CPCA Policies

Delegated Cosmetic S4 Injections

This policy provides specific guidance on the appropriate professional behaviour required of CPCA members when delegating cosmetic schedule 4 (S4) injections to nurses. A registered nurse can only administer S4 medications under the supervision of a doctor and cannot independently purchase, obtain, administer or supply S4 medicine.

For more information, check out the CPCA’s protocol for Delegated Cosmetic S4 Injections.

Health Promotion and Preventative Care

The RACGP provides guidance on the key role of health practitioners in health promotion, illness prevention and preventive care.

Have a look at the RACGP Health Promotion and Prevantative Care webpage to know more.

Injectable Party Policy

The CPCA considers the administration of anti-wrinkle injections or dermal fillers, or the performance of any cosmetic medical procedure in a party setting, to be incompatible with good medical care. The CPCA believes these types of non-invasive and minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures are medical procedures which should be conducted in the appropriate medical setting.

Check out the CPCA’s Injectable Party Policy for more information.

Infection Prevention and Control

The RACGP provides guidance to assist health professionals and other staff implementing procedures involving infection prevention and control.

For more information, head over to the RACGP webpage on Infection Prevention and Control Standards.

You can also download the RACGP 5th Edition of Infection Prevention and Control Standards.

Putting Prevention into Practice

The RACGP provides guidance on the delivery of preventive health activities in medical practice. Also known as the ‘green book’, this document offers a framework for prevention and a range of effective strategies to strengthen preventative health activities.

Here’s a quick link to access the RACGP ‘greenbook’ — Putting Prevention into Practice.

You can also download the Putting Prevention into Practice PDF directly from the CPCA website.

Telemedicine Policy

This guide aims to inform registered medical practitioners and the community about the College and the Medical Board of Australia’s expectations of medical practitioners who participate in technology-based patient consultations.

Head over to the Medical Boards of Australia website on Technology Based Consultations to know more. Otherwise, you can also access the PDF information directly from the CPCA website.

Clinical Images and the Use of Mobile Devices

In the interests of upholding the principles of medical professionalism, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Medical Indemnity Industry Association of Australia (MIIAA) have produced this guide for the proper use of personal mobile devices when taking clinical images.

The guide outlines the key ethical and legal issues to be aware of before using a personal mobile device to take or transmit clinical images for the purpose of providing clinical care.

Have a look at the AMA and MIIAA’s Guide on Clinical Images and the Use of Personal Mobile Devices for more information.

Discrimination, Bullying and Sexual Harassment Policy

The purpose of this policy is to describe the behaviour expected of all College Trainees, Fellows, International Medical Graduates, volunteers or others in College activities, training programs and within the various workplaces and training environments in which they are located.

View our Discrimination, Bullying and Sexual Harassment Policy to know more.

Patient Privacy

The RACGP provides guidance to assist medical practitioners to meet their legal obligations in relation to the collection, use and disclosure of health information.

To view the RACGP website on Confidentiality and Privacy of Health Information, please click here.

To View the CPCA Privacy Policy, please click here.

eHealth Policy

The RACGP’s digital business kit provides a suite of resources and general guidance to promote the adoption and meaningful use of technologies in medical practice.

To view the RACGP website on eHealth, please click here.

Managing External Requests for Patient Information

The RACGP provides guidance to medical practitioners about which data elements should be extracted from a patient’s electronic medical record when responding to an external request for their record. This document is for use once the decision has been made by the practice to provide a copy of (or part of) a patient’s medical record to a third party.

To view the RACGP website on Managing External Requests for Patient Information, please click here.

To view the RACGP Managing External Requests for Patient Information in PDF format, please click here.

Computer and Information Security Standards

The RACGP provides medical practitioners with information and recommendations that will raise awareness of contemporary security issues and help protect against potential exposure to loss of sensitive data.

