Newsletter: May 2019

This newsletter sets out information about two legislative matters relevant to oral health practitioners.

Firstly you may be aware that the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Amendment Act 2019 came into force on 11 April 2019. This Amendment Act reflects the Government's greater focus on regulators and regulated health professionals to increase public confidence and safety in health services they receive in New Zealand. Our article summarises the key changes practitioners should be aware of.

Secondly we cover the submissions made by the Council on the draft Therapeutics Products Bill. Although still in draft form, this Bill proposes a new regulatory scheme for therapeutic products in New Zealand to replace the the Medicines Act 1981. As  drafted, it appears many dental appliances commonly used by oral health practitioners may become regulated as “medical devices”. We focussed our submissions on the impact of having dental products regulated under the proposed scheme and what this may mean for practitioners and patients. We will continue to monitor this Bill and provide further updates as it progresses through the legislative process.