Public Health (Infection Control) Amendment Bill 2017

Overview

This bill strengthens Queensland's infection control rules for hospitals, dental practices, medical clinics and acupuncture clinics. It was prompted by a Brisbane dental clinic incident where substandard sterilisation exposed staff and patients to blood-borne diseases. The changes give Queensland Health faster and stronger powers to investigate, require improvements, or order a clinic to stop a service.

Who it affects

Patients of health care facilities gain better protection against infection, while clinic owners, operators and practitioners face new offences, higher penalties, annual review duties and the possibility of surprise inspections.

Key changes

• Makes it an offence (up to 1000 penalty units, around $126,150 at 2017 rates) for a person providing a declared health service to fail to take reasonable precautions against infection
• Requires clinic owners and operators to maintain an Infection Control Management Plan and review it at least once a year, with penalties up to 500 penalty units for breaches
• Creates improvement notices ordering a clinic to fix unsafe practices, and directions notices letting the chief executive order a clinic to stop a service for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate)
• Allows authorised officers to enter a health care facility without the usual 24 hours notice if they reasonably believe an imminent infection risk needs to be addressed
• Sets a penalty of up to 3000 penalty units for ignoring a directions notice and lets the government prescribe mandatory training and competency standards by regulation