The Andrews Labor Government has welcomed the successful push for a national scheme to register and regulate paramedics and recognise their competence Australia-wide.
Following a sustained campaign from the Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Jill Hennessy, the COAG Health Council today agreed to progress work on including paramedics in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme administered by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
As part of the agreement, further work will be undertaken to determine the scope of the scheme and considered at the next COAG Health Council meeting in March 2016.
A National scheme will protect the integrity of properly trained and competent paramedics, and safeguard public confidence in their professionalism.
Paramedics will join Dentists, Medical Practitioners, Nurses, Midwives, Occupational Therapists, Optometrists, Osteopaths, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Psychologists, Chiropractors, Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners in the National Scheme.
The requirement for registration will provide assurance to the community that the services they receive from paramedics are delivered by people who not only have the right training and experience, but are bound by professional standards.
The community will be protected by establishing qualifications and professional requirements for entry to practise as a paramedic, and regulating the profession of paramedics under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.
This ensures that when a patient is treated by a paramedic, they and their family can be assured that there are protections in place – the same as when you are treated by other registered health practitioners such as nurses, dentists and occupational therapists.
Paramedics have been calling for professional standards and registration for some time, and the agreement will help protect their integrity and ensure public confidence.
A potential future ban on the importation of tanning units and related components was also discussed at the meeting today. It was agreed further work needs to be done to explore options, however the Andrews Labor Government strongly supports any efforts to reduce the use of these dangerous machines.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy
“A national registration scheme is vital for patient safety and ensures the high skills and training of our hard-working paramedics receive the recognition it deserves.”
“The Labor Government has long championed the need for national registration, and I am pleased that the proposal has been endorsed.”
“Solariums are cancer machines and we will support any national move to further crack down and stamp out the use of these dangerous machines.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020