional association. The Courier Mail reported on 6 December 1933 Hanlon’s rationale for the Bill: “the boards were created in the interests of the public, but in the main they had been more concerned with professional interests…….the interests of the public had been neglected.”

The first Registrar of the Medical and Other Boards was appointed by Governor in Council on 8 March 1934, one week after the appointment of the reconstituted registration boards. He was 35 year old George Thomas Riddell, a clerk in the Home Office. Riddell spent the following sixteen years as Registrar setting the course for his new Office and diligently supporting the boards in their statutory roles. He was transferred and promoted to a position in the Mental Hygiene Directorate in late 1950, and died in 1955 at the age of 56 years.

It was clear from the beginning that the move to greater government influence over the health professions through the Hanlon changes would not be met with enthusiasm by many, and efforts would need to be made to re-build harmonious working relationships with these professions. Indeed the government’s move had been opposed by some as an attack on a fundamental principle, that of professional self regulation. In voicing opposition to the Bill when it was introduced, Mr T Nimmo, MLA (Oxley) had accused the government of taking another step, “in the policy of interference with the rights of people doing good work in the medical and dental professions” and towards “ultimate socialism”. A departmental practice of keeping the Office at arm’s length from the Department’s mainstream activities however ensured acceptable separation and independence for the professions and in time the new structure became fully accepted.

Notwithstanding Secretary Hanlon’s expressed thoughts on the co-location of the Registrar with the Department, acknowledging the independence of the regulated professions meant also that the Registrar’s Office should operate from separate premises and that there would be only minimal interference with the day to day work of the Office. Staff nonetheless remained as departmental employees and the Office was an administrative unit of the Home Secretary’s Department. The arrangement provided the Registrar with a considerable degree of autonomy, a factor which at times may well have been the only attraction of the position.

Just as the current legislation provided that the Office should consist of the Executive Officer and his staff, so the 1933 Act similarly provided for the statutory office of Registrar to be supported in that role by whatever staff was necessary. The new legislation also allowed for the expenses of the Registrar and his staff to be recouped quarterly from the boards by the Home Office. At first the costs of the Office were apportioned according to the registrant numbers of the supported boards.

Rumblings of discontent with this funding model soon emerged. The Courier Mail reported on 26 June 1944 that the Dental Board did not consider the work involved in the conduct of its affairs justified it bearing 22½ per cent of the total administrative expenditure of all the boards, and the Board would seek a review by the Department of Health and Home Affairs. While the Dental Board was successful in having its share of costs reduced in that instance, it was not until the mid 1950s, after the Registrar had completed an exhaustive analysis of the main items of work performed for each board, that a more equitable cost apportionment model could be put into place. Data collected meticulously over a three year period commencing in January 1953 had revealed a clear and consistent pattern of workload variations amongst the boards.


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Accommodation

A 1925 Medical Act amendment had already formalized a longstanding practice that the registrar of the Medical Board was to be a public servant. Until the 1933 amendments took effect the part-time Medical Board registrar was Mr Ralph Dickinson, who was also the Records Clerk in the Home Secretary’s Department. Dickinson carried out his Medical Board activities from the Board’s premises on the 3rd Floor of the Bank of New South Wales Building at 33 Queen Street, opposite the Home Secretary’s Department in the Treasury Buildings. The major component of Registrar Riddell’s workload in 1934 would be related to the medical profession, and so as a matter of practicality the new Office established itself in the space vacated by the former Medical Board registrar. The new Registrar was thereby able to take over the medical files at that location and import the other professional boards’ files.

Over the years the Office’s accommodation needs saw it treading a seemingly restless path, taking up tenancies in a number of buildings in inner Brisbane, many of which still stand. By late 1944 the Office had moved from 33 Queen Street to Willoughby Chambers at 167 Adelaide Street, next to Finney Isles. From late 1949 until 1959 the Office was located at 30 Mary Street between George and Albert Streets and later at 100 Mary Street. During the period 1959-1962 the Office briefly occupied premises on the 2nd Floor of the Old Town Hall Building at 68 Queen Street. This was followed by a fourteen year sojourn on the 1st floor of The Mansions Building at 42 George Street, and two years on the 2nd Floor of Bretts Building at 146-160 Mary Street. At the end of 1978, the Office was conducting its business from the 1st Floor of the Administration Building on the corner of Elizabeth and George Streets, which was also headquarters to the Health Department. In late 1983 the Office had moved again and had taken space on the 9th Floor of the Workers Compensation Building at 280 Adelaide Street. The later 1980s found the Office on the 10th Floor of MLC Court at 15 Adelaide Street. In 1994 a firmer foothold was gained at Forestry House, a government building at 160 Mary Street, where the Office remained until mid 2010.

In accordance with a longstanding government decision, the Office had not been required to bear the cost of its own accommodation. However a decision was made in early 1994 that such generosity would not continue and the Office would need to meet its own accommodation as well as telecommunication costs from 1 December 1995.

As a result of the re-structure which took effect in July 2010, the Office moved again, this time to take up residence at 179 Turbot Street as a sub-tenant of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. When that arrangement expired in mid 2012 new accommodation had to be found. In December 2012 the Office returned to 160 Mary Street to occupy an office suite on Level 9, Forestry House.

Establishment and growth

The year 1935 had brought a re-organization of the department and its transformation into the Department of Health and Home Affairs. Under the new arrangements the boards were administratively linked to the new Office of the Director General of Health and Medical Services. The Director General subsequently also became ex officio President of the Medical

Board under provisions of the Medical Act 1939. Over time it became the practice that divisional directors or other senior officers of the Director General’s office would preside over one of the registration boards, and this continued well into the 1990s. The department had incrementally gained considerable control over the professions, a power which nonetheless was generally exercised responsibly and sensitively, and with the community interest to the forefront. The Registrar’s Office itself however continued to be part of the administrative arm of the Department under its permanent head, the Under-Secretary for Health and Home Affairs.

The five professional boards initially supported by the Registrar’s Office in 1934 remained the Office’s sole responsibility for 30 years. But by the early 1960s other allied health groups were reaching maturity and pressure was mounting for their inclusion into the ranks of regulated professions. In 1965 a board for the physiotherapy profession took up its role. The new board had separated from the Nurses and Masseurs Registration Board. The Physiotherapists Board was followed in 1971 by a board for the chiropody (podiatry) profession. Psychologists gained registration in 1979. They were followed in 1980 by Occupational Therapists and Speech Pathologists, and Chiropractors and Osteopaths came on stream as a joint profession in 1981. A decade passed before the next group, Dental Technicians and Dental Prosthetists gained their own board after having been regulated since 1988 through a Standing Committee of the Dental Board. In 2002 the final new group joined the fold, the Medical Radiation Technology professions. Yet one further expansion of the client list occurred however when Chiropractors and Osteopaths split into separate boards in 2004. All the new professional boards became clients of the Office upon commencement of their operations.

