Physiotherapy Board - Body Corporate Proposal - letters from the Dept of Health and from the NZSP to the Director General of Health were read out. It was moved that “ A letter be sent to the Minister from this Meeting indication that the pursuance of the Physiotherapy Board Body Corporate matter received the unanimous support of the meeting. Carried
22 - 2 - 87
Physiotherapy Board - Mr. Hopkins the joint nominee of the NZMA has been re-elected to serve another 3 years.
Health Dept Physiotherapy Board - Body Corporate proposal - a letter from the Minister of Health - I have considered your request to meet half the cost of an independent survey and cannot agree. Indeed I have decided that the Physiotherapists Board, as it shall be called, will continue to be serviced by the Dept of Health for at least 3 years on enactment of the Bill. This will give the Board an opportunity to settle down under the new provisions where there is no Registrar to the Board. I have instructed Parliamentary counsel to draft the Bill accordingly.. The Society wrote under the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982 seeking copies of all documents which were prepared by Dept. Officers and which had, or are thought to have had, any bearing on his decision. No reply has been received. The proposed budget to be prepared by the Otago Business Development Centre for the independent running of the Physiotherapy Board has been cancelled but not before expenses had already been incurred.
Proposed Physiotherapy Legislation - The Society has not seen the draft Bill forwarded by the Dept and is unaware of its contents. Executive agreed that more work will now be required at Select Committee stage. Executive confirmed the Society’s legislative sub-Committee as - Mr. Lamont, Mr. Drok, Mrs Eileen Lamb
25/26 - 4 - 87
Physiotherapy Board - a special meeting will be held on 28 April.
Health Dept - Body Corporate Proposal - The material requested from the Dept of Health was received with one exception. The Society now has the background material leading up to the Dept’s decision, that it is not the right time for the implementation of the Body Corporate. The Society disagrees, and feels it is a good time to set up an independently functioning Physiotherapists Board. Executive agreed that the Secretary contact the ombudsman again to ascertain the bast way of dealing with the material received from the Dept. The Society will have to solicit a meeting with the Minister.
26/27 - 6 - 87
Physiotherapy Board - the Society’s nominees and Heads of both Schools should be written to see if they would any matter taken up by the Society from the special meeting of 28 April. Mr. Searle’s term of Office expires on 31 December.
Dept of Health - (1) Body Corporate - meeting will be requested with the Minister of Health re the papers received through the official Information Act - a paper will be prepared for this.
12/13 - 9 - 87
Physiotherapy Board - Executive discussed the need for continuing communication from the nominees and suggested the next Executive meeting be brought forward a day to meet them.
27/28 - 11 - 87
Physiotherapy Board -Mr. I. Searle’s term expires on 31-12-87, he is willing to stand again. A meting with the Society’s nominees had been very worthwhile. Future correspondence from the Board is to be sent to the Society nominees.
Health Dept - A Report of a meeting was tabled. One thing discussed was the possibility of reopening the question of the Physiotherapy Board functioning independently of the Dept. To be further discussed at the next meeting.
21 - 2 - 88
Physiotherapy Board - Mr. Searle reappointed for a further 3 years. Mr. Hopkins, the joint representative by the Society and the NZMA has been reappointed.
Criteria for Examiners in State Exams - 11 points.
Mrs. Lamb queried the time lapse between registering new graduates with the board. The Registrar will be contacted.
30 - 4 - 88
Registration -They were late because of staffing problems. Basically it a graduate applied they are eligible for employment.
Physiotherapy Board Education meeting - Miss Skinner tabled a Report of the meeting. Draft 7 of the document, preciously DACUM now called Physiotherapy Education in NZ at Undergraduate level, will be forwarded shortly to the Society for comment.
Physiotherapy Board - The Board suggests the problems associated with the new APC and Manpower questionnaire should be raised with the Dept. of Health.
15 - 12 - 88
Physiotherapy Board Report tabled and discussed.. Mr. Lamont has been renominated to the Board.
