The Medical Board and its role
The Board is a statutory authority established under the Medical Practice Act, 1992. Its paramount objective is to protect the health and safety of the public of New South Wales by providing mechanisms designed to ensure that medical practitioners are fit to practise medicine. It achieves this by ensuring that only properly trained doctors are registered, and that registered doctors maintain proper standards of conduct and competence.
The Board was first established in 1838, and it currently consists of 20 nominees appointed by the Governor of New South Wales. Fifteen of the members are doctors, and five are non-medical members. The Board is funded through registration fees paid by all doctors in NSW and is independent of the government and the medical profession.
The Board functions through its Registration, Professional Conduct, Performance and Health Committees, which meet monthly and report to the full Board meeting every second month.
What the Board can and cannot do
The NSW Medical Board receives and assists with a broad range of inquiries from practitioners, patients, organisations and the broader community. To help people best direct their inquiries, the following is an overview of the Board's key roles and activities as well as the areas where it has no jurisdiction and where other bodies may offer assistance. The Board also publishes a list of frequently asked questions and answers, which may be of assistance to inquirers.
The NSW Medical Board:
| + Registers medical practitioners and makes publicly available the information contained in the Register of Medical Practitioners | x Cannot provide personal or contact details for individual medical practitioners other than as per the Register, due to privacy and confidentiality laws |
| + Receives and administers complaints against medical practitioners, in conjunction with the Health Care Complaints Commission | x Cannot deal with complaints relating to health care providers other than doctors, or health care organisations (see Health Care Complaints Commission) |
| + Administers the Health Program for doctors suffering ill-health | x Does not issue provider/prescriber numbers to medical practitioners (see Medicare Australia) |
| + Administers the Performance Program for doctors whose professional performance may be below appropriate peer standards | x Cannot get access to your medical records for you (see the Federal Privacy Commissioner) |
| + Publishes policies on Fitness to Practise and Good Medical Practice, and other resources related to conduct, standards and regulations | x Cannot provide medical or legal advice to individuals, or award damages or compensation |
| + Publishes disciplinary decisions and a list of de-registered practitioners | x Does not have responsibility for medical employment (undertaken by private and public employers, and recruitment agencies) |
| + Manages matters in relation to persons holding themselves out to be registered practitioners | x Does not maintain or provide medical workforce or other health statistics or make decisions regarding workforce numbers and policies (see federal/state governments) |
| + Advises the NSW Health Minister on relevant issues | x Does not accredit, manage applications for, or conduct medical education and training (see Australian Medical Council and/or medical colleges) |