With the expansion of the regulated professions in 1965 upon establishment of a separate Physiotherapists Board, and with more professions waiting in the wings, the time was ripe for a review of the legislation governing the Office, and its funding arrangements. The Medical Act and Other Acts (Administration) Act 1966 which came into force on 15 December 1966, repealed part 7 of the 1933 Act and provided for an enhanced Office in terms of staffing and funding. A new statutory position of Deputy Registrar was created, and provision was made for the apportionment amongst boards of expenses properly incurred in the administration of the legislation regulating the professions, to be set from time to time by regulation. The Act was further amended in 1976 to detail the powers and procedures for inspectors appointed under the various Acts.

The steady growth of the Office’s client list of supported boards was also balanced by some notable departures in later years. In 1993 the nursing profession moved to its own self supported agency, the Queensland Nursing Council; and in late 2007 the medical profession went its own way when a separate Office of the Medical Board, still sourcing all corporate support services from our Office, briefly took up its role.

The Office had twelve client boards in 2008. Following the implementation of the first stage of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme on 1 July 2010, only four boards remained to receive their administrative and operational support from an Office considerably reduced in size. On 1 July 2012 with the move of two more State regulated professions


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to the national scheme, only two professions remained. The Office again shed staff, while awaiting the death knell which now was inevitable.

Leadership, staffing and independence

The first Registrar, George Riddell must be accorded credit for laying the foundations of the Hanlon professional secretariat model for the health professions, and successfully implementing the model, often seemingly single handed. Although very little information can be found about Riddell’s background in the public service, he was plainly the right man for the job and was an inspired choice. He was succeeded as Registrar in December, 1950 by Mr. Stanley Beedham, the Staff and Industrial Clerk in the Health and Home Affairs Department.

That appointment was however overturned on appeal a few months later and Mr Ronald Coulson, who had been Riddell’s right hand man, stepped up to become the Registrar. British born Coulson had arrived in Brisbane in 1925 as a young assisted migrant. He was employed by the Dental Board before the commencement of the 1933 legislation, and had continued with the new Office, initially on a three month temporary contract but holding the permanent position of Clerk/Inspector from 1937.

Newspapers of the period carried numerous reports of prosecutions brought by Coulson which reveal his dogged pursuit of offenders, particularly unregistered practitioners. In November 1949 for instance, the Courier Mail reported the successful prosecution of an unregistered dentist who had conducted an extraction of a tooth on a patient. Coulson had observed the procedure through binoculars from a building on the other side of Queen Street. On other occasions Coulson submitted to examination or treatment by bogus practitioners in order to secure evidence for a prosecution. In a 1942 prosecution of a quack doctor, Coulson deposed he had been diagnosed by the defendant as suffering numerous serious health issues, which included his circulation system, his pulse, lungs, liver and kidneys; but his heart had been pronounced by the defendant as being in good order. Coulson gave evidence that in contrast, his own doctor had found him to be “in reasonably good health”. As early as 1933, Coulson had been reported in the Courier Mail, in a prosecution in the Magistrates Court, defending his deployment of a woman with a broken tooth to ensnare a dental mechanic whom the Dental Board had suspected of illicit dental practise. “This is the only method we have of detecting breaches”, he submitted. In October 1969, after more than eighteen years as Registrar, Coulson retired from government service. Leaving aside the brief few months of Beedham’s appointment as Registrar, the Office had effectively only had two leaders in thirty-five years.

Coulson was followed in office in turn by Colin Tuckfield, George Murray, Rodney Cottle, Les Wain, Bernard Kelly, Greg Scott, and again Bernard Kelly. All were Health Department officers who filled the role for a relatively short period of time. Each found himself confronted by an ever mounting workload. Kelly was transferred to another position in mid 1992 at a time of major reorganization within the Health Department. He was replaced eighteen months later by John Greenaway, a former psychologist who had earlier worked as a project officer with the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission and had been involved in the preliminary stages of a review of health practitioner legislation.

In 1935 the Registrar’s Office had a staff of only three including the Registrar. Since the Office had to turn to the department for any enhancements to the staff establishment, and because public service staff ceilings had been imposed by government policy, there was always a lag in staff numbers relative to the growing administrative load falling on the Office. The Pharmacy Board had proposed to the Medical Board as early as June 1936 that it would be desirable for an officer to be appointed to undertake inspectorial duties, with the cost to be borne by the two boards and any other board requiring such services. The Medical Board did not agree, at least initially, that there was a need for an inspector as suggested by the Pharmacy Board. Nevertheless by the following year a Clerk/Inspector position had been created.

In August, 1947 Registrar Riddell reported that he was hamstrung by having insufficient experienced staff to carry out the work of the boards, including the numerous inspections and investigations which were then commonplace. Advertising breaches, usually reported by registrants or their professional associations, as well the many “holding out” complaints concerning unregistered practitioners created a constant workload for the Office. The resourcing issue was noted by the Boards, which themselves took the initiative and made separate representations to the Minister for Health pleading for additional staff for the Registrar.

The Office staff establishment had increased to eleven by 1957, but staff growth thereafter was slow and certainly failed to keep pace with the steady increases in workload. Without doubt staffing issues were a constant challenge for the Office until the separation of the Medical Board in October 2007. In 1968 the Registrar and his staff numbered only fourteen. In 1977, with registrant numbers having advanced more than threefold over the previous twenty years, and with two new boards to service, the staff establishment had still only grown to fifteen. The only off-setting factor was the disappearance over time of the Office’s responsibilities in the conduct of annual qualifying examinations for the pharmacy, optical and nursing professions which accompanied the shift to training within tertiary institutions. In 1959 the Registrar reported that 18 separate examinations were scheduled annually. But these examinations had been consigned to history by the end of the 1970s.

By the early 1980s staff resourcing had begun to reach crisis point. To assist the Office to cope with the workload, the Director General of Health and Medical Services/Medical Board President arranged for scholarship holder medical students to be given temporary work during semester breaks. This provided only a partial solution to the staffing crisis, so from the late 1980s, the Office with the Department’s blessing, commenced employing considerable numbers of agency contract staff, a strategy which, although more costly, resolved the staffing problem and was agreeable to all stakeholders. Public service staff ceilings were being observed and the boards could see their workloads being managed speedily and effectively. The only significant growth which took place in the permanent staff establishment was in the early 1980s when a senior clerk and an additional deputy registrar were appointed.

In the final two decades of the 20th century there were two deputy registrar positions within the Office’s establishment who shared the workload of the Registrar. The Registrar was


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personally responsible for secretarial and inspectorial support to three boards, those for the medical, nursing and psychology professions, while a senior deputy registrar was delegated responsibility for the boards for the pharmacy, chiropractic, speech therapy and occupational therapy professions. The professional boards for the dental, optometry, physiotherapy, podiatry and dental technology professions were assigned to a deputy registrar.

From the early 1990s in the first of the structural changes which were to follow, the Registrar disengaged from providing secretarial support to boards personally and delegated those responsibilities to the deputy registrars, who were in turn supported by assistant registrars. The deputies also soon moved on to assume a supervisory role which was more focused on strategic outcomes, and the assistant registrars became the direct interface with the boards. Thus the Registrar and deputies were able to concentrate on managerial oversight, policy development, advisory services and process improvement for the Office and client boards.

