NT PMAS
Northern Territory Prevocational Medical Assurance Services

Independent Prevocational Accreditation Committee and Panel

 

Context and Background to NT Prevocational Medical Accreditation Services

The Northern Territory Postgraduate Medical Council (NTPMC) was established in 1998. Council membership included the Principal Medical Consultant of the NT, Medical Superintendents of the five NT hospitals, representation from the Medical Board, the NT Postgraduate Medical Society, NT General Practice Education, Directors of Clinical Training, Medical Workforce, the NT Clinical School and the Resident Medical Officer Society.

In 2006 the NTPMC fell into abeyance until July 2008 following the NT Review of Medical Education and Training in 2007.

 

Associate Professor Elizabeth Chalmers was appointed by the NT Minister for Health as the Chairperson when the NTPMC was re-established in July 2008. From 2008 until 2015 NTPMC continued to administer and provide intern accreditation services to the two NT training hospitals for the Internship year.

 

In February 2015, the DoH formed the Medical Education and Training Centre (METC) to facilitate and coordinate medical education and training, support Health Services with the policy and process for prevocational recruitment, lead and support workforce planning to achieve sustainable workforce in the NT and be a point of jurisdictional coordination in relation to medical staff matters (across the whole medical training and practice continuum). It was determined that the function of prevocational accreditation should sit in this area as it related to and could inform other prevocational medical matters. To maintain the governance and management of the accreditation service as independent with no undue influence or interference from DoH as the primary funding body of Accreditation, or from any other area of the community, including government, health services, or professional associations it is situated within the METC however operates the accreditation service independent of the METC reporting lines. 

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In April 2019, DoH updated the title to align with changes in the branch name and to better reflect its core functions. Whilst at this time the NT Accrediting Authority title is still the METC documents will still carry this title until all of the stakeholders are informed of the change of title.

 

Accreditation Committee

The role of the Accreditation Committee will reflect the direction and needs of the MBA in relation to registration requirements for PGY1 doctors in the Northern Territory. A further role is to advocate for prevocational doctors and IMG’s education and training opportunities through the implementation of accreditation standards.

 

Its functions are:

 

1. To advise the NT Board of MBA and training health services on the health services requirements for intern training.

2. To establish, implement, manage, monitor, evaluate and review an objective, robust and transparent system to accredit all intern and all prevocational doctors’ placements

3. To maintain NT accreditation services to meet the Australian Medical Council (AMC) Accreditation Authority National Standards and reporting requirements to ensure METC maintains its NT accreditation authority status.

 

Terms of Reference

 

• To provide strategic leadership, guidance and advice on all issues relating to prevocational medical accreditation services in Northern Territory.

• To establish and review accreditation standards that focus on optimal learning opportunities and outcomes, particularly those that enhance patient care.

• To participate actively in the development, implementation and evaluation of strategic initiatives which support the accreditation system and processes.

• To monitor the accreditation review schedule each year.

• To advocate for prevocational doctors’ training opportunities through the oversight of accreditation standards.

• To appoint, facilitate and support teams to undertake accreditation reviews at training institutions using the NT Prevocational Accreditation Standards as the basis for reporting.

• To advise the Manager, PMAS to establish, when required, an independent prevocational accreditation review panel to manage any appeals and grievances regarding any accreditation survey events and/or decisions.

• To review and discuss accreditation review reports, then make recommendations to the NT Board of the MBA regarding the accreditation status of training institutions and the period of accreditation that should be granted.

• To periodically review approved placements and make recommendations to the NT Board of the MBA on their continued appropriateness including whether any terms or conditions should be attached to the approved accreditation status.

• To provide advice to NT prevocational training facilities' Directors of Clinical Training (DCT) and Medical Education Officers (MEO) or equivalent on the development, administration, and supervision of educational and training programs for prevocational doctors ensuring they comply with national and NT prevocational accreditation standards.

• To liaise with other committees of PMAS and other key stakeholders as and when necessary to achieve optimal educational outcomes for interns and prevocational doctors.

• To establish, maintain and promote relationships with relevant national and jurisdictional accreditation organisations, including other Postgraduate Medical Councils, and the Confederation of Postgraduate Medical Education Councils regarding accreditation standards and processes.

• To promote continuous quality improvement in all accreditation services.

 

Membership

The Prevocational Accreditation Committee (PAC) membership will come from local stakeholder groups, ensuring engagement of all groups relevant in the delivery of PGY1-2 training. The membership will have a mixture of supervisors, educators and managers of prevocational education programs together with prevocational doctors.

The membership will be appointed by Chair of the PAC. In the case of the Chair being appointed the Governance Committee will appoint.  In making appointments to the Accreditation Committee, regard will be given to ensuring any potential conflicts of interest are identified and relevant skills and experience as appropriate to undertake accreditation discussions, decisions and research are identified.

Expressions of Interest will be sought from representative groups and interviews facilitated by the Manager of  METC and refer the final selection and appointment decision to the Chair of the PAC.

Members will be appointed  ensuring a balance of Top End and Central Australia engagement and an understanding of regional NT hospital and Primary Care contexts.

 

Meeting frequency – Quarterly unless otherwise required for an urgent out of session meeting

 

Reporting Lines

Notification of the PAC accreditation decisions will be sent to the NT Board of the Medical Board by PAC Chair in writing.

The PAC makes their accreditation survey event decisions about accrediting Intern and prevocational training programs independently with no undue influence from any METC committees.

After each meeting the Chair of the PAC will provide a written progress report on prevocational accreditation positions and program status to the PMAS Governance Committee and will include in the report any operational accreditation system matters or issues that may require the Governance Committees attention or action.

The Prevocational Accreditation Committee will liaise with other PMAS committees where necessary to achieve optimal education and training outcomes for interns and prevocational doctors.

 

Accreditation Panel

The Accreditation Panel is established to consider accreditation survey team findings and endorse/not endorse survey team report recommendations, including the recommended period of accreditation that should be granted (max 4yrs).

 

The functions of the Accreditation Panel are to consider accreditation survey reports and:

 

1. Refer all accreditation appeals and/or grievances including any conflicts of interest regarding surveyors engaged to undertake the survey event to the Accreditation Committee.

2. Provide final accreditation advice and recommendations to the Accreditation Committee in relation to accreditation of postgraduate year 1 training positions and programs.

3. Provide final accreditation advice and recommendations to the Accreditation Committee in relation to accreditation of postgraduate year 2 training positions and programs.

4. Provide advice to the Accreditation Committee of any areas for improvement regarding the NT Prevocational Accreditation Standards, system, policies or processes.

 

Membership

An Independent Accreditation Panel for each accreditation survey will comprise of no less than four members appointed to the Independent Accreditation Panel. In making appointments to the Accreditation Panel, regard will be given to ensuring appointees have no conflicts of interest, appropriate skills and experience as appropriate to undertake accreditation functions and events. PAC Chair will monitor the TOR and membership of the Panel.

 

Meeting frequency – As required

 

Reporting Lines

The Accreditation Panel Chair will provide a written report to the Accreditation Committee after each panel meeting has been held. This report is to provide final accreditation advice and recommendations to the Accreditation Committee in relation to the accreditation of either or both postgraduate years training positions and programs. The Accreditation Panel makes their decisions about endorsing or not the survey team’s recommendations regarding accrediting positions and programs independently to the Accreditation Committee with no undue influence or interference from DoH as the primary funding body of Accreditation, or from any other area of the community, including government, health services, or professional associations