Recency of practice guidance note

This guidance note provides information for health practitioners about the State Insurance Regulatory Authority’s (SIRA’s) recency of practice requirements when seeking to be appointed as a health practitioner authorised to give evidence in the compulsory third party (CTP) scheme under Part 8 of the Motor Accident Guidelines (the Guidelines).

Who do the recency of practice requirements apply to?

The recency of practice requirements apply to all health practitioners appointed by the Authority to its list of health practitioners authorised to give evidence in court and other dispute resolution proceedings.

This requirement does not apply to health practitioners:

a) authorised by agreement between the parties to conduct a joint medical assessment; or
b) appointed by the Authority for a specific purpose and duration on application by a claimant or an insurer.

What am I required to do?

You must:

A. be in clinical practice and/or a teaching position in your specialty (remunerated or not), or
B. have recently been in clinical practice, or
C. undertake professional activities such that you are aware of current clinical practice relevant to your profession/specialty.

Category	Criteria
Category A	Clinical practice means the provision of direct clinical care or oversight of direct clinical care of patients. A teaching position should be related to the clinical education of students pre- or post-registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The role does not have to be remunerated.
Category B	Recently been in clinical practice, considered to be within the past five years.
Category C	The Authority will accept professional activities which meet your profession’s National Board’s Recency of Practice Registration Standards. Some activities that the Authority encourages include, but are not limited to: Participation in mentoring programs Conducting peer reviews Presenting or participation at conferences and seminars Involvement in professional committees, councils or working groups Involvement in clinical guideline development Medico-legal continuing professional development (CPD) - refer to the CPD guidance note for further information.

Where your profession’s National Board Recency of Practice Registration Standards require a minimum number of hours of practice within a particular period, the Authority will require those minimum hours to be met for the purposes of satisfying Categories A and C.

When do I need to satisfy these requirements?

When you apply for appointment

You will need to satisfy these requirements when applying to be appointed to the Authority’s list. On the application form, you will be asked to declare that you have satisfied the Authority’s recency of practice requirements and provide details of how you satisfy them.

When you apply for re-appointment

You must continue to satisfy the recency of practice requirements throughout your period of authorisation and when seeking to be re-appointed.

How do I demonstrate I have satisfied the requirements?

You will not be required to provide supporting records as evidence of meeting recency of practice requirements when submitting your application. However, as SIRA may request that you provide evidence to demonstrate that you satisfy the recency of practice requirements throughout your term of appointment, it is recommended you retain relevant records for at least three years.

Examples of relevant evidence may include:

payslips or other wage and employment documentation
educational or teaching material
letters of appointment
mentoring program registration material
peer review log or discussion and evaluation notes (this should outline the criteria used and rationale for the evaluation)
presentation, seminar or conference certification or record of attendance
proof of membership of professional committees, councils or working groups
official meeting minutes
CPD log.

What happens if I don’t meet the requirements?

Health practitioners who do not meet the requirements will not be appointed to the Authority’s list of health practitioners authorised to give evidence. The Authority may revoke your appointment and remove you from its list of health practitioners authorised to give evidence if you are unable to demonstrate that you have met or will meet the requirements throughout your period of authorisation.