AGM 22 - 4 - 89
Physiotherapy Board Body Corporate proposal - After a History of the proposal - The Stand Alone one was the best and the Department had been advised of this. The only stumbling block appeared to be finance as the Department believed the Stand Alone Option would be too expensive for the profession. However this is contrary to the opinion of the Society’s negotiators who believe the profession can afford it. The second option discussed was to liaise with other health professions with whom the profession had no areas of conflict. It was stressed that this option was a long way behind the preferred stand alone option. It was moved the NZSP vigorously pursue the option of complete independence. Carried
Proposed Legislation - the Legislative sub-Committee ( E.Lamb, M. Lamont and E.Drok) had discussed the following main areas of concern for future legislation - (1)That the Act include a definition of Physiotherapy (2) That the term Physiotherapist be recognised in the new Act and not the term Registered Physiotherapist (3) That therapeutic massage is widely practised by Physiotherapists and should continue to be part of Physiotherapy Legislation. It was also moved that the NZSP urgently take up the matter of the establishment of the NZ Assn. of Massage practitioners with the Department of Health, and that the appropriate action be taken by the Department to acquaint this group with the requirements of the present Act. It was also moved that the proposed Physiotherapy Legislation should not have reference to groups such as massage practitioners or Physiotherapy assistants as are included in the dental act where dental technicians are included. Carried
Continuing competencies It was moved that any system of legislation for continuing competencies must include the profession (NZSP) in determining both the standards of competencies and providing the appropriate Educational programmes. Carried
Discipline Section - it was moved that the disciplinary mechanisms for Physiotherapy be contained within the Act, be specific to the Profession, and be determined by the majority of Physiotherapists and that no umbrella type disciplinary mechanisms be supported. Carried.
Practitioner Health - It was moved that there be mechanisms within the legislation to deal with practitioners whose ability to practise maybe impaired due to mental illness, stress, related illness or addiction to drugs or alcohol. Carried The meeting agreed that the present draconian legislation was not acceptable.
Annual Practicing Certificate Questionnaire - It was moved that the Society voice its concern at the inadequacy of the Questionnaire sent out with the last APC - Despite its inadequacy members were asked to fill it out as it is the only way the Department can collect statistics. Carried
23- 4 - 89
Physiotherapy Board - Body Corporate Proposal - 3 representatives will attend a special meeting of the Board on 27th April - Mr.E Drok, E. Lamb & Mrs. J. Tedder to attend. It was decided that the NZSP vigorously persue the option of complete independence, that is, independent of any other Board presently within the Dept of Health
Costs of APC - it was agreed it would have helpful if members had been told the reasons for the increased cost of these. The primary cause was the policy of user pays- members are to be told.
Physiotherapy Board - Ethics - Mr. Drok tabled draft Ethical obligations of Physiotherapists presented and accepted by the Physiotherapy Board.
3 - 3 - 89 - Physiotherapy Board - next meeting will be held on 13 April.
AGM 22 - 4 - 89
Proposed Legislation - the Legislative sub-Committee ( E.Lamb, M. Lamont and E.Drok) had discussed the following main areas of concern for future legislation -
That the Act include a definition of Physiotherapy
That the term Physiotherapist be recognised in the new Act and not the term Registered Physiotherapist
That therapeutic massage is widely practised by Physiotherapists and should continue to be part of Physiotherapy Legislation.
It was also moved that the NZSP urgently take up the matter of the establishment of the NZ Assn. of Massage practitioners with the Department of Health, and that the appropriate action be taken by the Department to acquaint this group with the requirements of the present Act. It was also moved that the proposed Physiotherapy Legislation should not have reference to groups such as massage practitioners or Physiotherapy assistants as are included in the dental act where dental technicians are included. Carried
22/23 - 7 - 89
Physiotherapy Board - The Minister of Health reappointing Mr .Lamont for a further 3 year term of Office.
22 - 9 - 89
Physiotherapy Services Advisory Committee - Term of Reference. The Minister of Health has advised that the Terms of Reference for this Committee will be determined by her following receipt of a paper on the matter from the Department.
Health Workforce Development Fund - All 5 applications put forward by the Society and it’s SIG’s to the Health Workforce Development fund were declined.
Physiotherapy Board -Notes on the last meeting were discussed. It was noted that Physiotherapists accompanying teams attending the Commonwealth Games will be provided with temporary NZ Registration at no charge. It was agreed that the Board should be approached to see if this cover could be extended to key note speakers at the HORIZONS Conference.
Independent Physiotherapy Board - a Letter from the Deputy Registrar advised that the Physiotherapy Board endorses the Society’s aim for an autonomous Physiotherapy board.
Teaching of massage to other Health Professionals. A letter from the Registrar was tabled - The present Act is quite specific about the teaching of massage and only a Physiotherapist authorised in writing by the Board may do so. It is therefore incorrect to state that the teaching of massage to other health professionals is a matter for the Society to resolve. As the Dept of Health is responsible for administering the Act the matter will be referred to the Senior Advisory Physiotherapist.
9 - 12 - 89
Physiotherapy Board - Independent Administration Proposal - because of legislative difficulties the Department of Health will not become a Ministry as soon as was anticipated. It is therefore the intention of the Department to retain administration of the Boards for at least 18 months
Teaching of massage to other Health Professionals. - Legal requirements aside the Board wish to learn the Society’s position on the ethical consideration of Physiotherapists teaching other health professionals massage. After lengthy discussion it was considered that there were no ethical problems if a person being taught by a Physiotherapist was aware that the instruction should not be used to treat a specific disability.