National Registration and Accreditation Scheme obligations for health practitioners
The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (as in force in each State and Territory) establishes the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for 16 regulated health professions. This guide sets out 10 obligations administered by AHPRA and the 15 National Boards — registration, mandatory notifications, CPD, advertising compliance, and the new registered health practitioner Code of Conduct.
Coverage
Registered practitioners in the 16 regulated health professions (medical, nursing, midwifery, psychology, pharmacy, dental, physiotherapy, Chinese medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathy, chiropractic, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practice, medical radiation, paramedicine, podiatry). Employers, education providers, and the practitioners themselves have specific obligations.
Legal basis
Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (as in force in each State and Territory — e.g. Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 (Qld), applied by each jurisdiction). AHPRA and the 15 National Boards administer the scheme. Profession-specific registration standards, codes of conduct, and guidelines sit under the National Law.
The obligations
Hold current general or specialist registration
A person cannot practise a regulated health profession without current registration with the relevant National Board. Registration categories include general, specialist, provisional, limited, student, and non-practising.
Meet profession-specific registration standards
National Boards publish standards for English language, continuing professional development, professional indemnity insurance, recency of practice, and criminal history. Renewal requires a practitioner to declare compliance.
Comply with the Code of Conduct
Each profession has a Code of Conduct (or equivalent) setting standards for conduct and behaviour. The codes cover person-centred care, professional behaviour, confidentiality, health records, teamwork, cultural safety, and research.
Make mandatory notifications when the threshold is met
Practitioners, employers, and education providers must notify AHPRA when they reasonably believe another practitioner has engaged in notifiable conduct — impairment, intoxication, sexual misconduct, or significant departure from professional standards.
Meet CPD requirements annually
Each profession sets a minimum number of CPD hours or points. Practitioners must complete the required CPD, maintain a CPD portfolio, and declare compliance at registration renewal.
Hold professional indemnity insurance
Practising practitioners must hold (or be covered by) professional indemnity insurance that meets the Board's Professional Indemnity Insurance Arrangements Standard. Cover must be maintained for the period set by the Board, including run-off cover.
Comply with advertising rules
Advertising of regulated health services must not be false, misleading, or deceptive, must not create unreasonable expectation of benefit, must not use testimonials about clinical care, and must not offer unlawful inducements. AHPRA publishes detailed guidelines.
Maintain appropriate health records
Health records must be accurate, contemporaneous, and stored securely. Retention periods vary by State and Territory (generally 7 years for adult records, until age 25 for children).
Cooperate with AHPRA investigations
Practitioners must cooperate with notifications, investigations, and health or performance assessments. Failure to cooperate can itself be a ground for disciplinary action.
Notify AHPRA of prescribed events
Practitioners must notify AHPRA within 7 days of certain events — being charged with certain offences, being convicted, ceasing to hold PII, changes to registration in another jurisdiction, and bankruptcy.
What happens if you do not comply
The National Law provides for a range of disciplinary outcomes — from caution and conditions through to suspension and cancellation of registration. Prohibited-practice offences attract criminal penalties. Advertising breaches attract civil penalties. Mandatory notification failures can constitute professional misconduct.
Reporting requirements
Mandatory notifications as soon as reasonably practicable after the threshold is met. 7-day notifications for prescribed events. Annual CPD and PII declarations at renewal. Boards publish quarterly tribunal and panel decisions. Employers of registered practitioners have separate mandatory notification obligations.
What firms should do today
- Maintain a CPD portfolio that is audit-ready — Boards randomly audit practitioners each cycle
- Verify PII cover before the registration renewal and document the cover period
- Train staff and colleagues on mandatory notification thresholds — delayed notifications are high-risk
- Review marketing and website copy against the AHPRA advertising guidelines annually
- Retain health records for the longer of any applicable State retention period and the Board guidance
- Pre-brief practitioners on the 7-day notification rule for charges, convictions, and PII lapses
Compliance with Quillio
Quillio drafts mandatory notification letters, CPD portfolios, AHPRA response submissions, and advertising compliance reviews aligned to current National Board guidelines. Australian-hosted infrastructure keeps sensitive clinical information in jurisdiction. See /practice-areas/commercial-lawyers or start a free trial.
This guide is general information about the National Law for registered health practitioners — not legal or clinical advice. Thresholds for mandatory notifications and disciplinary processes are fact-specific. Obtain specialist health practitioner advice before responding to a notification or disciplinary matter.
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