An update from RIW and the Chief Medical Officers Council
Welcome
to the first edition of the Authorised Health Professionals
newsletter, a periodic communication developed in partnership
with the Chief Medical Officers Council to support AHPs registered
in the Rail Industry Worker Program.
Update on the
National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers
All health assessments of rail
safety workers in Australia are conducted in line with the
third edition (2017) of the National Standard for
Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers. The National
Transport Commission will commence a review of this edition in 2022,
with the fourth edition expected to be published in early 2023.
All existing AHPs who undertook
training or re-training in the third edition will continue to
remain authorised until the new National Standard is published. It
is not necessary to attend retraining in this edition, even if your
current certificate expires prior to 2023.
It is envisaged that retraining
sessions will be scheduled in early 2023 in conjunction with the
release of the fourth edition. Further details of retraining
sessions will be made available closer to the date.
Providing assurance that the National Standard is
adopted
The Chief Medical Officers
Council (CMOC) undertake audits to provide both the Council and
Network Operators with the assurance that the National Standard for
Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers has been applied by
participating Authorised Health Professionals (AHPs).
Audits are completed by the Chief
Medical Officer for the respective Network where the AHP is
providing health assessment services. Audits are conducted as
follows:
Routine
/ planned;
Triggered
(for example, due to performance concerns); or
Random,
as part of a quality control process.
Note: Where an AHP
disputes the findings of an audit, a panel of two external Chief
Medical Officers will undertake a review of the audit.
Introduction
of new National Fit Slips (Part B)
A review was recently completed
into the various fit slips used across the country, the challenges
these presented to AHP’s and the inconsistent quality of data
gathered by the RIW Service Desk. The outcome was that industry
would benefit from a national, harmonised approach to improve the
medical outcome.
As
a result, two new forms have been introduced for use with the RIW
Program. Both forms are available online at the below links:
While both forms have had some
improvements, the new Triggered Health Assessment Report now
includes the important field to capture the last periodic medical. This date is critical in
setting the correct medical assessment expiry in the RIW System.
Note:The RIW Service Desk has been
instructed to continue to accept old fits slips for a period of 3
months (until 31 August 2021),
after which time all rail safety medicals must be completed on
either of the above forms. These forms only replace the Part B. TfNSW
will continue to use separate forms for their employees.
AHP Registration Update
The Authorised Health
Professional registration process
has recently been updated to better support industry. These
improvements include:
A National AHP
Training Calendar is now available on the RIW
website, including booking instructions and contact details
for the respective Chief Medical Officer trainer.
The
AHP assessment is now conducted online via E-Learning on the
RIW System.
The
Terms of Reference has now been replaced by an electronic
acceptance built into the AHP E-Learning Assessment, which
forms part of an AHP registration.
If you can’t find the answer to
your question from our Knowledge Centre, the RIW Service Desk is
always there to help. You can contact them on 1300 101 682 or info@riw.net.au.
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