To view the RACGP website on Computer and Information Security Standards, please click here.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Policy
The College has developed a program which meets the Medical Board requirements but also meets the requirements of the College to retain membership level within the College. All members are required to submit evidence of CME/CPD to the College annually to comply with this requirement.

To view the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Policy, please click here.

Continuing Professional Development Registration Standard

The Medical Board of Australia provides guidance on the obligation of medical practitioners who are engaged in any form of medical practice to participate regularly in continuing professional development (CPD) that is relevant to their scope of practice in order to maintain, develop, update and enhance their knowledge, skills and performance and so ensure that they deliver appropriate and safe care.

To view the Medical Board of Australia website on Registration Standards, please click here.

To view the Medical Board of Australia Continuing Professional Development Registration Standard, please click here.

Attendance at CPCA Events

The CPCA provides guidance on the default restrictions on attendance at CPCA events, which are defined as being any meeting organised, co organised, co-hosted, or cross promoted by CPCA.

To view the CPCA Policy on Attendance at CPCA Events, please click here.

Mentoring

The NSW Government provides guidance for those who wish to establish a mentoring relationship outside a formal agency-sponsored programme.

To view the Mentoring Made Easy A Practice Guide, please click here.

Constitution

Governance of the CPCA is based on the College Constitution, a legal document registered with ASIC. Governance also includes a code of conduct for Directors, including a strict Conflict of Interest policy.

To view the CPCA Constitution, please click here.

Directors’ Code of Conduct

The code of conduct for directors also includes requirements under National Company Laws.

To view the ComLaw Corporations Act 2001, please click here.

And under ASIC

To view the ASIC website on Director’s Duties, please click here.

To view the Director’s Code of Conduct, please click here.

Privacy Policy

To view the CPCA Privacy Policy, please click here.

Conflict of Interest Policy

Directors and Members of the College must always declare any conflict of interest under any circumstance where their actions or decisions have a consequence for the College and/or the members. Charities Review Council, Resources for Smart Givers.

To view the CPCA Conflict of Interest Policy, please click here.

Use of Post Nominals Policy

Use of the postnominal CPCA is restricted to Fellows of the College who may place FCPCA after their name on business documents. Members may declare their affiliation with the College along with other affiliations but may not use postnominals.

To view the CPCA Use of Post Nominals Policy, please click here.

Refunds and Returns Policy

The CPCA provides guidance on the circumstances in which membership fees may be refunded.

To view the CPCA Refunds and Returns Policy, please click here.

Delivery Policy

The CPCA provides guidance on the circumstances in which new membership application’s are processed.

To view the CPCA Delivery Policy, please click here.

Credit Card Payment Policy

This policy is subject to periodical revisions. Please contact the office for a copy if required.

CPCA Membership Review Committee: Member Confidentiality Agreement Policy

This policy relates to the activities of the Membership Review Committee and requires all members of that committee to keep any information about members or applicants acquired as part of their duties confidential.

To view the CPCA Membership Review Committee Confidentiality Agreement and Privacy Policy, please click here.

Professional Relationships between CPCA Members and Non-Doctor Aesthetic Staff Policy

This policy, developed by the CPSA, provides a detailed brief on the standard of practice expected of College members in their dealing with non-doctor aesthetic staff with explanation of what constitutes reasonable supervision.

To view the CPCA Professional Relationships between CPCA Members and Non-Doctor Aesthetic Staff Policy, please click here.

National Standard: Accreditation of Cosmetic Clinics

Standards to be achieved for practice accreditation.

To view the National Standard: Accreditation of Cosmetic Clinics, version 2007, please click here.

RACGP Standards in General Practice

Standards set by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

To view the RACGP website on Practice Standards, please click here.

Advertising Guidelines: CPCA

Advertising of medical services, especially cosmetic services is covered by multiple organisations, making compliance more difficult.

Use of before and after photographs are permitted only if they are the work of the advertising practitioner. Company supplied photographs are not permitted. Photographs may not be altered digitally.

