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Rules relating to Continuing Education and Training for registered health practitioners, 2007

Board Notice 29 of 2007

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Rules relating to Continuing Education and Training for registered health practitioners, 2007
Citation
Board Notice 29 of 2007
Primary work
Health Professions Act, 1974
Date
23 March 2007
Language
English
Publication
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South Africa
Health Professions Act, 1974

Rules relating to Continuing Education and Training for registered health practitioners, 2007

Board Notice 29 of 2007

  • Published in Government Gazette 29716 on 23 March 2007
  • Commenced on 23 March 2007
  • [This is the version of this document as it was from 23 March 2007 to 12 December 2024.]
  • [Please note that the research on this work is ongoing. Amendment, commencement and repeal information may be missing.]
The Health Professions Council of South Africa has, under section 26 of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974), made the rules set out in the Schedule.

1. Definitions

In these rules “the Act” means the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974), and any word or expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall bear such meaning, unless inconsistent with the context—“accreditation” means a process of recognizing continuing education and training courses or activities and service providers offering such courses or activities by council, and the word “accredited” has a corresponding meaning;“accreditor” means an institution or facility appointed by council to review applications by and accredit, non-accredited service providers for provision of once-off level one continuing professional development activities and to monitor these activities for compliance with these rules and continuing professional development guidelines;"board" means a professional board established in terms of section 15 of the Act;“clinical practice” means the management of individuals or groups and may include, but is not confined to, taking a history, performing an examination, ordering or performing tests or special investigations, making a diagnosis and administering or prescribing treatment;“continuing education units” means the value attached to a learning activity for continuing professional development;“continuing professional development committee” means a committee established by council in terms of section 10(1) of the Act to develop policy proposals for continuing professional development and to monitor the implementation and compliance with the developed policy and these rules;“continuing professional development” means the continuing education and training referred to in section 26 of the Act and prescribed in terms of these rules;"deferment" means a specified period of exemption from compliance with the requirements of these rules by the continuing professional development committee;"practitioner" means a person registered in terms of the Act;“sservice providers” means institutions or facilities which have been accredited by the council to offer continuing professional development courses or activities.

Requirements for continuing professional development

2.

A practitioner whose name, on 1 January 2007, appears on the registers kept in terms of section 18 of the Act is required to comply with the conditions of continuing professional development laid down in these rules as a prerequisite for such practitioner to retain his or her registration in terms of the Act.

3.

A person who, after 1 January 2007, registers for the first time in terms of the Act as a practitioner in any category of independent practice or public service, shall be required to comply with the conditions of continuing professional development laid down in these rules, which shall be a prerequisite for such practitioner to retain his or her registration in terms of the Act: Provided that a person who is registered for the first time after 1 January of any year, shall be required to comply with these requirements during the first year of his or her registration.

4.

For the purpose of complying with the requirements of continuing professional development:—
(1)a practitioner must accumulate at least 30 continuing education units, of which five must be on human rights, ethics and medical law, within every year;
(2)units accumulated shall be valid for a period of two (2) years from date of accumulation; and
(3)a practitioner must maintain a minimum of 60 units in every two (2) years from date of the first units accumulated.

5.

The prescribed units in rule 4 must be accumulated by way of different educational or developmental activities accredited by the council in any of the following levels of activities:
(1)level one activities with non-measurable outcomes;
(2)level two activities with measurable outcomes; and
(3)level three activities with formally structured learning programmes.

6.

Practitioners may obtain their units within their own discipline, speciality or subspeciality or within another relevant discipline, speciality or subspeciality.

7.

Deferment of compliance with the requirements of continuing professional development for any specific period may be granted to individual practitioners by the CPD committee on application and submission of adequate reasons for such request and subject to such conditions as the committee may determine.

8.

A practitioner registered to perform community service in terms of the provisions of section 24A of the Act is not required to comply with the requirements relating to continuing professional development whilst being so registered.

9.

In the event of a practitioner not complying with the requirements specified in these rules within the prescribed time frames, the board may impose one or more of the following conditions of registration on the defaulting practitioner, namely—
(a)registration in a category of supervised practice as may be considered appropriate by the board;
(b)a remedial programme of continuing education and training as may be determined by the board;
(c)an examination as may be determined by the board;
(d)suspension, for a specified period, from practice as may be determined by the board; or
(e)any other appropriate action as may be determined by the board.

Accreditation of continuing professional development service providers

10.

(1)Any institution or facility wishing to offer continuing education and training to registered practitioners may apply to council or its accreditors for accreditation as a service provider.
(2)An application for accreditation must be:—
(a)submitted on the relevant application form obtainable from the Council, duly completed;
(b)supported by all the documentation as set out in the Guidelines for service providers, which are obtainable from Council; and
(c)accompanied by the prescribed accreditation fees.
(3)An application for accreditation may be granted to any person or group complying with the requirements of these rules and continuing professional development guidelines issued by the council.
(4)In the case of an application for accreditation which had been declined by an accreditor, the applicant may apply to council for accreditation by way of an appeal against the decision of an accreditor.
(5)The application to council referred to in sub-rule (4) must be submitted within 30 days from date of decision of an accreditor, and must be accompanied by the documents referred to in sub-rule (2) and written representations in response to the decision of an accreditor.
(6)The council may, after due consideration of an application brought to it in terms of sub-rule (4), grant or decline the application.
(7)In the case where an application for accreditation to council is declined, the applicant may, in terms of section 20 of the Act, approach the High Court on appeal.
(8)An accreditation granted in terms of sub-rule (3) or (6) shall be valid for a period of twelve months.

11. Repeal

Rules published as Board Notices 122 of 2001, 11, 27, 28, 34, 35, 36, and 49 of 2002 are hereby repealed.

History of this document

13 December 2024 amendment not yet applied
23 March 2007 this version
Commenced
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