The National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards require that from 2019 all hospitals and day services providing colonoscopy in Australia are to be accredited to the Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard as indicated in the ACSQHC advisory. The Clinical Care Standard requires facilities to demonstrate that all colonoscopists working in their facility have provided evidence of independent certification that they meet the performance indicators in the standard.
The GESA Colonoscopy Recertification Program provides a formal mechanism for practitioners to acquire nationally-recognised certification. As part of the program practitioners are required to record their procedures in an online logbook. A new logbook must be submitted for review every three years.
A list of the practitioners who have already completed recertification may be viewed here.
Recertification is designed to support practitioners in:
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maintaining their expertise in colonoscopy;
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continuing to develop their skills through subsidised training opportunities and
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increasing safety standards and the quality of care being delivered to patients.
The program brings Australia into line with international trends and with increasing consumer expectations regarding medical professionals.
More information about the program and how to register can be found here.
The "GESA Certification and Recertification Fact Sheet" can be found here.
The "NSQHSS Certification and Recertification of practising adult colonoscopists" factsheet can be found here.
