RACS affirms commitment to ethics in health care

In 2017, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) became a proud signatory to the Australian Consensus Framework for Ethical Collaboration in the Healthcare Sector (ACF), now known as the Australian Ethical Health Alliance (AEHA).

The AEHA is a collaboration between professional bodies, industry organisations, hospitals and health services associations, regulators and patient advocacy groups to tackle ethical issues within the health sector.

It is a government supported, sectorled voluntary initiative that began with five bodies (RACS included) and has subsequently grown to more than 60 signatories.

At the end of 2020, RACS was asked to complete a self-evaluation form outlining our progress against AEHA principles. In the response, the College highlighted our ongoing commitment to the Building Respect program, including new policies and standards that were introduced in 2020 that are targeted at standards

of behaviour and workforce conduct. This includes the new RACS Workforce Conduct Policy.

The College’s evaluation report also detailed the formation of the Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Group, which has already led a number of important submissions to government enquiries. To read the full evaluation please visit the RACS website and search for ‘AEHA guide’.