Medical Board of Australia - Guidelines for mandatory notifications
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Guidelines for mandatory notifications

About the National Boards and AHPRA

The 15 National Boards regulating registered health practitioners in Australia are responsible for registering practitioners and students (except for in psychology, which has provisional psychologists), setting the standards that practitioners must meet, and managing complaints and concerns (notifications) about the health, conduct or performance of practitioners.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) works in partnership with the National Boards to implement the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory (the National Law).

The core role of the National Boards and AHPRA is to protect the public.

About these guidelines

These guidelines have been developed jointly by the National Boards under section 39 of the National Law. The guidelines are developed to provide direction to registered health practitioners, employers of practitioners and education providers about the requirements for mandatory notifications under the National Law.

The inclusion of mandatory notification requirements in the National Law is an important policy initiative for public protection.

The relevant sections of the National Law are attached to the guidelines.

Separate guidelines have been developed for mandatory notifications about registered health practitioners and registered students. This is because of the limited circumstances when a mandatory notification must be made about a registered student.

The requirement to make a mandatory notification about a practitioner is different for different notifier groups. For that reason, the guidelines about practitioners have been structed according to notifier type (that is treating practitioner, non-treating practitioner, employer) so that the relevant information for that notifier group is easier to find.

For more resources to help you understand when to make a mandatory notification and when not to see Mandatory notifications.

Who needs to use the guidelines about practitioners?

These guidelines are relevant for:

  • registered health practitioners, and
  • employers of registered health practitioners.

Who needs to use the guidelines about students?

These guidelines are relevant for:

  • registered health practitioners, and
  • education providers of registered students  

Students who are registered in a health profession under the National Law should be familiar with these guidelines. Although the National Law does not require a student to make a mandatory notification (complaint or concern), a complaint or a concern can be raised about an impaired student.


*The Guidelines: Mandatory notifications about registered health practitioners have been updated on 29 June 2020 to include minor formatting and word changes and changes to the flowcharts on pages 20, 22 and 26 of the guidelines.

**The Guidelines: Mandatory notifications about registered students have been updated on 29 June 2020 to include minor formatting and word changes and sections 39 and 40 of the National Law in Appendix A.

Guidelines: Mandatory notifications about registered health practitioners

 

Guidelines: Mandatory notifications about registered students

 
 
 
Page reviewed 20/07/2020