Revised standards for PII arrangements published today

10 Dec 2015

A revised registration standard for Professional indemnity insurance (PII) arrangements has today been published by the Optometry Board of Australia.

The revised standard will come in to effect on 1 July 2016 and will replace the standard that is currently in place. This standard will apply to all optometrists who will need to meet the obligations of the revised standard either:

• by the time they next renew their PII arrangements policy, or
• by their next renewal of registration after 1 October 2016, whichever is sooner.

This registration standard does not apply to the current cycle of renewals (that is, it does not apply to late applications for renewal received in December).

The revised PII arrangements registration standard has not changed significantly. There have been some minor changes to the requirements relating to run-off and retroactive cover to avoid duplication and provide more clarity for optometrists. Some changes have been made to improve the clarity and workability of the standard, and understanding of the requirements and obligations of registrants.

National Boards will shortly publish more information about the revised PII arrangements registration standard which explains the requirements and what is expected of practitioners, in addition to some common FAQs. 

The revised standard was approved by the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council on 27 August 2015 and was reviewed as part of a scheduled review of standards. A public consultation was held as part of the review, and the submissions to public consultation are published on the Board’s website. A brief consultation report which outlines the public consultation, rationale for any changes and proposed way forward (including areas where further work is planned) has also previously been published by National Boards.

More information about the revised PII arrangements standard, including a brief consultation report and FAQs, can be found on the Professional indemnity insurance arrangements page of the AHPRA website.