The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is proposing mandatory health checks for doctors aged over 70, following an increase in the number of notifications made to AHPRA. This initiative comes in response to a troubling increase in patient notifications related to older practitioners, with data revealing that reports of health impairments in doctors over 70 are more than three times higher than in their younger counterparts.
AHPRA’s plan proposes that doctors aged 70 and above undergo routine health checks every three years, and annually once they reach 80. These assessments, conducted by a GP or another doctor, aim to identify health issues early, thereby reducing the risk of harm to patients. Consultation on the proposal is now open, and its outcomes could reshape the standard of care and liability in cases involving older practitioners.
The increase in notifications relating to doctors over 70 is alarming, with notifications nearly doubling in the past eight years—from 36.2 per 1,000 practitioners in 2015 to 69.5 complaints per 1000 practitioners in 2023. The situation is even more severe for doctors aged 80 and above, where notifications have risen by over 180%. These statistics emphasis the need for proactive measures to ensure that ageing doctors remain fit to practice, ensuring patient safety and accountability.
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins has voiced concerns about the potential for ageism in these measures, stressing the importance of balancing patient safety with fair assessment practices.
AHPRA has outlined three possible approaches:
- Maintaining the status quo and not making any changes to current practices.
- Introducing fitness to practice assessments to be conducted by specialists.
- Introducing regular health checks for GPs, starting at age 70 and becoming more frequent with age.
AHPRA favours the third option, proposing health checks similar to existing Medicare-funded assessments for patients over 75. These checks would remain confidential between the doctor and their GP unless a risk to patient safety is identified, necessitating a mandatory report.
While these measures aim to protect patients, they also raise concerns about their impact on the medical workforce, particularly in rural and regional areas where access to GPs is scarce. Dr Higgins has warned that forcing older doctors to retire earlier could exacerbate the already critical shortage of GPs.
DISCLAIMER
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