The public sector and broader administrative reforms which had swept in during the decade following the change of government in December 1989, impacted heavily on the Office. These reforms included mutual recognition arrangements, freedom of information and judicial review processes, legislative reviews, inclusion of legal and consumer members on boards, a new consumer body the Health Rights Commission, and an increasing emphasis on process driven measures to enhance accountability and responsiveness by all public bodies. These reforms were unquestionably timely; however they combined to place far greater administrative burdens on the Office.

The increasing availability of technological solutions to manage workflows assisted somewhat in alleviating the ongoing resourcing pressures. In particular, the commissioning of the REGIS computerized database and information system in the mid 1990s was a major step forward, even though a more basic computerized database had been in place since 1986. The introduction of computerized word processing at the beginning of the 1990s signaled the demise of the typing pool, and board support officers henceforth assumed responsibility for their own minute and correspondence production in a more speedy and cost-efficient way.

In late 1999, in anticipation of impending legislative changes, the position of Registrar was upgraded to the public service Senior Officer level and was re-designated as Executive Officer. The Office remained a unit of Queensland Health, but had come to be known as the Office of Health Professional Registration Boards during the last decade of the 20th century. On 7 February 2000, with the implementation of the first stage of the new legislative scheme for the regulation of the health professions, the Office became an independent statutory agency within the health portfolio under the designation Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards.

After having overseen reforms within the Office which were essential for it to take up its role as an independent agency, including the appointment of a financial controller, establishment of in-house corporate functions, the introduction of strategic planning processes and formalizing of the Office’s relationships with its client Boards under service

agreements, John Greenaway resigned early in 2002 to pursue other interests. He handed over to Jim O’Dempsey who had been the founding executive officer of the Queensland Nursing Council.

In 2003, the position of Executive Officer was again reviewed and was elevated into the Senior Executive Service. This change acknowledged increasing complexity in the health practitioner regulation field, and the expectation of higher administrative and strategic leadership from the Executive Officer. O’Dempsey was a capable administrator who introduced wide ranging structural, administrative and governance reforms to the Office, and led its transformation into a modern, and highly respected independent government agency. His management of the backlog of professional standards complaints to an acceptable level is worthy of note, as is also the skill and tenacity he demonstrated in guiding the responses of the Medical Board and our Office before the Commissions of Inquiry which arose out of complaints relating to Dr Jayant Patel in the period 2004-2005. Jim O’Dempsey resigned as Executive Officer following his selection in late 2009 as the inaugural Queensland State Manager of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

Yet another structural change came about when five program areas were created in 2006, each with a director reporting to the Executive Officer, who would assume overall responsibility for each of the Office’s principal functions. The work of the Office and the boards had become increasingly specialized and complex, and detailed briefing notes with recommended courses of action, legal interpretations and policy proposals were routinely prepared for boards to assist them in their deliberations. With the corporate downsizing of the Office in 2010 following the transitions to the national registration scheme, program areas were collapsed into two, one under the Executive Officer for Executive and Corporate functions, and the other for Registrations and Professional Standards under a Program Manager with law qualifications.

Passage of an era

As a unit of Queensland Health, the Office did not enjoy statutory independence for the larger part of its existence, even though it had been established under specific legislation. The Office itself had no clearly identifiable role and function which would readily distinguish it from the boards it supported. The staff of the Office, including temporary staff, as a result often conveniently came to identify their role with that of their assigned Board. The unfortunate consequence was that, unlike other branches of the Department of Health , such as for example those dealing with mental health, hospitals, and public health, which have proudly enjoyed an identity based on a widely recognized historical past, the Office went unnoticed in the public eye. The reinvigorated dominance of the medical profession in the health field from the mid 1930s together with the inclusion of the term “Medical and Other” in the de facto designation of the Office, combined to project wrongly that the Office was in fact primarily concerned with medical practitioner regulation, or alternatively that the Medical Board was responsible for registration of all allied health professions.

In terms of administrative workload, it may well have been the case that the Office had an unavoidable focus on the medical


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profession. Yet from the outset pharmacy, dentistry, optometry and nursing were large and proud professions and their inclusion as the “other” boards serviced by the Office under the Hanlon model often rankled with them. Later, when further branches of allied health practice came on stream as regulated professions with a registration board, the resentment was felt no less, particularly when it was sensed that insufficient resources were being directed to the support of any of those boards’ regulatory activities.

While modest staffing enhancements were sanctioned from time to time these nonetheless always fell short of the true resourcing needs of the Office. Only during the first decade of the twentieth century, with the statutory independence of the Office, did human resources gradually come to match service delivery and workflow needs, and indeed client expectations. Following the commencement of the national scheme for the regulation of the health professions on 1 July 2010, the staff establishment of the Office was reduced, and again stood at thirteen; from 1 July 2012 the Office, now facing closure, was reduced to eight staff members.

Regardless of its long history of staffing shortfalls, one of the strengths of the Office since its early years has been that staff members were assigned into specialized work areas focusing on one or more boards. Those officers were able to acquire expert technical knowledge of the legislation of the supported boards, and develop a close familiarity with the

standards, values, aspirations and issues of the professions themselves, as well as the community’s expectations of how the professions should discharge their roles. The professional secretariat model clearly has been of great benefit to the boards’ regulatory work over the years; indeed it became largely the model for the national agency which commenced its task in 2010. Only in more recent times, when the Office had been restructured as an independent agency with its program directorate corporate structure, was it noted that staff members had begun identifying with their employing agency rather than with the agency’s clients. Staff members however never wavered in their individual commitment and loyalty to their assigned boards and the Office’s client boards overall.

Since its inception the Office has professionally and ethically provided the health professional boards with the administrative and operational support and advice essential for the fulfillment of their statutory roles and functions. With the closure of the Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards as a statutory agency, it is fitting and proper to reflect with a measure of sadness on the passage of an era encompassing almost eighty years of health practitioner regulation history in this State, but also with satisfaction on a job well done by our staff and all those who preceded us.

Michael Demy-Geroe


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Agency role and main functions

About us

The Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards was constituted under Division 1 of the Health Practitioner Registration Boards (Administration) Act 1999 and consisted of the Executive Officer and staff of the Office. In accordance with section 8 of the Act, the Office’s function was to provide the administrative and operational support necessary or convenient to help each Board to perform its functions, and to help the Executive Officer to perform the functions and powers assigned to that role. The Office was designated as a public service office under the Public Service Act 1998.

The Executive Officer, for the purposes of the Financial Accountability Act 2009, was the Chairperson of the Office and was responsible for its efficient and effective administration and operation. In discharging the role, the Executive Officer’s responsibilities included:

• The management of the Office including financial management.

• The negotiation of Service Agreements with each of the Boards.

• The implementation of Service Agreements.

• Provision of training for newly appointed Board members about their role and the legislative scheme.

The Executive Officer could also perform other functions given to or conferred under another Act, including, for example, any Act in the now repealed legislative scheme.

Mission and strategic priorities

The mission of the Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards was to provide quality administrative and operational services which would enable the two health practitioner registration Boards remaining within the Queensland legislative scheme for the health professions, to fulfill their statutory roles in regulating the professions, namely:

• the promotion and protection of the public interest;

• upholding the standards of practice within the professions; and

• maintaining public confidence in the professions.

