The Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) has been granted new powers to order that unsafe health practices immediately stop treating patients under changes to the State’s Public Health Regulations.
Announced by the Minister for Health, Brad Hazzard, the changes empower the HCCC to issue prohibition orders for breaches of a new code of conduct that applies to health practices and practitioners offering services such as massage therapy, naturopathy, chiropractic, osteopathy and other alternative health care.
“These changes enable the HCCC to use their powers to prohibit health organisations from operating where they pose a risk to the health or safety of the public,” Mr Hazzard said.
“This is an important, additional step that enables the HCCC to take firm action to protect the community from health organisations which flout the rules and do not provide services in a safe and ethical way,” he said.
“It does not include public health organisations, aged care services, and licenced private health facilities, as they are already governed by other legislation that ensures quality assurance, and as such the HCCC is not responsible for taking action against these entities.”
Mr Hazzard said the new code of conduct built required that health organisations provide health services in a safe and ethical way; have precautions for infection control, and ensure their employees conduct themselves appropriately in relation to treatment advice, including not dissuading a patient from seeing another health service.
He said the code also required the services to keep client health information confidential; not financially exploit or misinform patients; safely secure and supply medicines; and display the code of conduct on their premises.
Further information on the new Code of conduct for unregistered health practitioners and health organisations can be accessed at this PS News link.
