We were thrilled to have 134 people register for the session.

The session addressed ways of strengthening the allied health assistance workforce through occupational co-regulation, by:

• Government and employers formally recognising the quality assurance provided by AHANA Certification of AHAs,
• Creating funding and employment models that specifically recognise AHAs who are certified as Practising AHAs by AHANA,
• Having AHAs who are certified as Practising AHAs by AHANA be employed in, and receiving funding to work within a delegated model of care, and
• Optimising the contribution of the allied health workforce to the delivery of patient care using a delegated workforce model. 

We asked attendees: What is one question you have about co-regulation for the AHA workforce? Responses focussed on understanding, implementation, recognition, scope of practice, governance, and challenges:

1. Understanding Co-Regulation:

• Clarification of what co-regulation entails, including its comparison with other types of occupational regulation like certification and statutory registration.

2. Implementation and Process:

• Steps and timeline for the implementation of co-regulation.
• Roles of AHANA, the government, and professional associations in the co-regulation process.

3. Recognition and Funding:

• Goals to secure Medicare and private health insurance rebates for AHA services.
• Strategies for gaining recognition for AHAs in the workforce and accessing funding models.

4. Scope of Practice and Employment:

• Potential changes to the scope of practice for AHAs under co-regulation.
• Opportunities for AHAs to work remotely, especially in rural and remote areas.
• Impact on AHAs' work and employment opportunities.

5. Regulatory and Governance Structure:

• Role of AHANA as the regulatory body.
• Composition and responsibilities of the regulatory board.
• Collaboration with allied health professionals and their associations.

6. Barriers and Challenges:

• Current barriers to implementing co-regulation.
• Addressing concerns about innovation, flexibility, and the inclusion of non-qualified AHAs.
• Risks and potential outcomes of the proposed model.

The presentation addressed many of these questions. However, we have also prepared responses for these questions, which are in the AHA Co-regulation FAQs document. (See below).

What’s Next?

AHANA needs your help now to get our proposal for co-regulation ready.

We encourage everyone to be actively involved. It is important that what we propose fits the needs of AHAs, employers and organisations. 

We’ve prepared a Briefing Paper about co-regulation for AHAs. Click here for more information, the recording from the webinar, and FAQs about co-regulation for AHAs.

We have also set up the AHANA Industry Network on The Allied Health Academy platform for our AHANA members to contribute to this proposal. It includes a discussion forum, and it would be great if you could join us there to have your say on how AHA co-regulation can benefit your organisation and your community. Membership is free for AHANA Members - simply click here and follow the login prompts.