Experienced health professionals called to help meet COVID-19 demand

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency today announced a 12-month pandemic response sub-register.

Eligible doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists would be automatically added to the register, unless they opted out.

They would be under no obligation to stay on the register or practise.

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The measure aimed to get more practitioners into the health system quickly and safely, AHPRA chief executive Martin Fletcher said.

The new pandemic response sub-register is expected to be in place from April 6.

Doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists eligible to be returned to the practise would have to have held general or specialist registration and left the register of practitioners or moved to non-practising registration in the past three years.

"Only those who are properly qualified, competent and suitable will be returned to the register," the AHPRA said.

Registered practitioners subject to regulatory action in the past three years would not be re-registered.

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Mr Fletcher said employers and health departments would undertake employment and probity checks and provide any necessary induction and training.

AHPRA said it would be contacting more than 40,000 practitioners that met the criteria to let them know they would be added to the new sub-register.

There were already plans to add other health practitioners, such as physiotherapists and radiographers, "in the near future."

"We want more of our critical health practitioners available to work as part of the health system in responding to the pandemic," Mr Fletcher said.

Further information is available here.

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