Different Perspective

Today it has been 798 days since I received the email from AHPRA notifying me of the investigation.

I am still standing and my life is moving forward.

I spoke recently to 8 psychologists who have been through an investigation. 2 of them had a fair outcome and either a reprimand or very short suspension and the others described how deeply distressing the process was. Different experiences, different variables. Different lawyers involved and different contexts.

I did not have the financial resources to fund the legal process. I represented myself. Some people fortunately do have access to good legal support and they also have backing from colleagues and the leadership in the organisations they work with. I was a practitioner working on my own. I dealt with a highly complex situation where other treating clinicians were also involved. I was the only person investigated.

Patient safety is non negotiable in health care, and protecting the public from risk is very important. A regulatory body has a critical role to play with standards and a code of conduct.

I gave feedback on my experience to the National Health Ombudsman and also to the Health Minister, and to the National Psychology Board and to the Insurance companies. I hope that AHPRA have taken the suggestions on board to ensure health practitioners are supported.

It is healthy to hear other perspectives. Some practitioners had good support and a less stressful experience. This podcast on the link below is optimistic and positive and has some good suggestions from very experienced practitioners, for psychologists going through a complaints process:

https://www.mentalworkpodcast.com/ahpra-notifications-with-dr-carollyne-youssef/