In 2017 RACS became a proud signatory to the Australian Consensus Framework for Ethical Collaboration (ACF) in the Healthcare Sector, now known as the Australian Ethical Health Alliance (AEHA). The AEHA is guided by 12 ethical principles, which are aimed at promoting public confidence and trust in healthcare sector organisations by demonstrating a shared commitment to integrity and ethics.
The AEHA It is a collaboration of professional bodies, industry organisations, hospitals and health services associations, regulators, patient and advocacy groups who have come together to tackle ethical issues within the health sector. It is a government supported but sector led voluntary initiative which initially began with five bodies (RACS include) and has subsequently grown to more than 70 signatories.
Annually, AEHA members self-evaluate and share their progress on implementing the principles through the AEHA Self-Evaluation Form, which RACS completed at the end of 2021. The ACF is not intended to replace existing policies or codes of conduct, and it does not mandate, monitor or regulate anything other than the voluntary reporting of activities related to the ACF.
Central to RACS’ response to the evaluation was the College’s ongoing work and commitment towards the BRIPS program. In particular, the College highlighted the phase two evaluation which took place in early 2021. The full RACS response is available here.