Use of testimonials on websites or public material is prohibited as is comparing yourself to other practitioners using phrases such as “most experienced”, “best”, “licensed”.

Use of time limited discounts, prizes, gift vouchers for cosmetic treatments involving S4 medications is not permitted.

To view the CPCA Advertising Guidelines, please click here.

Advertising Guidelines: AHPRA

AHPRA National Law, Section 133 covers advertising.

To view the AHPRA website, please click here.

Advertising Guidelines: Medical Board of Australia

The Medical Board of Australia has guidelines for provision of regulated health services.

To view the Medical Board of Australia website, please click here.

Advertising Guidelines: Australian Government. ComLaw

Areas which cause most difficulty are the use of names of S4 products, either trade names, chemical names or any abbreviation intended to represent an S4 product; all such use is prohibited by TGA.

To view the ComLaw website, please click here.

A Code of Conduct for Doctors in Australia

The Medical Board of Australia describes what is expected of all doctors registered to practise medicine in Australia. It sets out the principles that characterise good medical practice and makes explicit the standards of ethical and professional conduct expected of doctors by their professional peers and the community.

To view the Medical Board of Australia website on the Code of Conduct for Doctors in Australia, please click here.

Code of Ethics

The AMA articulates and promotes a body of ethical principles to guide doctors’ conduct in their relationships with patients, colleagues and society. Because of their special knowledge and expertise, doctors have a responsibility to improve and maintain the health of their patients who, either in a vulnerable state of illness or for the maintenance of their health, entrust themselves to medical care. Changes in society, science and the law constantly raise new ethical issues and may challenge existing ethical perspectives.

To view the AMA Code of Ethics, please click here.

Use of TGA Registered Medical Devices Policy

The Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia requires all members to use only TGA registered medical devices.

To view the CPCA Use of TGA Registered Medical Devices Policy, please click here.

Guidelines for Mandatory Notification

“Notifications” are concerns or complaints about registered health practitioners. Notifications can be made about a health practitioner’s health, conduct or performance. Registered health practitioners have a legal obligation to make a mandatory notification if they have formed a reasonable belief that a health practitioner has behaved in a way that constitutes notifiable conduct in relation to the practice of their profession.

To view AHPRA website on Notifications, please click here.

Complaints Protocol for members requesting CPCA Board to pursue a complaint

If you wish the CPCA to pursue a complaint (for example regarding unsupervised nurse injectors) then these are the steps that you have to follow.

To view the CPCA Protocol, please click here.

Complaints Policy: AHPRA

This AHPRA policy explains the processes involved in making a complaint. In the National Scheme a complaint about a registered health practitioner is a “notification” except in Queensland where the word used is “complaint. There are different processes for making complaints in New South Wales and Queensland.

In New South Wales, the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) is the body that receives complaints. In Queenland, from 1 July 2014, all complaints about Queenland health practitioners will be received by the Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHQ).

To view the AHPRA website, please click here.

Anti-bullying, Anti-harassment Policy

The purpose of this policy is to outline the Royal Australasian College of Dermatology’s (RACD) position on bullying, discrimination and harassment as informed by the relevant pieces of legislation. This policy covers anti bullying / discrimination / harassment within and external to the workplace through any medium. It applies to all employees, consultants, volunteers, visitors, Fellows and trainees/candidates.

To view the Anti-Bullying/ Descrimination/ Harassment Policy, please click here.

Social Media Policy

The CPCA policy stance is that the doctor is responsible for any social media that pertains to their clinical activities. The CPCA does not condone breaches of advertising in any form, whether these are intentional or not.

To view the CPCA Social Media Policy, please click here.

Solarium Use Policy

While acknowledging that ultraviolet (UV) light under medical supervision may be useful in treating some skin conditions e.g. PUVA for vitiligo, the CPCA believes that solarium use is generally harmful and condemns its use for all cosmetic purposes.

To view the CPCA Solarium Use Policy, please click here.