The College has provided a submission to the Independent Review of Complexity in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS). ACRRM’s submission follows an earlier submission and several consultations with the review team.

ACRRM’s submission highlighted:

• Australians enjoy a world class standard of healthcare, and it is important that opportunities for process improvement are weighed against risks of undermining these standards and their affordability.
• That medical colleges are essential to the fabric of affordable, safe, quality care. College cultures assert high professional standards upon members, and motivate them to exhibit excellence, and contribute their time and expertise in both paid and unpaid capacities. They have robust internal structures established over generations. The review must consider the complexity and other potential national costs of undermining any of these functions and their quality outcomes.

• Stewardship of standards for clinical safety and quality, if it is to reflect the best, evidence-based outcomes for patient care, should rest with the bodies that hold the relevant knowledge and active professional expertise in delivering clinical care. Delegating stewardship to a bureaucratic third party would decouple decision-making from knowledge and understanding of the science and its human application. In particular, standards applied to people living in rural, remote and First Nations communities should incorporate advice of experienced clinicians with expertise in those contexts.

The Complexity Review is one of a range of initiatives to reform health system regulation, for which ACRRM has been advocating (e.g. the Scope of Practice, Kruk, and Working Better for Medicare reviews). ACRRM has also this month, provided a submission to the Medical Board of Australia on Professional Capability Statements raising similar issues.

Should you require any further information please contact the policy team at policy@acrrm.org.au.