The Health Ombudsman took immediate registration action by imposing conditions on the registration of Dr Daryl Alan Stephens, medical practitioner (MED0001549563), effective 21 March 2024.

Details of the practitioner’s registration, including the full list of imposed conditions, can be viewed on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency website.

Scope of Practice

The conditions imposed include the requirements the practitioner:

• must be supervised by another registered medical practitioner (the
  supervisor), who holds specialist registration as a urologist with no less than 10 years’ experience, when providing medical care to patients in the following classes:
  • Class A patients - patients attending for investigation and/or treatment of lesions, tumours or suspected tumours of any kind.
  • Class B patients - patients attending for investigation and/or treatment of kidney stones (nephrolithiasis).
  • Class C patients - patients on whom the practitioner is performing a surgical or other procedure and makes an incidental finding of any abnormal growth of bodily tissue cells, a lesion, tumour or suspected tumour (hereafter referred to as ‘abnormal tissue cells’).
• when performing a surgical or other procedure, if the practitioner makes an incidental finding of any abnormal tissue cells (that is, a Class C patient), and decides:
  • not to send an excised tissue sample for biopsy or histopathology testing, the practitioner must retain a tissue sample until he has consulted with the supervisor about the clinical reasons for not sending the tissue sample for further testing;
  • to perform a diathermy, and a sample from the diathermy site is unable to be retained for biopsy or histopathology testing, the practitioner must consult with the supervisor about the appropriateness of the use of diathermy in the clinical situation.
• must consult with the supervisor, who is to be accessible by telephone or other means of telecommunication and available to attend the workplace to observe and discuss the management of patients defined in Condition 1, and/or the performance of the practitioner, when necessary and otherwise at weekly intervals unless otherwise directed by the Health Ombudsman.

Approved employment and practice locations

The practitioner does not currently have Health Ombudsman approval to practise in any employment or practice location.

Period of action or order

In accordance with section 62(2) of the Health Ombudsman Act 2013 (the Act), the decision will continue to have effect until the earlier of the following happens –

• the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal sets aside the decision;
• the Health Ombudsman removes the conditions under section 65 of the Act.