In providing quality services which enabled the Boards to regulate proactively in the public interest, the Office had a number of strategic priorities as follows:

• the Office would lead the development and implementation of service standards that were measurable and focused on quality;

• the Office would enhance quality and service standards through the development and training of its staff; and

• the Office would be a viable organization which was resourced appropriately and recognized by stakeholders as an independent agency which delivered quality services to its clients.

Values and commitments

The Office’s core values were:

• commitment to client service, including honesty, objectivity, dedication and responsibility; and

• commitment to quality, including a proactive approach to innovation and continuous improvement.

To best achieve high standard client service and organizational quality, the Office’s core values also included contribution by staff as individuals and team players, within a supportive and professional working environment in which staff could gain job satisfaction, career development and a sense of achievement.

In assisting the Boards to meet their objectives, the Office provided support services through two key program areas, structured into five sub-programs, as set out below:

• Executive and Corporate Services Program;

» Board Support and Policy Advice Sub-program; and

» Corporate Services Sub-program.

• Registration and Professional Standards Program;

» Registration Sub-program;

» Professional Standards Sub-program; and

» Health Assessment and Monitoring Sub-program.

Clients of the Office

The Office had a wide range of clients to whom it provided services. The primary clients of the Office were the Boards and their registrants.

In addition to the Boards, the Office provided services to other clients, which included:

• The general public, whose health care interests were the reason for the establishment and ongoing operations of the Boards;

• The Minister for Health, for whom the Office provided advice on the operations of the legislative scheme and other matters as required.

• The Director-General and officers of the Department of Health for whom the Office provided advice on the operations of the legislative scheme.

• The Health Quality and Complaints Commission, with which the Office worked, through consultation and reporting arrangements, on the management and investigation of complaints about the conduct, competence and health of registrants.

• The state and national branches of the various professional associations of health practitioners through the provision of advice.

• Academic institutions whose programs of education prepared graduates eligible to apply for registration in Queensland.

• Medicare Australia, private health insurance companies and employers, each of which could seek details of the registration status of health practitioners from time to time.


13

• The Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as the agency which supports the national boards responsible for regulating the health professions under the national scheme.

Service Agreements

The Service Agreement 2012 was in effect between each Board and the Office, initially for the first half of the period of this final report. As it became clear that the parliamentary processes necessary to abolish the legislative scheme would not be completed before 31 December 2012, the Executive Officer entered into negotiations with the Boards to extend the service agreement for a further period ending on 30 June 2013. The Service Agreements lapsed on 20 May 2013 when the provisions of the Repeal Act abolishing the Boards were proclaimed into force.

External scrutiny

The Queensland Audit Office has advised that there were no significant issues arising from their audit. The Office was not subject to any reports of any parliamentary committee, the Crime and Misconduct Commission, the Queensland Ombudsman or the Coroner.

Review of operations

The commencement of the current reporting period saw the Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards undergo a further corporate downsizing in response to the departure of another two professions to the NRAS under the scheduled Phase 2 accessions. During the reporting period the Office had a reduced staff establishment of 8 FTE positions. On 6 August 2012 the government announced a policy position that steps would be taken to abolish State based regulation of health professions.

The role and function of the re-structured Office was expected to terminate on 1 July 2012, and tentative transitional support options for the remaining Boards were being explored by the Department of Health, to take effect from that date. By early 2012, it had become increasingly clear that the legislative and other arrangements necessary for the two non-transitioning professions to obtain alternative administrative and operational support would not eventuate, and OHPRB would thus be required to continue as the statutory service agency, supporting only the remaining two Boards, beyond 30 June 2012. It was recognized however that continuing the legislative scheme with such a reduced base would impose a significant and unsustainable cost burden on those boards.

Pursuing outsourcing of any corporate services such as finance and payroll, within the existing model, was considered but found to be unviable, given the high start up costs for process re-design and implementation that would have accompanied the engagement of external service providers. The restructured staffing establishment which came into effect at the commencement of the current period therefore had regard to business continuity imperatives in the retention of appropriate skilled staff for the full range of Office activities.

The Health Practitioner Registration and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2013 (“the Repeal Act”) was passed by the

Legislative Assembly on 21 March 2013 and received Royal Assent on 27 March 2013. By proclamation, the two remaining boards, viz. the Speech Pathologists Board and the Dental Technicians Board, were abolished on 20 May 2013. The closure date for the OHPRB was set by the proclamation for 30 June 2013, to allow for completion of wrap up processes.

During the period under report, the co-location arrangement with AHPRA which had been in place since 1 July 2010, expired. On 14 December 2012 the Office re-located to a new office suite on Level 9 Forestry House.

Forward operational objectives of the Office for 2012-2013 were reviewed early in the current reporting period having regard to the foreshadowed repeal of the legislative scheme for the health professions in Queensland. The Queensland Audit Office had previously agreed that in lieu of an annual Operational Plan, the Office should continue to focus its activities on supporting the Boards in accordance with provisional operational objectives, given the planned future closure of the Office. The Office’s operational objectives in the current period were as follows:

• To continue to influence the development and implementation of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme;

• To maintain quality functions under the legislation;

• To prepare for the wind-up of the Queensland Legislative Scheme for the health professions

• To manage the closure of the regulatory schemes for the dental technology and speech pathology professions, and the closure of OHPRB as a statutory agency

No significant strategic activity was undertaken in regard to assets or information systems on account of the impending Office closure and an earlier Ministerial request that no new costs were to be incurred in the period leading into the full implementation of the national scheme and the eventual abolition of the legislative scheme.

Non-financial Performance

Government’s objectives for the communityThe Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards contributed to the Government objectives for the community by supporting the health practitioner boards in meeting their statutory objectives of protection of the public through ensuring health care was delivered by registrants in a professional, safe and competent way; that the standards of practice within the professions were upheld; and that public confidence in the health professions was maintained.

The Office restored accountability in Government by supporting the health practitioner boards to perform their statutory functions through the provision of efficient and effective administrative and operational support. The Boards were funded entirely from fees paid by registrants.


14

Executive and Corporate Services ProgramThe Executive and Corporate Services Program provided services to the Boards through two sub-programs, as follows:

• Board Support and Policy Advice Sub-Program This sub-program provided administrative support for Board and Board Committee meetings, including actions arising from decisions at meetings. The program also utilised professional knowledge and expertise to provide high level advice and support on matters related to Board functions under the relevant legislation.

• CorporateServicesSub-Program This sub-program managed all corporate support activities to enable the Office to deliver its services to the Boards and their clients.

The sub-program ensured the effective development, implementation, delivery and evaluation of financial, business improvement, human resource, information technology, information management and administrative services.

The Executive and Corporate objectives under the provisional operational plan, the activities undertaken to meet these objectives, and the outcomes achieved during the reporting period were:

Objective: To continue to influence the development and implementation of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.

The Office continued to maintain a collaborative relationship with AHPRA senior management, assisting with data support and document retrieval where necessary. The sub-tenancy arrangement for the 179 Turbot Street office suite expired on 30 June 2012 and was initially extended on a month by month basis; however notice of termination was received on 25 October 2012, and the Office subsequently relocated to new premises on 14 December 2012.

