What Is an AHPRA Notification, and How Does the Process Work?

What is an AHPRA notification?

A notification is a formal concern raised with Ahpra, or a co-regulator, about a registered health practitioner or student.

In Australia, the word "notification" is used instead of "complaint" or "referral". It simply means that someone, often a patient, a colleague, an employer or a member of the public, has raised a concern that a practitioner's conduct, professional performance or health may be affecting safe care. The person who raises it is called the notifier.

Receiving a notification does not mean you have done something wrong, and it does not decide anything on its own. It is the starting point of a process whose whole purpose is to work out whether there is a risk to the public that needs to be managed. Many notifications close with no action at all. Understanding the process early is the best way to reduce the uncertainty that makes this experience so stressful.

Who manages notifications in Australia?

Ahpra and the 15 National Boards manage notifications in most of the country, while New South Wales and Queensland run co-regulatory systems.

Ahpra, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, is the administering body. It receives concerns, gathers information and supports the decision making. The 15 National Boards, one for each profession, are the regulatory decision makers. Your Board sets the standards for your profession and decides what happens with a notification about you, whether you are a doctor, a nurse or midwife, a dentist, a pharmacist or an allied health practitioner.

Two states work differently. In New South Wales, the Health Professional Councils Authority and the Health Care Complaints Commission manage concerns, not the National Boards. In Queensland, the Office of the Health Ombudsman receives notifications first, and under a joint consideration process it and Ahpra decide together who will manage each matter. The core ideas of insight, reflection and remediation still apply in every state.

What are the three streams: conduct, performance and health?

Every notification is looked at through one of three lenses: your conduct, your professional performance, or your health.

Conduct concerns are about behaviour, such as boundary issues, dishonesty, documentation problems or a breach of professional standards. Performance concerns are about the clinical quality or safety of your work, for example whether care met the expected standard. Health concerns are about an impairment that may affect your capacity to practise safely, such as an illness or a substance issue.

The stream matters because it shapes the pathway. Health matters, in particular, are handled supportively wherever possible, with the goal of keeping practitioners working safely rather than punishing them. A well managed health condition is generally no barrier to continuing to practise.

How does the AHPRA notification process work, step by step?

A notification moves through receipt, assessment, any investigation or health and performance checks, and then a Board decision.

1. A concern is received

   Ahpra receives the notification and checks that it has enough information about the concern and enough detail to identify the practitioner involved.

2. Assessment and risk review

   Ahpra reviews the concern against what it knows about you and your practice, and performs a risk assessment. In most cases it aims to finish this assessment within around 60 days.

3. Deciding a pathway

   The National Board decides what happens next. It may take no further action, seek more information, or ask for a health or performance assessment, or open a fuller investigation for more serious concerns.

4. Investigation, where needed

   For matters that require it, Ahpra gathers records and submissions. You are given the chance to respond, which is where a clear reflective account and evidence of remediation carry real weight.

5. Board decision and outcome

   The Board makes a decision proportionate to the risk, from closing the matter to imposing conditions, or referring the most serious matters to a tribunal.

What is immediate action, and can you keep working?

Immediate action is an interim step a National Board can take to protect the public while a matter is still being looked into, and it is used only in a small number of cases.

Under the National Law, a Board can take immediate action if it reasonably believes a practitioner poses a serious risk to people because of their conduct, performance or health, and that action is needed to protect public safety. It can also apply where registration was improperly obtained, or where a practitioner's registration has been suspended or cancelled elsewhere.

Immediate action can mean suspending your registration, placing conditions on it, accepting an undertaking from you, or accepting the surrender of your registration. Importantly, a Board must first give you notice and a genuine opportunity to make a submission through what is called a show cause process before it acts. Most practitioners under a notification are not subject to immediate action and continue to work as usual while the matter is assessed.

What outcomes can a notification lead to?

Outcomes range from no further action at the lightest end, through conditions and undertakings, to suspension or cancellation at the most serious end.

• No further action. Taken when there is no ongoing risk to manage, or the concern lacks substance, or steps already taken mean there is no future risk.
• Caution. A formal reminder about expected standards, without ongoing restrictions on your practice.
• Conditions on registration. Requirements such as supervision, education or limits on scope, recorded on the public register.
• Undertakings. Commitments you agree to, which the Board monitors for compliance.
• Reprimand. A formal expression of disapproval that stays on your record.
• Suspension or cancellation. The most serious outcomes, reached by referral to a tribunal such as VCAT, NCAT or QCAT.

Remediation does not guarantee any particular outcome. What it does is show the Board, honestly and in your own words, that you understand what happened and have taken concrete steps so that it is not repeated.

What is the difference between mandatory and voluntary notifications?

A mandatory notification is one the law requires certain people to make, while a voluntary notification is one anyone can choose to make.

Mandatory notifications must be made by treating practitioners, other practitioners and employers when they form a reasonable belief about defined serious concerns, such as certain conduct, impairment or a significant departure from accepted standards. Voluntary notifications can be made by anyone, including patients and members of the public, about a broader range of concerns.

Whichever way a concern arrives, Ahpra manages it through the same assessment and risk based process. The label affects who was obliged to raise it, not how fairly it is handled.

How do notifications differ in NSW and Queensland?

In New South Wales and Queensland, different bodies receive and manage notifications, so the first contact you have may not be with Ahpra.

If you practise in New South Wales, the Health Care Complaints Commission and the relevant health professional council manage the concern, supported by the Health Professional Councils Authority. The National Boards have no role in handling those matters, although Ahpra records outcomes nationally so information is shared.

In Queensland, the Office of the Health Ombudsman receives all notifications. It and Ahpra jointly consider new matters and decide who manages each one. If your matter is referred to Ahpra, it then follows the National Board process described above. The underlying expectations of insight, reflection and remediation remain the same across every state and territory.

How can you respond well, and does CPD help?

A strong response shows genuine insight, honest reflection and clear remediation, and structured CPD is one of the most practical ways to evidence that.

Boards are looking for practitioners who understand the concern, can explain what they would do differently, and can point to real steps already taken. That is exactly what the three pillars capture. Insight is recognising what happened and why it mattered. Reflection is thinking it through honestly and in writing. Remediation is the concrete action that closes the gap, from further training to changes in how you work.

Completing structured CPD aligned with your Board's CPD registration standard gives you documented evidence of that effort, whether you are a doctor, a nurse or midwife, or another registered health professional. It does not guarantee an outcome, but it shows the Board you have taken the concern seriously and acted on it. 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