Senior Doctors Welcome Credentialling Report

MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
THURSDAY 15 MARCH 2001

“SENIOR DOCTORS WELCOME CREDENTIALLING REPORT; MUST BE PROFESSIONALLY NOT MANAGEMENT LED”

“Senior doctors welcome the credentialling report released today by the Ministry of Health but warn that to realise its potential it must be professionally rather than management led,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today.

“Credentialling can potentially form part of the armoury of overlapping tools that senior doctors in public hospitals can use to maintain and improve standards of care for patients. Other tools include professional development, peer review and clinical audit.”

“The report is written in a positive constructive tone. Credentialling risks failure, however, if it is not firmly under the professional leadership and direction of doctors. It will also fail and become discredited if it becomes a managerial control toy. To succeed credentialling processes must be open, fair, democratic and professionally led.”

“The report reinforces our campaign for quality that at least 30% of a senior doctor’s time on routing duties be spent on non-clinical activities such as credentialling,” concluded Mr Powell.

Ian Powell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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