Medical Locums: Frequently asked questions - set 2
Medical Locums: Frequently asked questions
24. What type of financial system would be suitable for a Medical Locum Agency?
A suitable financial system would be one that demonstrates effectively the tracking of income revenue from various sources as well as expenditure and commissions. There are a variety of software packages that could be used to demonstrate this effectiveness.
25. How often is a criminal record check required?
A criminal record check is required at the start of service with NSW Health and should only be repeated if there has been a break in the service record. If a locum medical officer has been continually registered with the agency but has had broken periods of employment, an additional criminal record check would not be required.
26. How can the 100 point Identification Check be conducted in situations where a locum doctor lives in a different location to the agency office?
All documents provided to support the 100 point identification check should be original documents. Original qualifications are to be sighted then copied. The copy should be certified as 'original sighted' and dated. Copies of original qualifications that have been signed by a Justice of the Peace are also acceptable. The 100 point identification check must be completed prior to lodgement of a NSW Criminal Record Check or Working with Children Background Check, these are legislative requirements.
27. Does the Medical Locum Agency have to check the documents for the 100 point ID check and sign the bottom of the supplied form in the Standards and Conditions Support Pack?
Yes, it is the responsibility of the Medical Locum Agency to ensure that all forms of identification are:
- Original documents noted as cited then copied;
- Copies should be certified as original sighted and dated;
- Copies of original qualifications that have been sighted by a Justice of the Peace are acceptable.
This information should be assembled in an orderly manner and sent to the Area Health Service with the supplied form in the Standards and Conditions Support Pack, ideally in one batch. The form from the Standards and Conditions Support Pack should be signed by the officer who sighted the documents. It is also the responsibility of the Medical Locum Agency to ensure that copied information is readable and accurate.
28. How often does a Prohibitive Employment Declaration need to be completed by a locum Medical Officer?
A Prohibitive Employment Declaration must be signed by a locum Medical Officer prior to starting work in a child related employment. The Declaration is signed at the time of registration with the Agency (not with the Area Health Service where the locum work is taking place). A Prohibitive Employment Declaration remains current for as long as the locum Medical Officer remains in unbroken registration with that agency. This is consistent with the Working with children background checks. If a locum Medical Officer currently engaged in child-related employment becomes a prohibitive person, it is the locum Medical Officer's responsibility to notify the Chief Executive of the Area Health Service. Medical Locum Agencies should regularly remind locum Medical Officers of the obligation to report any serious sex or violence offence to the Chief Executive of the Area Health Service in which they are working and the requirement to report (a) any changes and convictions against him / her; and (b) any charges brought against him / her relating to the production, dissemination or possession of child pornography. It is a requirement that Medical Locum Agencies have in place systems that ensure that locum Medical Officers registered with that Agency, and who wish to work in the NSW Health system are aware of the requirements of the NSW Health Code of Conduct, 5.0 Employment Screening and Reporting of serious offences.
29. The referee sheet seems to require a 4th reference report from DMS or JMO manager. How many referee reports are required?
The locum medical officer will require a minimum of two, preferably three referee checks that must be completed by the locum agency and forwarded to the Area Health Service. The three referee checks must include a combination of current supervisors or Department heads where they have worked and follow the structured process described in the Standards and Conditions Support Pack. Checks must also be verbally verified and recorded in writing. Area Health Services may from time to time request additional information.
30. Can referee checks be shared between locum agencies?
References can be shared between locum agencies provided the agency has the written consent of the medical officer. If the medical officer is registered with more than one agency, permission should be given by the medical officer for an agency to direct the AHS to existing information that has been provided by another agency.
31. How long are referee checks current?
The referee check is but one part of the pre-placement process for locum Medical Officers. During the employment period there should continue to be a consistent match between the duties and the performance of the locum Medical Officer. This should be captured through feedback and performance monitoring systems initiated by the Medical Locum Agency. If there was a significant break in the employment period then on a case by case basis Area Health Services would be entitled to ask for more current referee checks.
32. Does the feedback on a locum Medical Officer need to be in the format of a reference check or can it be an overview of the locum's performance?
Agencies are required to have a formal performance management system in place that obtains feedback on the locum Medical Officer. It is reasonable for such a system to collect feedback from a variety of sources and in a variety of forms.
33. How does a locum Medical Officer access the eMedical orientation program?
Access details are available from all locum agencies listed on the NSW Health Register of Locum Agencies.
34. Who is required to complete the eMedical orientation program?
All locum Medical Officers are required to complete the eMedical orientation program that has been made available to enable medical locum agencies and locum medical officers to access minimum orientation requirements. These requirements are necessary to work in NSW public hospitals and are required as part of the pre placement process stipulated in the NSW Health Standards and Conditions for the provision of locum medical officers to the NSW health service.
35. Will fire training be required at each facility that the locum Medical Officer may work?
NSW Health is currently in the pilot phase of deploying a statewide eMedical orientation program. Locums already doing the online medical orientation program have the capability to download 'information guides' that are specific to each hospital facility and will contain information that addresses fire training. These will be available through the NSW Health online Learning Centre website to Agencies and locum Medical Officers prior to employment. Until this online access is available Agencies may need to contact the Casual and Locum Staffing Service in each Area Health Service to seek advice on this type of information.
