Sometimes shortened to AHPRA, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency plays an important role in the medical industry. When you book an online medical appointment, you want to ensure that you’re seeing qualified and trained medical professionals. Patients in Australia can have confidence in facilities that hire AHPRA-registered doctors because these professionals are held to the highest possible standards.
What’s the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency?
Working alongside 15 National Boards, the AHPRA has one aim – to implement a national scheme that regulates all medical professionals. By doing this, only trained and qualified practitioners can treat the people of Australia. Those registered with AHPRA have the right qualifications, experience, skills, and knowledge to offer safe treatment.
Before the agency existed, the various health professions were monitored independently. Unfortunately, this caused issues as some health professions were held to higher standards than others. Since the introduction of the agency, all 15 of the major health professions have been forced to meet the nationally recognised regulations. This means that all patients get the same standard of care, regardless of which professional they need.
Back in July 2010, the Health Practitioners Regulation National Law was introduced, and the AHPRA operates under this law. National Boards protect the public by setting standards and ensuring the quality of all medical professionals, and all 15 of the major National Boards are now in an agreement with AHPRA.
What’s a Notification?
If you see a Notification mentioned in relation to the AHPRA, this is a formal complaint made against a health practitioner or student. To maintain the high standards of professionals in the country, the AHPRA encourages patients to formalise concerns and complaints through this system. A Notification might refer to the performance, health, or conduct of any professional registered with a National Board.
National Boards have two main functions:
- To register practitioners
- To receive Notifications
Additionally, AHPRA has a Notifications department to investigate all complaints or concerns about a specific medical professional. If a complaint is made, this division will step in and investigate all concerns. As well as the public, complaints can also cone from employers, government entities, or even other health practitioners. Therefore, the system is pivotal for maintaining the high standard of care that people have come to expect from Australian facilities.
The AHPRA Website
Whether you’re a health professional or a member of the public, the AHPRA website is an important resource. If you’re a health practitioner, you can upload your application form, obtain information as an overseas practitioner, apply for graduate registration, and more. If you want to make a complaint, you’ll find lots of links to take you to the right page. Also, you can look up a health practitioner by entering their postcode, profession, and registration number (or name).
Also, the website has lots of information for health practitioners that have had concerns raised about their conduct or performance. If you need any information at all, you’ll find it on this website.
The 15 National Boards and, therefore, professions monitored by the AHPRA are as follows:
- Medical Radiation Practice
- Pharmacy
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice
- Occupational Therapy
- Psychology
- Paramedicine
- Physiotherapy
- Medical
- Dental
- Chinese Medicine
- Optometry
- Nursing and Midwifery
- Chiropractic
- Osteopathy
- Podiatry
When on the AHPRA website, you’ll also see news articles to keep up to date with the industry. Thanks to the AHPRA, patients enjoy the best possible treatment regardless of their circumstances. If something does happen to go wrong, a system is in place to deal with complaints and concerns.
