Complaints about AHPRA have risen 42% in the past financial year, underscoring the continuing impact of the pandemic on doctors, says the ombudsman responsible for hearing grievances against the regulator.
The National Health Practitioner Ombudsman says it was approached 1593 times by health practitioners in 2021-22, a record 65% increase on the previous 12 months.
This included 823 complaints regarding AHPRA and the boards – up from 581 in 2020-21. Some 70% of these related to the Medical Board of Australia, also a record high.
The office accepts last resort appeals from practitioners and patients unhappy with the outcome of a regulatory decision, although it cannot directly overturn decisions by the board.
In its annual report handed down last week (link here), it estimated 327 complaints were related to the pandemic, 304 of which involved a notification to AHPRA.
“The increase in complaints we received this financial year appears to mostly have been driven by people raising concerns about regulatory responses to the pandemic, particularly the AHPRA and the Boards’ statements regarding health practitioners’ obligations around vaccination,” ombudsman Richelle McCausland said in the report.