36. Will locum Medical Officers get paid to attend fire training?
No, if the locum Medical Officer has not completed the mandatory NSW Health theoretical component of fire training in the past 12 months as part of a hospital orientation or induction then the theoretical component should be completed prior to employment through the eMedical Orientation Program at www.nswhealth.moodle.com.au
Locum agencies listed on the NSW Health 'Register of Locum Agencies' have been issued with access details to this program. The interim eMedical Orientation program contains the basic fire training module as well as:
- NSW Health Code of Conduct
- NSW Health Policy compliance declarations
- Child Protection training
- Manual Handling
- OH&S
- Infection control
- Security & Aggression
- Fire Safety
These modules are provided to enable medical locum agencies and locum medical officers to access minimum orientation requirements consistent with the Standards and Conditions for the provision of locum medical officers to the NSW Health Service.
37. How long will it take to complete the modules in the eMedical orientation program?
It is anticipated that depending on the medical officers existing knowledge of NSW Health policies it should take approximately one hour.
38. Will the locum medical officer get paid for complete the eMedical orientation program?
Medical officers introduced to the AHS via a locum agency will be required to complete the Interim eMedical orientation program prior to placement and will receive no payment.
39. Could the three forms ie Code of Conduct, Conflicts of Interest and Preventing and Managing Work Related Fatigue Guidelines that are require sign off by the medical officer be combined?
NSW Health is considering more efficient ways of presenting this information. Agencies will be notified when forms have been revised. Sign off on the NSW Code of Conduct can be completed through the interim eMedical Orientation program.
40. Do locum medical officers need to be provided with paper copies of all NSW Health policies?
NSW Health policies do not necessarily need to be provided to locum medical officer as paper copies. The Department acknowledges the quantity of paper that would be used in these circumstances. Alternatively the policies could be burned onto a CD as an effective means of providing the policy information to medical officers. Agencies should not be limited by this suggestion and are encouraged to use alternative methods to meet the requirement and at the same time reduce the quantity of paper used. The eMedical Orientation program accessed through the NSW Health website, now has online declarations available.
41. Can the Agencies get access to and use the Employment Health Assessment forms (including Vaccination Policy) from the Area Health Service?
The Employment Health Assessment Policy and Guidelines, PD 2005_186, 27 January 2005 is available at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/PD/2005/pdf/PD2005_186.pdf If additional information is required in relation to inherent job demands and requirements, the agency should contact the Casual and Locum Staffing Service in each Area Health Service.
The policy relating to Occupational Screening and Vaccination of Health Care Workers Against Infectious Diseases is available at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/pd/2007/pdf/PD2007_006.pdf
Agencies and locum Medical Officers should also be refer to other policies noted in the Pre-placement checklist that relate to Infection Control, proof of Immunisation Workplace Health and Safety: Policy and Better Practice Guide, Incident Management and Privacy.
42. Does NSW Health have any specific requirements for engagement agreements?
NSW Health has provided to Area Health Services standard terms of business for the development of single agreements between agencies and each AHS. AHS may include additional clauses, if required.
43. The Standards and Conditions stipulate an agency must provide a letter of introduction to the locum Medical Officer prior to undertaking a locum shift. Is this for each shift booked?
It would not be practical for this to occur for every shift, one letter of introduction every 12 months should be sufficient unless the registration circumstances of the locum Medical Officer were to change.
44. My agency has a long history of supplying locum medical officers to several hospitals in NSW; will this still continue if we do not meet these Standards and Conditions?
After the 13th October 2008 only locum agencies that have completed the self assessment declaration and are listed on the Register of Medical Locum Agencies will be used by Area Health Services. The Register of Medical Locum Agencies can be found at www.health.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/business/locums
To remain on the register after the 17th August 2009 locum agencies will be required to notify NSW Health after completion of a satisfactory third party audited assessment.
45. Please explain what is meant by a recent copy of registration from the NSW Medical Board dated within the past 7 days? (reference Locum Medical Officer Pre-placement Checklist)
As medical registration renewal occurs on the doctor's birth date. The documentation required to support section 4.2.1a is a copy of the medical officer's registration details as they are shown on the 'register of medical practitioners' at http://www.nswmb.org.au The relevant document refers to a copy of this page from the NSW Medical Board website dated within the past 7 days.
46. What documents are required to be carried by the locum Medical Officer to the Area Health Service place of employment for their shift?
The locum Medical Officer should present for the shift at the appointed time to the designated site contact and present photo identification and a copy of the current letter of introduction from the agency and documentation that verifies shift details.
47. How does a locum medical officer get approval for secondary employment?
The locum medical officer should contact the Casual and Locum Staffing Service in each Area Health Service for details. The Service will advise on the forms that will need to be completed and approval process.
48. Will an application for secondary employment approval be denied by the AHS if the locum Medical Officer wishes to work for a locum agency?
Each application for secondary employment approval is considered on a case by case basis by each AHS with decisions made consistent with NSW policies.
49. If I am a registered medical officer in NSW and my agency is not on the NSW Health Register for Locum Agencies, how can I continue to work in NSW public hospitals?
There are several options available to registered medical officers in this circumstance, namely:
- Obtain a permanent position in the NSW Health Service. These positions are regularly advertised on the Department of Health and Area Health Service websites at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/jobs/recruitment.asp;
- Join the casual medical pool that has been established in each AHS. Contact details for the NSW Health Casual Medical Pool are available at www.health.nsw.gov.au/jobs/recruitment/CasualPool;
- Register with an agency that is listed on the NSW Health Register for Locum Agencies at www.health.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/business/locums
50. Who can work in the NSW Health casual medical pool?
Expressions of interest are currently being taken in all AHS from senior residents (PGY3+), registrars, fellows and career medical officers registered to practice in NSW to register with a Casual Medical Pool. Junior medical officer (PGY 1 and 2) are not eligible. Doctors in the casual medical pool will be offered shifts to fill short term, casual and temporary vacancies in NSW public hospitals. AHS contact details are available at www.health.nsw.gov.au/jobs/recruitment/CasualPool