Allied health credentialing process

Credentialing is the process used to make a determination about clinicians’ competence, performance and professional suitability to practice safely. Defining scope of clinical practice is a separate process that determines the support services, staff profile, minimum safety standards and other requirements that ensure clinical services are provided safely and are appropriately supported.

Please be aware that some of the templates within these toolkits contain information that has been designed or adapted to meet local needs. If utilised outside Metro North Hospital and Health Service (MNHHS) this toolkit should be considered alongside the overarching policies, implementation standards and guidelines.

Credentialing processes

• Proposal and local protocol for new service flowchart
• Credentialing external allied health practitioner flowchart 

Proposal and local protocol for new service or practice

Use this form when a new service, intervention, or procedure is being proposed for a facility which requires an external allied health professional to engage in professional practice or clinical practice that is not traditionally within the scope of their profession and/or has not traditionally been performed within Queensland Health or Metro North Hospital and Health Service.

• New service/practice proposal and local protocol form 

Application forms

The following forms should be used by external allied health professionals who are not employed by a Hospital and Health Service to apply for credentialing and defined scope of clinical practice within MNHHS facilities. Applications must be submitted through the allied health profession manager in the facility where you are seeking to be credentialed.

• New credentialing application
• New application attachments:
  • Conflict of interest declaration – please contact your allied health profession manager
  • Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service
  • Employment screening forms
    • General criminal history check
    • Aged care/corrective services criminal history check forms. If you require credentialing within a MNHHS Aged Care or Corrective Services facility, please contact the allied health profession manager to obtain a copy of the relevant criminal history check forms
    • Blue Card
• Mutual recognition application
• Re-application for credentialing
• Request for interim credentialing approval in an emergent situation
• Request for an appeal of a credentialing decision
• Request for an unscheduled review of credentialing

Referee reports

All applicants must provide at least one professional referee report with their credentialing application (new, re-application and mutual recognition)

• Referee report for credentialing applications

Vaccine preventable diseases

Any external allied health professional applying for credentialing and defined scope of practice within Metro North HHS after 1 July 2016 is required to provide evidence of vaccination or proof that they are not susceptible to specific vaccine preventable diseases (VPD). For more information please refer to the Queensland Health Mandatory Vaccinations.

Professional supervision of credentialed allied health professional

All allied health professionals who are credentialed in MNHHS must participate in professional supervision appropriate to their scope of practice with the clinical supervisor named on their credentialing application.

• External allied health practitioner; supervision report

Policy and procedures

The following documents provide the overarching governing framework for credentialing and defining the scope of clinical practice:

• Health Service Directive (HSD) – Credentialing and defining the scope of clinical practice
• HSD Guideline for Credentialing and Defining the Scope of Clinical Practice and Professional Support for Allied Health Professionals

If you would like a copy or further information about the MNHHS Allied Health credentialing policy and procedure, please contact the allied health profession manager.