Mental Health Endorsement Audit Guidelines

Purpose of Audit

As an endorsed mental health occupational therapist, you are required to undertake activities to develop and maintain your mental health expertise in order to maintain your endorsement. OTA is required to ensure that all endorsed practitioners adhere to these requirements through regular audits.

Requirements

Occupational therapists that are Mental Health Endorsed are required to complete ten hours annually of mental health specific continuing professional development (CPD). If practicing under Medicare, all 10 hours of this CPD must be associated with the Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS)(1) outlined by Medicare. These ten hours can fall within the twenty hours set for national registration. All CPD should meet the AHPRA registration requirements.

Undertaking regular supervision, and maintaining an ongoing record of this, is also required to operate as an occupational therapist under the Mental Health Endorsement program. To meet the supervision requirement for ongoing endorsement and to address changing practice needs over time, supervision plans should be reviewed and updated annually. Supervision should be provided by an occupational therapist with relevant mental health experience or a mental health practitioner with relevant mental health experience. Peer supervision can form part of your supervision arrangements and supervision can also be claimed as part of your CPD requirements if it meets the OTB Registration standard requirements for continuing professional development.

Occupational Therapy Australia manages the annual audit process of these requirements to ensure compliance. Endorsed occupational therapists who do not meet the audit criteria will have their endorsement rescinded and be unable to continue to use their Medicare provider number for BAMH rebates.

The audit cycle has been aligned to coincide with the registration requirements under the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia (OTBA) related to the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) (i.e. 1 December-30 November).

The obligation of occupational therapists who are endorsed during the course of the CPD year to undertake CPD will be on a pro-rata basis. The amount of units will be calculated from the 1st of the month immediately succeeding the month they obtained initial endorsement. The obligation will be one-twelfth of the yearly requirement for each month.

Part-time allied mental health professionals are required to have 10 hours of mental health related CPD, the same as full-time allied mental health professionals. The audit process will:

• Randomly choose endorsed occupational therapists, to a level of 10%, from the Occupational Therapy Australia database.
• Chosen occupational therapists are requested to provide evidence of participation in relevant CPD to the required level and details of engagement in supervision.
• Occupational therapists will be informed of the outcome of the audit. If the occupational therapist does not meet the audit criteria, endorsement will be rescinded and, if applicable, Medicare will be notified accordingly.
• A reconsideration mechanism will allow for endorsees to request either a further 28 days to complete the 10 hours of CPD or apply for internal review of a decision that the endorsee has not achieved the required CPD.
• Occupational therapists who are removed from the endorsed/approved provider list can be placed back on the list once they meet the CPD requirements for the previous cycle (total of 10 hours) and will be required to meet the requirements for the new cycle in full.

Records should include:

• Evidence of participation and reflection of activities relevant to mental health practice/delivering
• FPS Medicare items. This evidence must be clear and verifiable, i.e. certificates of attendance,
• reflections and readings for self-study to include references for journal or book publications plus
• a copy of the title page. All signed records of peer consultations, mentoring or supervision can
• also be presented.
• CPD activities must be relevant to mental health practice/delivering FPS services. Acceptable CPD
• activities can include formal postgraduate education, workshops, e-learning, seminars, lectures, journal reading and self-study activities, writing papers, receipt of supervision and peer consultation, supervision and online training programs.
• Records must be kept for two years.

Focussed Psychological Strategies approved for use by allied mental health professionals utilising the FPS Medicare items are:

1. Psychoeducation (including motivational interviewing)
2. Cognitive behavioural therapy including:

• Behavioural interventions
• Behaviour modification
• Exposure techniques
• Activity scheduling
• Cognitive interventions
• Cognitive therapy

1. Relaxation strategies

• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Controlled breathing

1. Skills training

• Problem-solving skills and training
• Anger management
• Social skills training
• Communication training
• Stress management
• Parent management training

1. Interpersonal therapy (especially for depression)
2. Eye-Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR)
3. Narrative therapy (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people)

Citations (1) Department of Health – continuing professional development requirements for providers of focussed psychological strategies services