To maintain quality functions under the legislation

In conjunction with the Office’s Service Standards Policy for Board and Committee Support developed in 2008, the Office had a performance reporting tool which tracked such activities as agenda distribution and Board minute completion. The effectiveness of Board Support services was reviewed during the period under report, and performance standards for all result areas were found to have been met.

With regard to publication management:

• Annual reports for the Dental Technicians Board of Queensland and the Speech Pathologists Board of Queensland were completed within the required timeframe and were tabled in Parliament in September 2012. Final annual reports for the abolished Medical Radiation Technologists Board and the Occupational Therapists Board were also prepared and tabled simultaneously The annual reports were compliant with relevant guidelines and legislative requirements;

• Final draft annual reports for the Boards covering the current period were prepared for review prior to the closure date for the Boards;

• Board and Office websites were reviewed during the reporting period and amendments were made as required concerning the current structure. Information relative to developments arising from the review of the legislative scheme was placed on the websites for the boards and the Office. Arrangements were made with Department of Health officers for the hosting of the Office website for a continuing period subsequent to the agency closure.

During the reporting period, quality corporate services continued to be delivered. The standard of corporate services was constantly monitored through the performance and management reporting framework and also through the internal audit function. To ensure ongoing efficiency within the Payroll/HR and Finance functions, staff training continued to be accorded high priority. Operational manuals for each process were constantly reviewed. There were no interruptions or errors identified with regard to HR/payroll, purchasing and finance functions.

To prepare for the wind-up of the Queensland Legislative Scheme for the health professions

The draft Bill to give effect to the government’s policy determination to discontinue state based regulation of the health professions was analyzed and submissions to the Parliamentary Health and Community Services Committee were prepared on behalf of the boards.

The Executive Officer continued to be a member of the Transition Management Group within the Health Department which considered all matters relating to the wind up of the legislative scheme. The Transition Management Group met regularly, usually on a monthly basis, during the period under report.

With the abolition of the remaining two boards on 20 May 2013, the Office undertook all wind-up activities for the boards including closure of bank accounts and transfer of assets and liabilities, as provided in the Repeal Act and in accordance with ministerial direction (see Appendix B). Final annual reports were prepared on behalf of each of the former boards.

To manage the closure of the regulatory schemes for the dental technology and speech pathology professions and the closure of OHPRB as a statutory agency

Project plans for closure of the Office and abolition of the two boards were prepared and implemented.

Close liaison was maintained with Health Department officers and with the Public Service Commission on arrangements for the intended closure of the Office, and options for Office staff members who might not choose a redundancy package upon closure of the Office. Efforts were made to maintain staff morale during the period of uncertainty from the government’s announcement of its policy position with regard to health practitioner regulation.

A review of physical records held in storage which was undertaken during the previous reporting period had identified that there were in excess of 1700 archive boxes deposited in the Office’s storage facility, some dating to the 1930s. A project to dispose of these in accordance with our obligations under the Public Records Act 2002 and the related record keeping Information Standards continued during this


15

reporting period. Discussions with Queensland State Archives and the Health Department regarding donation of relevant records continued. Records which were not required to be safeguarded and which could be destroyed, consistent with the relevant provision of the Records Retention and Disposal Schedule, were separated for disposal. At the close of the reporting period all boxes of files which could be destroyed or reassigned had been processed in accordance with the Retention Schedule. All relevant records required to be safeguarded under the provisions of section 53 of the Repeal Act were separated for transfer to the Health Department.

Registration and Professional Standards ProgramThe Registration and Professional Standards Program provided services to the Boards through three sub-programs:

• Registration sub-program This sub-program managed all client services associated with application for, and renewal of, registration in accordance with the relevant legislation and policy. The program ensured that:

a) initial applications for registration were processed;

b) registrations were renewed annually;

c) all other registration dealings such as restorations, change of details and changes in registration status were completed;

d) registrants remained compliant with registration conditions or undertakings;

e) enquiries from applicants for registration and registrants were processed;

f) registers were maintained and

g) Boards were kept informed of all matters relating to the program services.

• Professional Standards sub-program This sub-program managed all processes associated with complaints made, or information received, about the conduct of registrants or those holding themselves out as registrants. The sub-program ensured that:

a) complaints or information received about registrants were documented and assessed;

b) investigations into the conduct of registrants and non-registrants were completed fairly and efficiently;

c) disciplinary actions were conducted fairly and efficiently;

d) registrants remained compliant with conditions or undertakings;

e) enquiries from complainants and registrants were processed appropriately;

f) the accuracy of the registers was maintained; and

g) Boards were kept informed of all matters relating to the Program; and

h) programs were developed to educate practitioners on ethics and standards of practice.

• Health Assessment and Monitoring sub-program

This sub-program managed all processes associated with the management of impaired registrants. The sub-program ensured that:

a) complaints or information received about registrants were documented and assessed;

b) negotiations for health assessments were completed fairly and efficiently;

c) negotiations for undertakings were conducted fairly and efficiently;

d) registrants remained compliant with undertakings;

e) breaches by program participants were investigated fairly and efficiently;

f) disciplinary actions against non-compliant program participants were conducted fairly and efficiently;

g) the accuracy of the registers was maintained;

h) Boards were kept informed of all matters relating to the Program; and

i) programs were developed to educate practitioners that had come onto the Health Assessment and Monitoring Program.

During the reporting period all operational objectives for the program were either fully or substantially achieved. Focus was maintained on the provision of quality functions under the legislation against a background of preparation for the closure of the legislative scheme and the wind up of the two Boards and the Office. The highlights include the following:

To maintain quality registration services while awaiting the government’s decision on the future of the Boards and Office.

Following the decision by Cabinet in August 2012 to discontinue registration for Speech Pathologists and Dental Technicians by abolishing the Boards and the Office, the Registration Program ensured that registrants were kept informed by

• posting ‘Background Information’ and ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ on both Boards’ websites; and

• electronic and direct mail communications with registrants providing updates.

This process continued as the Bill to abolish the legislative scheme progressed through Parliament and the relevant provisions of the repeal Act were proclaimed into force.

While there was uncertainty surrounding the future of the Boards, the Registration Program concentrated on delivering timely services to registrants and applicants, particularly during the relocation of the Office in December 2012. As the move coincided with the end-of-year graduation peak of new applications, and in an abundance of caution should a system mishap have occurred, the Registration Program ensured that immediately prior to the temporary shut-down during the office relocation, all complete applications were processed where criminal history clearance had been obtained.

As at 20 May 2013:

• 27 graduate applications for dental technician registration had been processed; and

• 133 graduate applications for speech pathologist registration had been processed.


16

In September 2012 the Registration Program assisted the Speech Pathologists Board of Queensland to finalize its new Policy on eligibility for registration for qualifications more than 3 years old - Assessment of applicants for registration as Speech Pathologists in Queensland for:

• initial or re-entry to the profession; and

• whose qualifications were awarded more than 3 years before the date of application.

To maintain quality professional standards services (including health assessment and monitoring) while awaiting the government’s decision on the future of the Boards and Office.

