Registration and Accreditation
- Four categories of registration: general, specialist, provisional, limited, and non-practicing, along with student registration
- Medical graduates from New Zealand are treated with the same registration standards as Australians
- Separate fees for registration and application, with initial fees for general, specialist, and limited registrations being $835 AUD
- Criminal history check is part of the registration process
Complaints Process
- Complaints in the AHPRA are called notifications
- Complaint process includes stages such as receipt of the complaint, preliminary assessment, investigation, panel hearing, and tribunal hearing
- Tribunal hearing outcomes are made public
- In 2021, there were 10,147 notifications about 7,858 health practitioners, with 1.6% of registered practitioners being the subject of a complaint
- Complaints can be made online, by mail, telephone, or in-person, with a whistleblower policy for anonymous complaints
Criticisms and Challenges
- AHPRA has faced criticism regarding medical right to privacy and informed consent
- Complaint resolution process has been criticized for taking a long time
- Investigation in 2014 revealed lack of transparency and delays in complaint review process
- Senate inquiries have been conducted in 2011, 2017, and 2021 to address these issues
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners identified communication, transparency, and timeliness as main issues with AHPRA
Legislative Framework
- Established in 2010 as a regulatory authority in Australia
- Administers the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law
- Works in conjunction with National Boards for each profession
- Subject to legislation and regulations governing its functions
- Senate Committee report released in relation to the administration of the National Law and AHPRA
External Links and References
- National Code of Conduct for health care workers
- AHPRA Regulatory Guide - June 2022
- AHPRA Regulatory Guide Overview - June 2020
- Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009, governing the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme
- Links to relevant sources and legislation
- 1.6% figure refers to complaints in the year 2021
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency FAQ
- Ahpra Senior Managers information from the Medical Board of Australia
- Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency information from Tasmania Legal Aid
- Health workforce information from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), infrequently spelt as the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency is a statutory authority founded in 2010 which is responsible, in collaboration with the Medical Board of Australia, for registration and accreditation of health professionals as set out in the Australian legislation called the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. As of 2018[update], approximately 586,000 health professionals were registered with the AHPRA, containing 98,400 medical practitioners (which includes general practitioners, medical specialists and some hospital workers), and 334,000 nurses and midwives. This rose to 825,720 registered health professionals in 2021.
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 June 2010, 18 October 2010 for Western Australia |
| Jurisdiction | Commonwealth of Australia |
| Agency executives |
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| Website | https://www.ahpra.gov.au/ |
The AHPRA is intended to facilitate public safety of health practice in Australia, and is used to assess the qualifications of overseas health practitioners. According to the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, it is required to be registered with the AHPRA to self-identify with one of the "protected titles" set out in the legislation, and it is an offence to do so without registration. The AHPRA maintains a public register of those registered and related qualifications accessible from their website. The AHPRA is responsible for hearing and investigating complaints (which are legally termed "notifications") of "performance, health and conduct" by those registered. The AHPRA is also responsible for hearing complaints about unregistered professions, which includes "unregistered health care workers who provide a health service", in violation of the National Code of Conduct for health care workers by behaving in an incompetent, exploitative, predatory or illegal manner.
Martin Fletcher has been the chief executive officer of the AHPRA since its inception. According to a 2011 publication, "Australia is [sic] the first country in the world to have a national registration and accreditation scheme regulating health practitioners."
