Page 5 - RCPA Annual Report 2016-17

President’s Perspective
Jack Snelling in SA as well as regular interactions with Health Department bureaucrats, other representative groups (AMA, PA and PPA) and the media. The major issues have included the MBS Review, Collection Centre rental issues and the Cervical Cancer Screening Renewal. The MBS Review continues to be a matter of concern and is now getting to “the pointy end” with reports being nalised by most of the Pathology working groups. There is much concern among the group of College Fellows who are involved that the original principles of the review – modernising the schedule and removing out of date tests and procedures – have morphed into a cost cutting exercise without an evidence base.
The engagement with the Medical Board of Australia and Medical Council of New Zealand continues and we await the formal “position papers” that they have been developing in relation to Revalidation/Recerti cation.Your College has developed and now introduced the “enhanced CPDP” programs required by the Medical Boards to ensure ongoing competence assessment and in 2017 peer review (guided by IQA Framework documents) is now a prerequisite for all disciplines. Compulsory “enhanced CPDP” has been in place for Anatomical Pathology Fellows since 2016 and audits of returns are now occurring. We believe we have “set the scene” here and have a model for other Colleges to follow and have satis ed the proposed Medical Boards’ revalidation requirements. The issue
of dual Fellows without recency of practice in laboratory medicine is being worked through and there will be, I believe, a good outcome
for all. Some of these matters imposed on the College by the MBA and MCNZ will require minor changes to the College Constitution and a communication exercise is under way to advise Fellows of that.
The major role of the College is to recruit, train, assess and certify new Fellows – to “reproduce and replace” ourselves as any responsible organism would do. Although workforce vacancy surveys are regularly conducted and continue
to show a shortage of pathologists and senior scientists throughout Australia and New Zealand, the major studies are quite dated and the College has embarked on a workforce analysis and requirements study. The results of this will allow us to use up to date statistics when we talk to Governments about workforce requirements and training positions. The College is currently undertaking a needs analysis of Fellows and Trainees to set the priorities for the College
in the coming years. We hope all Fellows and Trainees participate in the survey currently being conducted.
Interaction with other Australasian Colleges occurs through the Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges which meets regularly and develops policy. This has been an important mechanism for interacting with the MBA and MCNZ.
Finally, I would like to thank you, the College Fellows, for your support for College activities, whether it’s volunteering to participate in a myriad of representative roles and tasks or taking part in College organised events. I am most grateful for the endeavours and commitment of the CEO, Dr Debra Graves, and all those College employees who support our organisation so well.
As I write this report I have less than two
months left as President of your College –
on 16 November I will undergo the abrupt transformation to a Past President. It’s been
an honour to represent you and even though Denise, my wife, has cursed the College on a
few occasions I wouldn’t have missed it for anything and I thank her for her patience and support. I encourage all Fellows to participate in College affairs - we are a small specialty but what we do is so important and so critical and we all need to be “out front” telling everybody about our role.
I commend the 2017 annual report of the RCPA to you.
Dr Michael Harrison President
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ANNUAL REPORT • 2016 - 2017