In Conversation with Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner

Hospital + Healthcare speaks with Justin Untersteiner, the new Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency CEO. Three months into the role, already Untersteiner has grand plans for Ahpra — but what specific regulatory developments can we expect under his leadership?

Untersteiner, the former Australian Financial Complaints Authority COO, brings decades of regulatory experience to his current role as Ahpra CEO, and knows a thing or two about industry oversight — but says there is no sector where it matters more than in health.

“I’ve travelled the world and seen what it looks like when a health system isn’t working as it should. There aren’t many — if any — essential services that are as important. So I feel privileged to now be at the helm of a regulator in this industry,” he said.

Succeeding a 15-year tenure from Ahpra’s former — and inaugural — CEO, Martin Fletcher, Untersteiner also said his appointment was a “wonderful opportunity” to refresh practices.

While Ahpra’s primary responsibility remains public safety, Untersteiner wants to ensure a better experience for all people who deal with Ahpra, including practitioners.

But what might this mean in practice, and what specific regulatory developments could we expect under his leadership?

A more equitable notification process

Untersteiner has been listening and taking notes from his community — and while the feedback has mostly been positive, he understands the need for a faster, more equitable notification process.

During a notification process, some practitioners are forced to pause their practice and can incur significant reputational damage, even if a court outcome ends up in their favour.

Untersteiner says drawn out reviews can harm wellbeing on both sides, and are not always justified. He also says they erode community trust in the regulator.

“I’ve been getting out there and meeting with many people, to understand what’s working, what’s not, and where there’s opportunity. From doing so, I understand the impact the notifications process can have — and it’s something I am looking to address as soon as possible,” he said.

“If a practitioner is being dragged through an extended notification process, it can really impact their mental health and devastate their reputation. It can also be harmful to the notifier, if they have a serious issue at hand and they’re not seeing an outcome.

“I can see how this might lead to confidence issues with the regulator. So we want to shorten the process and ensure it is carried out with empathy towards all parties involved,” he added.

Empathy in the notification process can take many forms, but at a minimum should involve transparency, he added.

“We need to ensure high levels of communication with all people involved. Ultimately, people need to feel heard when bringing forward their views, experiences and issues, and have a strong sense of procedural fairness at all times.”

Proactive regulation

Untersteiner is also looking to build a more proactive regulatory posture, in which action invariably precedes harm.

He said Ahpra will be keeping a close eye on emerging healthcare practices and business models that have the potential to cause patient harm.

“We will be right on the front end — leading across all regulators — to identify these practices and models.

“As other industry peers before me have said, it’s better to build fences at the top of the cliff than place ambulances at the bottom.”

Proactively stomping out institutional racism is also high on his priority list, with statistics painting a grim picture of cultural safety in health care, particularly for First Nations people.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 22% of First Nations adults claim to have experienced racial discrimination from a doctor, nurse or medical staff member — either themselves or with a family member.

“This is something that should not be happening in this day and age, and we will be putting in the necessary regulatory rigour to tackle the issue, with the urgency it deserves,” Untersteiner said.

Measures to address workforce shortages

In a similar vein, Ahpra is also seeking to address the shortage of healthcare practitioners in rural, regional and remote areas, as well as major cities.

He acknowledges the industry’s existing response, including expedited practitioner pathways, claiming they have made a “really positive impact”. However, he says more is needed to drive improvements in this space.

“I think there’s a lot more to be done. It’s a complex area and we are very keen to partner with the jurisdictions, government and practitioners to look for further solutions, and ensure we’re making an impact,” he said.

“I’m blessed to have a really committed team — many of whom are practitioners themselves — that genuinely cares about the industry.”

A promising start

In our conversation, Untersteiner’s position seemed to spell promising news for both patients and practitioners, who will be treated with greater empathy throughout their Ahpra dealings — and with the proactive regulatory posture, it seems likely these dealings will dwindle in number.

*Amy Sarcevic is a freelance science and technical writer who regularly writes for Hospital + Healthcare. She has an academic background in psychology.