Published 7 November 2024
Allied Health Professions Australia welcomes the recommendations of the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce: Scope of Practice Review Final Report as a pathway to embedding multidisciplinary team care into Australia’s health system.
AHPA engaged extensively throughout the review, making several submissions and consultations at various stages of the process, and we are pleased to see the report outline recommendations to remove outdated barriers, harmonise regulations, and introduce innovative training and funding models that will bolster the effectiveness of allied health professionals within multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
AHPA CEO Bronwyn Morris Donovan highlighted the importance of these reforms in improving access to care and supporting integrated health solutions “We welcome the report recommendations. Embedding multidisciplinary team care into the health system will facilitate accessible individualised care that puts the consumer at the centre.”
Key recommendations to empower allied health
The report proposes 18 high-level recommendations across four themes:
- Workforce design, development, education and planning
- Legislation and regulation
- Funding and payment policy
- Enablers and other key considerations
Several of the recommendations have significant positive impact on allied health.
AHPA are especially pleased to see Recommendation 8 focused on strengthening and standardising the regulatory model for health professions currently operating outside of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS). As many allied health professions are outside of NRAS, it is critical to address the interprofessional and legislative barriers this creates.
Morris-Donovan says “AHPA encourages changes to regulation that support allied health professionals outside of NRAS to work at the top of their professional scope. Increasing interdisciplinary trust and understanding is critical both for wider allied health practice and improving consumer health outcomes.”
We are also particularly pleased to see allied health recognised as a priority sector for the implementation of new referral pathways under Recommendation 12. “AHPA have long advocated for allied health to be able to make appropriate direct referrals within their scope. Direct referrals will not only increase health system efficiency, but also significantly decrease consumer cost and time burdens.”
AHPA is also optimistic about Recommendation 13 and the recognition that a sector-wide commitment to reform is key to success. We have consistently advocated for systemic cultural change that improves interdisciplinary trust and understanding. Morris Donovan says “The breaking down of professional silos and development of an intrinsically collaborative approach to healthcare is not accomplished in isolation, or within set timeframes.”
Allied health professionals make an enormous difference to the Australian healthcare system, and these recommendations will allow them to expand their contributions even further.
AHPA look forward to meaningful and productive engagement with the implementation of these recommendations and urge the government to prioritse breathing new life into the primary health system.
CEO Bronwyn Morris-Donovan is available for comment.
Please direct media inquiries to Suzie Medhurst at 0448958682