In the period under report one matter was referred to the Queensland Civil & Administrative Tribunal by the Speech Pathologists Board of Queensland. This matter involved misuse of professional privilege by a Speech Pathologist in the registrant’s professional position as a disability care worker for the purpose of obtaining cash, goods and services from a disabled client, and to assist the registrant in establishing a full-time speech pathology business. The Board determined to seek cancellation of registration, as well as a costs order. With the impending dissolution of the Board, the Board’s lawyers, DLA Piper, were instructed to seek expedition of a decision in the case by QCAT so that this instance of alleged serious professional misconduct would not go unresolved and considerable costs go unrecovered. The matter was finalized in the Tribunal before the repeal of the Speech Pathologists Act 2001.

For the Speech Pathologists Board the Professional Standards Program has also:

• required one unregistered person to remove references to the person being a ‘speech therapist’ from a website; and

• completed an investigation into another unregistered person unlawfully using the restricted title ‘speech pathologist’.

In addition:

• One person undertook a health assessment and entered into undertakings with the Board; and

• One person remains in the Health Assessment & Monitoring Program.

For the Dental Technicians Board of Queensland:

• Three matters were being investigated by AHPRA and these remained in abeyance; and

• One allegation of taking the restricted title of ‘dental technician’ when unregistered was successfully dealt with.

Financial Performance

Summary of financial performanceDuring the period of this final report the Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards principally derived its funds from monies paid for services procured under Service Agreements entered into with the remaining two Health Practitioner Registration Boards i.e. the Speech Pathologists Board of Queensland and the Dental Technicians Board of

Queensland. The Boards were statutory bodies which, under the legislative scheme, were required to obtain all operational and administrative services from the Office. The Office did not receive funding from any other source. Under the terms of the respective Service Agreement, funds (in line with an agreed budget) were transferred to the Office by each Board in August 2012 and January 2013.

Throughout the year the Office successfully conducted its operational activities, maintained its service delivery standards and managed operational expenses in a cost-effective, efficient, and responsible manner.

The auditors have reported their satisfaction that the Office’s internal controls and systems were acceptable for the size and nature of its operations and that there was a high level of compliance with Office internal controls, policies, procedures and statutory requirements.

Given that the Office would cease operation and close permanently, no inherent weaknesses were found in the financials and all current liabilities were fully funded. With the specific revenue stream and prudent expenditure practices, the financials reflected a sound financial position.

HighlightsOHPRB achieved 77.5% financial performance against our operational budget for the year under report.

• OHPRB spent a total of $1.03m against a budget forecast of $1.33m, achieving a budget surplus of approximately $300 000 (22.5%); this represents a decrease of $850 000, primarily due to the reduced costs for only two boards not four boards for the previous financial year;

• Employee expenses accounted for 76% of overall spending at $784,000 (note: redundancy payments of $451,172 are not included). This is a decrease of $724,000 on 2011-12, primarily due to the reduced costs for only two boards in comparison to four boards in the previous year;

» Overall, employee expenses for 2012-13 were under budget by 13.65%, where approximately $124 000 of savings were realised. Again, it should be noted that voluntary redundancy payments were not included in this calculation;

0

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17

• OHPRB’s next largest expenditure was general expenditure, which accounted for 15.5% of our overall spending of $160,000, where savings of $147,000 were achieved against the budget;

A further spread of significant savings against the budget was achieved through robust, responsible governance and internal control procedures;

» IT & Communication expenses were reduced by 27.4% ($10,000);

» Governance expenditure was reduced by 47.7% ($33,000); and

» General office expenses were reduced by 46.8% ($14,000);

• The Service Agreement Budget was underspent by 22.5% providing a modest surplus totalling $300,000, which was refunded to the Boards at the end of the financial year; and

• Investment revenue earned was $93,300, which overall is a moderate achievement from precautionary and a rising volatility in financial markets affected by heightened uncertainty and a considerably weakening economy;

Cash investments from CBA yielded an average return of 2.8%, and the managed Cash Fund investments (QTC) achieved a greater average return being 4.10%.

Governance – Management and Structure

Organisational structureThe Office was established under the Health Practitioner Registration Boards (Administration) Act 1999 as an independent statutory body comprising the Executive Officer and the staff of the Office, servicing the Queensland health practitioner boards for the Dental Technology and Speech Pathology professions. These Boards were separate entities under their own registration Acts and published individual annual reports.

The Office fulfilled its role and function through a dual program structure, one headed by the Executive Officer, and the other by the Program Manager, Registrations and Professional Standards

The senior managers were:

• Michael Demy-Geroe, Executive Officer; and

• Kim Hudson, Program Manager, Registrations and Professional Standards;

The Office was designated as a public service office under Schedule 1 of the Public Service Act 1998.

Appendix A details the organizational structure of the Office.

Executive ManagementBecause of the small size of the Office, only two Committees were established to assist in overseeing and monitoring organizational outcomes. These were:

• The Management and Finance Committee; and

• The Records and Information Technology Committee

Additionally, full staff meetings were convened monthly to provide an inclusive forum for the raising of all operational, client service and human resources concerns and issues.

The Management and Finance Committee comprised the:

• Executive Officer

• Program Manager, Registrations and Professional Standards

• Finance Manager

• Human Resources and Payroll Manager

The Committee met regularly to determine strategic direction and general management for the Office; monitor performance and the use of resources and infrastructure; and to monitor and review the budget, financial performance and strategic risk

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Figure 3

Queensland. The Boards were statutory bodies which, under the legislative scheme, were required to obtain all operational and administrative services from the Office. The Office did not receive funding from any other source. Under the terms of the respective Service Agreement, funds (in line with an agreed budget) were transferred to the Office by each Board in August 2012 and January 2013.

Throughout the year the Office successfully conducted its operational activities, maintained its service delivery standards and managed operational expenses in a cost-effective, efficient, and responsible manner.

The auditors have reported their satisfaction that the Office’s internal controls and systems were acceptable for the size and nature of its operations and that there was a high level of compliance with Office internal controls, policies, procedures and statutory requirements.

Given that the Office would cease operation and close permanently, no inherent weaknesses were found in the financials and all current liabilities were fully funded. With the specific revenue stream and prudent expenditure practices, the financials reflected a sound financial position.

HighlightsOHPRB achieved 77.5% financial performance against our operational budget for the year under report.

• OHPRB spent a total of $1.03m against a budget forecast of $1.33m, achieving a budget surplus of approximately $300 000 (22.5%); this represents a decrease of $850 000, primarily due to the reduced costs for only two boards not four boards for the previous financial year;

• Employee expenses accounted for 76% of overall spending at $784,000 (note: redundancy payments of $451,172 are not included). This is a decrease of $724,000 on 2011-12, primarily due to the reduced costs for only two boards in comparison to four boards in the previous year;

» Overall, employee expenses for 2012-13 were under budget by 13.65%, where approximately $124 000 of savings were realised. Again, it should be noted that voluntary redundancy payments were not included in this calculation;

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18

management of the Office.

The Records and Information Technology Committee comprised the Executive Officer and the IT and Records Manager. The Committee met usually monthly, to review and monitor the performance and usage of the Office’s information systems and infrastructure; the Office’s obligations under the Public Records Act 2002 and the related recordkeeping Information Standards were also reviewed by the Committee.

