What to Do When You Receive an AHPRA Notification

What does receiving an AHPRA notification actually mean?

It means a concern has been raised about you and is now being assessed for any risk to the public. It is not a finding of wrongdoing.

A notification is the Australian term for a concern raised with Ahpra, or with a co-regulator in New South Wales or Queensland, about a registered health practitioner's conduct, professional performance or health. Ahpra and your National Board look at it to decide whether there is a current risk that needs managing. If you want the full picture of how the system works, read our guide to what an AHPRA notification is before you go further.

The feelings that come with a notification, from anger to anxiety, are completely normal. What matters now is that you respond in a measured, informed way rather than a rushed one. Ahpra will usually arrange a time to speak with you about what happens next, and there is free, confidential support available through your insurer and professional association.

What should you do in the first 48 hours?

Slow down, protect your position, and get advice before you say or write anything substantive.

1. Read it carefully and note the deadline

   Identify exactly what is alleged and by when you must respond. Response windows can be short, so put the date somewhere you will not miss it.

2. Pause before you respond

   Do not reply on the spot, and do not make statements over the phone before taking advice. A considered written response is almost always better than a quick reaction.

3. Contact your indemnity insurer

   Call your medical defence organisation or indemnity insurer first. Their medico-legal line is included in your cover, and they have handled many notifications before.

4. Preserve your records

   Locate the relevant clinical records and correspondence and keep them safe and unchanged. Never alter, add to or backdate a record after the event.

5. Line up your support

   Tell a trusted colleague or your professional association, and look after your wellbeing. Support early in the process genuinely makes a difference.

Who should you contact first?

Your indemnity insurer comes first, then your professional association, and a lawyer where the matter is serious.

Your indemnity insurer or medical defence organisation should be your first call, ideally before you write a single line of your response. They can help you understand the concern and draft a response that addresses each issue objectively. Your college, union or professional association also has a professional standards team, and many run peer support with practitioners who have been through the process themselves.

Where the notification involves professional or sexual boundaries, dishonesty, serious conduct, or where Ahpra has raised immediate action, do not respond without legal advice. Your insurer will usually appoint a lawyer experienced in these matters.

What should you avoid doing?

The common mistakes are reacting emotionally, contacting the wrong people, and touching your records.

• Do not ignore it. However unfair it feels, every notification must be responded to within the timeframe.
• Do not contact the notifier. Approaching a patient or complainant can make things considerably worse.
• Do not alter records. Changing, adding to or backdating a record is treated very seriously and can become a new concern.
• Do not breach patient confidentiality. Do not disclose confidential patient information in your response without lawful authority or advice.
• Do not respond off the cuff by phone. Take advice first, then respond in a considered, written form.

How do you prepare a strong response?

Understand the concern against your professional standards, gather evidence, and show that there is no current risk to the public.

Start by working out exactly which issues are raised and how they relate to your profession's code of conduct and standards. Gather documentary evidence that shows what actually happened, because strong, honest evidence carries far more weight than assertion. Ahpra is focused on current and future risk rather than punishing the past, so your response should demonstrate that any risk has been recognised and addressed.

This is where the three pillars matter. Insight means showing you understand what happened and why it mattered. Reflection means thinking it through honestly, in writing. Remediation means the concrete steps you have taken so that it does not happen again. Boards look for insight that is shown through evidence, not simply asserted in a sentence.

How long do you have, and what happens next?

Timeframes vary and can be short, so check your letter, then expect an assessment before any decision.

The exact time to respond is set out in the correspondence you receive from Ahpra, and it can be tighter than you expect, which is another reason to get advice quickly. After your response, Ahpra assesses the concern against the risk to the public, aiming in most cases to complete the initial assessment within around 60 days.

From there, a National Board may take no further action, seek a health or performance assessment, issue a caution, accept undertakings, impose conditions, or refer the most serious matters to a tribunal. The pathway depends on the nature of the concern and the risk it presents.

Can you keep working while you respond?

In most cases yes, unless a National Board takes immediate action to protect the public.

The large majority of practitioners continue to work as normal while a notification is assessed. Your registration is only restricted if a Board decides to take immediate action, which is used in a small number of higher risk matters and only after you have been given notice and a chance to make a submission through a show cause process.

How can CPD help your response?

Structured CPD gives you documented evidence of the reflection and remediation a Board is looking for.

Completing structured CPD aligned with your Board's CPD registration standard lets you show, in a concrete and dated way, that you have taken the concern seriously and acted on it. It does not guarantee any outcome, but it turns good intentions into evidence you can attach to your response. You can browse the full CPD course range for Australian health professionals to match courses to your situation.

Frequently asked questions

Dr Richard

Course Facilitator

MBBSFRACSFRACGPLLM, Healthcare Law & EthicsUniversity of Melbourne

A practising clinician with over 21 years of experience and postgraduate training in healthcare law and ethics, so every course reflects both clinical reality and Australian regulatory standards.

Written and reviewed by Dr Richard. Last reviewed . Read full profile