United General Practice Australia ("UGPA"), is seeking changes to mandatory reporting requirements for treating practitioners. The current requirement are seen to increase the risk that health practitioners will not seek independent medical assessment, advice and treatment to address a physical or psychological medical condition that they may be personally experiencing.
UGPA believes that mandatory reporting laws should be in line with the recommendations made by the Medical Council of New South Wales and the model already adopted by Western Australia.
The changes sought would remove the mandatory reporting requirement and thereby encourage health practitioners to seek treatment from their colleagues and only require reporting where they see a genuine risk to the public, as already is the practice.
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