Public Sector Ethics Act 1994Amendments to the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 took effect on 1 November, 2010. Under these changes a whole of government Code of Conduct was initiated from 1 January 2011. The Office subsequently implemented the Code of Conduct. Information sessions and staff forums were conducted to ensure the new Code was fully understood. The code provides values and standards of behaviour expected of all public sector staff. It aims to assist in providing a positive workplace environment by guiding officers of public sector bodies on acceptable conduct and ethical behaviour. The code was accessible on the OHPRB intranet and could also be found on the Office website. All new staff members undertook training in the code during induction.

Governance – Risk Management and Accountability

Risk ManagementThe Office had in place appropriate strategies to avoid or mitigate certain identified risks that could otherwise adversely have affected its operations. During the reporting period the Office revised its policy on risk management with a view to better integration of risk management into decision making, planning and service delivery. A Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan was also in place, which clearly defined procedures and responsibilities to ensure our office was able to withstand unforeseen events. The policy and the risk register were reviewed annually, given the small size of our agency. Under the risk management framework an office-wide risk management culture had been introduced. The policy guided and encouraged all staff to implement sound risk management practices aimed at eliminating or minimizing potential loss in all of our operational, technical, financial, commercial and administrative activities.

OHPRB achieved its objective of maintaining a systemic, disciplined approach to evaluating and improving the appropriateness and effectiveness of risk management and internal control. These procedures supported effective, efficient and economical Office operations.

External AuditThe Queensland Audit Office conducted the external audit of the Office. During the period under report a satisfactory audit report for the 2011/2012 financial year was received.

Internal Audit

The Office had established an internal audit function which operated under a charter approved by the Executive Officer, in compliance with the Queensland Treasury Audit Committee Guidelines. The internal audit function was established to achieve effective and efficient managerial control over all activities undertaken by the Office on its own behalf and on behalf of the client Boards. The internal audit function continued to be performed by Crowe Horwath Chartered Accountants during the reporting period, and the audit charter was supported by annual and five yearly internal audit plans. The internal auditors carried out regular end of year audits, the most recent of which was completed before the end of the current reporting period.

Ministerial DirectionsDuring the period under report the Executive Officer received one direction from the Minister for Health under s.9 (1) of the Health Practitioner Registration Boards (Administration) Act 1999. The Direction is included with this report at Appendix B

Management of Service ComplaintsThe Office had in place a policy which provided a framework for the recording, responding to and management of complaints about the services or actions of Office employees. No such complaints were received.

Legislative complianceThe Queensland Health Legislative Compliance Policy requires a statement in an annual report by a Legislation Custodian for a monitored agency concerning the Agency’s legislative compliance.

To the best knowledge of the Custodian, during the course of the last financial year there were no breaches by the Office or the Boards of the Administration Act, the Registration Acts or the Professional Standards Act, nor was there any breach of any applicable general legislation detailed in Schedule 2 of the Queensland Health Department’s Legislative Compliance Implementation Standard.

Information systems and recordkeepingThe Office had implemented the TRIM electronic document and records management system to provide for the long-term retention of information and to improve our capacity to comply with the Public Records Act 2002. Staff were trained in the operation of TRIM and in the Office’s Data Entry Standards (TRIM) Policy.

Consistent with the Public Records Act 2002, Information Standard 40: Recordkeeping and Information Standard 31: Retention and Disposal of Public Records, the Office adopted the following policies to ensure its records were accountable, reliable and secure:

• Vital Records Policy, which provided a quick reference guide, consistent with the stages of information, for the management control of vital records within the Office, and provided definitions for vital, important and routine records. In addition, issues of corporate responsibility and “best practice” for the various stages of information


19

management were also provided;

• Records Management Policy, which aimed to:

» foster an organisational culture that recognised the strategic importance and the enduring value of records as critical assets of the organisation, essential to facilitate the provision of administrative, operational support and meet business, legislative and accountability requirements; and

» develop, implement and maintain standardised recordkeeping practices that promoted the sharing of knowledge and support evidence-based decision making to deliver high quality administrative services; and

» Managing Emails – Public Records Policy and Procedure, which advised all staff of the Office and Board members of their obligations in relation to managing emails that are public records.

As the Office’s client Boards were dissolved on 20 May 2013, OHPRB implemented a program to evaluate all hard-copy and electronic records of the Boards and deal with them in accordance with the Queensland State Archives’ General Retention and Disposal Schedule for Administrative Records: QDAN249 v.6.

Accordingly, wherever possible:

• documents required to be kept permanently were transferred to the Queensland State Archives, and

• all other documents were either marked for destruction or were given dates after which they could be destroyed prior to the Health Department becoming responsible for the remaining records of the Board.

Governance – Human Resources

Workforce planning, attraction and retentionDuring the period of this final annual report, the Office had a staff establishment of 8 full time permanent positions. One additional full time temporary administrative officer was engaged during the first two months of the reporting period to assist with processing of applications and the records project.

Staff members were encouraged to broaden their knowledge and skills through training and development opportunities. Staff members with family responsibilities and/or external education commitments were also supported through the provision of flexible working hours, working from home and telecommuting opportunities, subject to organizational capacity.

Early retirement, redundancy and retrenchmentNo staff members retired nor were there any staff retrenchments during the period of this final annual report.

Due to the closure of the Office, a program of redundancies was implemented during the year in accordance with the relevant Public Service Commission directive. All eight remaining employees received redundancy packages at the closure date of the Office. In addition two employees separated and received redundancy packages in July 2012 when the Office underwent a corporate re-structure. The total gross cost of redundancy packages during the reporting period was $1,013,717.34

Workplace Health and SafetyThe Office was committed to maintaining a healthy and safe workplace and was bound by the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995, Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 1997 and relevant codes of practice. Efforts were made organizationally to identify and address potential workplace hazards and to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. Staff members were encouraged to raise such matters of concern at the monthly full staff meetings. One staff member held a Senior First Aid Certificate.

Public Sector Renewal ProgramDuring the reporting period a review group was created by the government, which aimed at achieving a renewed, refocused and more efficient public service, realizing significant savings for all agencies and driving cultural change. A key component of the program includes a review of the roles and functions of agencies, including government owned corporations, to ensure that expenditure is focused on delivering better services. Since the government had earlier determined that the legislative scheme for the health professions would be abolished, no separate review of the Office under that program took place.

Carers (Recognition) Act 2008All Staff were made aware of the continuing obligation to comply with section 9 of the Carers (Recognition) Act 2008. The Office endorsed that Carers improve the quality of life of those they care for, and acknowledged the substantial contribution made by Carers to those in need and to the community. The Office took all necessary action to reflect the principles of the Queensland Carers Charter in providing all services which affected Carers and the persons to whom they give care.

With regard to our own staff, the Office remained committed to maintaining human resource policies that consider the needs of carers. The Office provided flexible working arrangements, telecommuting opportunities, working from home arrangements and part-time possibilities in line with relevant policies and to the extent of organizational capacity, if so required or requested. Carer’s leave was available to all staff as part of the corporate commitment to providing staff the ability to meet a healthy work life balance.


