National Boards support more public information on register

29 Oct 2018

Changes to the national Register of practitioners will make it easier to access public information about health practitioners across Australia.

Changes to the national Register of practitioners will make it easier to access public information about health practitioners across Australia as National Boards decide to link to publicly available tribunal and court decisions where serious allegations have been proven.

The online Register of practitioners has accurate, up-to-date information about the registration status of all registered health practitioners in Australia. As decisions are made about a practitioner’s registration renewal or disciplinary proceedings, the register is updated to inform the public about the current status of individual practitioners and any restrictions placed upon their practice.

In March 2018, the Medical Board of Australia started publishing links to disciplinary decisions by courts and tribunals when there has been an adverse finding about a doctor. This approach will now apply progressively to all registered health practitioners when serious allegations have been proven.

National Boards have decided to introduce links to public tribunal decisions when serious allegations have been proven, in the interests of transparency and on the recommendation of the Independent review of the use of chaperones to protect patients in Australia.

No information about the notifications received by National Boards and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) will be published. The change is simply helping to make already publicly available information easier to find.

AHPRA CEO Mr Martin Fletcher said making this information more accessible was fair and in the public interest.

‘Consumers, employers and practitioners will be able to find public information more easily, to inform healthcare choices and employment decisions.

‘The register is an online, easy to use database where the public, employers and practitioners can check the details of over 700,000 health practitioners across 15 health professions,’ he said.

‘Members of the public are encouraged to check the register as part of deciding to see a health practitioner. Checking the register is an additional assurance that their practitioner is complying with their legal obligations and meets the standards set for their profession.

‘This helps protect people through increased transparency and more complete information to make informed decisions about the care they receive,’ Mr Fletcher said.

Links will be added for any new decision or outcome as they are received. By early 2019, links will be added for all relevant decisions dating back to when each National Board joined the National Scheme.

Search the register at www.ahpra.gov.au/registration/registers-of-practitioners.

For further information

• AHPRA has added ‘Top tips: Using the register for public safety checks’ to help the public and employers get the most out of AHPRA's Register of practitioners.
• Lodge an online enquiry form.
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 8708 9001 (overseas callers).
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200.