Responsibility: Australian Government and non-government
Response:
Australian Government Response to 6.27 (a) and (b): Accept in principle
Australian Government Response to 6.27 (c): Accept
Status: Further work required
What work is currently in progress
Recommendations 6.27(a) and 6.27(b) are the responsibility of accreditation authorities for registered professions and the peak professional bodies for non-registered health professions.
Work cannot be undertaken on Recommendation 6.27(c) until Recommendations 6.27 (a) and 6.27 (b) are progressed.
Health Ministers do not have regulatory powers to direct accreditation authorities or peak professional bodies. If a decision is made by accreditation authorities and peak professional bodies to progress 6.27(a) and 6.27(b), the Australian Government will seek approval from all Health Ministers to request the Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency and National Boards to provide advice on how recommendation 6.27(c) can be progressed.
What the Disability Royal Commission said in the final report
Accreditation authorities for registered health professions and the peak professional bodies for non-registered health professions should:
a) review and amend accreditation standards and evidence requirements where necessary to address whether cognitive disability health is sufficiently covered. If it is not, they should amend their accreditation standards or evidence requirements (as the case may be) accordingly
b) encourage or mandate education providers to develop specific cognitive disability health curriculum content and deliver such content using inclusive teaching practices, involving people with cognitive disability where possible
c) report annually to the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care on their progress in implementing this recommendation. Where accreditation authorities have only recently undertaken their five-yearly review, annual reporting should include progress on implementation planning to address this recommendation pending the next scheduled review.
Australian Government Response July 2024
Reviewing and amending accreditation standards and encouraging or mandating education providers to develop specific curriculum content is the responsibility of accreditation authorities for registered health professions and the peak professional bodies for non-registered health professions. The Australian Government will engage with professional bodies and regulatory authorities to help progress recommendation 6.27.
The Australian Government can support annual reporting processes on progress that might be made by those professional bodies through existing governance structures.
The Government is also working with states and territories on strategic workforce matters through the Health Workforce Taskforce, which is an advisory group that reports to the Health Ministers’ Meeting.
More recommendations
View progress on other recommendations made by the Royal Commission.