20

Appendix A – Organisational Chart



21

Appendix B


22


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Appendix C Data Tables

Table 1: Funds received from service agreements 2011 – 2013

Organisations Service Agreement Funds Received 11-12

Service Agreement Funds Received 12-13

Dental Technicians Board $189 902 $372 022

Medical Radiation Technologists Board* $655 268 N/A

Occupational Therapists Board* $551 992 N/A

Speech Pathologists Board $283 863 $601 929

TOTAL $1 681 025 $973 951

*The Medical Radiation Technologists Board and the Occupational Therapists Board ceased to exist from 30 June 201

Figure 5

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

OHPRBBudget

OHPRBActual

BudgetSurplus

2011

2012

0200000400000600000800000

10000001200000140000016000001800000



2011

2012

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1400000

1600000

EmployeeExpenses

GeneralExpenses

RentExpenses

2011

2012

Figure 4



Budget surplus

$0

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

$700,000

Fund

s re

ceiv

ed ($

)


11-12


12-13





0200000400000600000800000

10000001200000140000016000001800000

2010 2011 2012 2013

Dental TechniciansSpeech Pathologists

Table 2: Number and type of meetings serviced by the Office in 2012-13

Board Ordinary Board Meetings

Special Board Meetings

Committee Meetings

Disciplinary proceedings by Board/Board Committees

Other meetings

Total

Dental Technicians 9 0 0 0 0 9

Speech Pathologists 12 0 3 0 0 15

TOTAL 21 0 3 0 0 24

Table 3: Number of registrants as at 30 June: 2010 – 2013

Register 30/6/10 30/06/11 30/06/12 20/05/13

Dental Technicians 995 1003 992 952

Speech Pathologists 1407 1493 1607 1690

TOTAL 2402 2496 2599 2642

Figure 6

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

OHPRBBudget

OHPRBActual

BudgetSurplus

2011

2012

0200000400000600000800000

10000001200000140000016000001800000



2011

2012

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1400000

1600000

EmployeeExpenses

GeneralExpenses

RentExpenses

2011

2012

Figure 4



Budget surplus

$0

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

$700,000

Fund

s re

ceiv

ed ($

)


11-12


12-13





0200000400000600000800000

10000001200000140000016000001800000

2010 2011 2012 2013

Dental TechniciansSpeech Pathologists


24

Table 4: Applications for registration approved in 2012-13

Board Total

Dental Technicians 67

Speech Pathologists** 133

TOTAL 200

Table 5: Complaints*investigations as at 30 June 2013

Board Number of investigations as at 1/07/12

Number of complaints* received to 20/5/13

Number of investigations commenced to 30/6/12

Number of investigations completed to 30/6/12

Number of investigations as at 30/6/12

Dental Technicians 3* 1^ 1 1 3*

Speech Pathologists 0 2^ 1 1 0

TOTAL 3 3 2 2 3

For the purpose of this table, ‘complaints’ also include information received other than in a complaint. Any Board may determine to investigate a matter on the basis of information received which is not in the form of a complaint.^ under the Registration Acts. These are often finalised without an investigation.* placed in abeyance as concurrently being investigated by AHPRA *Erratum: The 2011-12 Annual Report reported that five complaints concerning dental technicians had been received and were in abeyance while being investigated by AHPRA. The correct number was three.

Table 6: Number of complaints received by each Board annually for the period 2009-2010 to 2012-2013

Board 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13

Dental Technicians 10 3^ 2^ 3^^

1^

Speech Pathologists 1^ 1^ 1^^

1^ 1^^

2^

TOTAL 11 5 7 3

^ under the Registration Acts ^^under the Professional Standards Act

Table 7: Number of investigations commenced by each Board annually for the period 2009-2010 to 2012-2013

Board 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13

Dental Technicians 2 0 0 1

Speech Pathologists 0 1 2 1

TOTAL 2 1 2 2

Table 8: Number of disciplinary matters conducted by each Board during 2012 - 2013

Board Active Disciplinary Matters 1 July 2012 Disciplinary Matters Commenced 2012-13

Disciplinary Matters Finalised 2012-13

Active Disciplinary Matters 20 May 2013

Board Level Panel Level Tribunal Level Board Level Panel Level Tribunal Level

Dental Technicians 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Speech Pathologists 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0

TOTAL 0 0 1

0 1

0 0 0

1 0


25

Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2013• Statement of comprehensive income

• Statement of financial position

• Statement of changes in equity

• Statement of cash flows

• Notes to the financial statements

• Certificate of the Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards

• Independent audit report


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27


28


29


30


31


32


33


34


35


36


37


38


39


40


41


42


43


44


45


46


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Compliance Checklist

Summary of requirement Basis for requirementAnnual report reference

Letter of compliance • A letter of compliance from the accountable officer or statutory body to the relevant Minister

ARRs – section 8 5

Accessibility • Table of contents

• Glossary

ARRs – section 10.1 3

4

• Public availability ARRs – section 10.2 3

• Interpreter service statement Queensland Government Language Services Policy

ARRs – section 10.3

3

• Copyright notice Copyright Act 1968


3

• Information licensing Queensland Government Enterprise Architecture – Information licensing


3

General information • Introductory Information ARRs – section 11.1 12

• Agency role and main functions ARRs – section 11.2 12

• Operating environment ARRs – section 11.3 13

• Machinery of Government changes ARRs – section 11.4 13

Non-financial performance

• Government objectives for the community ARRs – section 12.1 13

• Other whole-of-government plans / specific initiatives ARRs – section 12.2 N/A

• Agency objectives and performance indicators ARRs – section 12.3 13

• Agency service areas, service standards and other measures


Financial performance

• Summary of financial performance ARRs – section 13.1 16

• Chief Finance Officer (CFO) statement ARRs – section 13.2 N/A

Governance – management and structure

• Organisational structure ARRs – section 14.1 17 and 20

• Executive management ARRs – section 14.2 17

• Related entities ARRs – section 14.3 N/A

• Boards and committees ARRs – section 14.4 14

• Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 (section 23 and Schedule)


18

Governance – risk management and accountability

• Risk management ARRs – section 15.1 14

• External Scrutiny ARRs – section 15.2 13

• Audit committee ARRs – section 15.3 18

• Internal Audit ARRs – section 15.4 18

• Public Sector Renewal Program ARRs – section 15.5 19

• Information systems and recordkeeping ARRs – section 15.7 14 and 18

Governance – human resources

• Workforce planning, attraction and retention and performance


• Early retirement, redundancy and retrenchment Directive No.11/12 Early Retirement, Redundancy and Retrenchment


19

• Voluntary Separation Program ARRs – section 16.3 19

Open Data • Open Data ARRs – section 17 N/A

Financial statements • Certification of financial statements FAA – section 62

FPMS – sections 42, 43 and 50


44

• Independent Auditors Report FAA – section 62

FPMS – section 50


46

• Remuneration disclosures Financial Reporting Requirements for Queensland Government Agencies


39

FAA Financial Accountability Act 2009 FPMS Financial and Performance Management Standard 2009

ARRs Annual report requirements for Queensland Government agencies


Final Annual Report

Office of Health Practitioner Registration Boards Final Annual Report

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Dental Technicians Board of Queensland

Speech Pathologists Board of Queensland

2012-13

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