A condition on your registration restricts your practice in some way. In Ahpra's words, it can require you to "only practise under the supervision of another practitioner" or "stop prescribing certain medications". Conditions can be imposed by your National Board, a panel or a tribunal, and they can also be applied when you apply for registration or to renew it. Conditions that restrict your practice are published on the public register. You must comply with every condition until it is changed or removed, and you can apply for a review once the review period has ended. Before you respond to a proposal to impose conditions, contact your indemnity insurer, medical defence organisation or union.
If a concern has been raised about your practice, Remediation for Fitness to Practise covers how to build a remediation plan that answers each part of the concern, with dated evidence. It is A$200 (A$140 with Bulk Buy 10) for 2 CPD hours, self-paced, with a dated certificate on completion.
For every outcome a notification can reach, including cautions, undertakings and immediate action, read Ahpra investigation outcomes: what each one means.
Who can impose conditions, and when
- Your National Board, after Ahpra has assessed or investigated a concern, or as immediate action while a matter continues.
- A panel, after a hearing about your performance, conduct or health.
- A tribunal, after a hearing about a serious matter.
- Your National Board at registration or renewal, when it decides to register you or renew your registration subject to conditions.
An undertaking is different. It is a promise about your practice that, in Ahpra's words, "can only be given voluntarily". Once the Board accepts it, you must keep to it in the same way as a condition, and it is also published on the public register.
The types of condition
Ahpra's National Restrictions Library sets out the standard wording for conditions and undertakings imposed or accepted from 16 September 2024; older conditions may be worded differently. Ahpra describes restrictions as "a primary regulatory tool used to protect the public". The library groups them into seven categories:
| Category | Examples of what a restriction in it can require |
|---|---|
| Education | Further training on a named subject, followed by a reflective practice report |
| Supervision and mentoring | Practise only under the supervision of another practitioner, or complete mentoring |
| Health | Manage your health, screen for drugs or test for alcohol |
| Restricted practice | Limits on how, when or where you practise, such as not practising alone, set hours or no telehealth |
| Restricted medication access | No access, limited access or only supervised access to some medicines |
| Restricted patient contact | Limits on which patients you see or how many |
| Other | Requirements outside the categories above, such as an audit of your practice |
Each restriction has its own instructions. An audit condition, for example, involves an auditor and an audit plan. Read the full wording of your own conditions, not only the category.
If you are a doctor: after an independent review published in 2017, the Medical Board of Australia stopped using chaperone conditions when it takes action to protect the public. Our guide on when a chaperone is required covers chaperones in practice.
What the public register shows
Ahpra states that "conditions that restrict a practitioner's practice of the profession are published" on the public register of practitioners, which anyone can search. Health is treated differently: Ahpra says "the details of health conditions are not usually published", and only limited information is published about a health undertaking. Patients, employers and other practitioners can therefore see that your practice is restricted, and for conditions other than health conditions, how, until the condition is removed.
How to meet your conditions
Ahpra monitors whether practitioners comply with their restrictions. When a Board imposes conditions, it must decide on a review period for them. From the first day:
- Read every part of the notice. Note each requirement, each time frame and the review period, and ask your case officer about anything you are unsure of.
- Tell the people who need to know. Some conditions require you to tell your employer or the places you practise; your notice says who.
- Make sure reports arrive on time. Ahpra states that it is your responsibility to ensure that your supervisor provides any required reports to the National Board or Ahpra.
- Keep your own record of each step you complete, with dates and copies of what you send.
- Contact your case officer early if your circumstances change, such as a new job or a period away from practice.
If a condition is breached
Outside New South Wales, the National Law lists a breach of a condition or an undertaking as an example of unprofessional conduct. Ahpra says that when a practitioner does not comply, the Board may consider taking further action under Part 8 of the National Law, which is the part that deals with notifications, investigations, panels and tribunals. A breach can therefore become a separate new matter. Our guide on unprofessional conduct and professional misconduct explains these terms. If you cannot meet a requirement on time, tell your case officer before the deadline passes, not after.
How to have conditions changed or removed
You apply on Ahpra's form ARCD-00, the application for review of conditions or undertaking.
- When you can apply. After the review period has ended, or earlier if there has been a material change in your circumstances. Ahpra says the change "must substantially affect your capacity to comply with the restrictions or render the restrictions no longer necessary".
- What to include. The evidence depends on the type of restriction. Reports should be dated within the four weeks before you apply, and Ahpra will not seek additional reports on your behalf, so gather them yourself.
- Who decides. The National Board, or its delegate. Ahpra says an application about restrictions that do not stop you practising may take four to twelve weeks to consider; applications about restrictions that stop you practising are given priority.
- What the Board looks at. Ahpra says the Board assesses whether the reasons for the conditions have been adequately addressed, so that they are no longer required. Your application should show this, with evidence.
A decision to refuse an application for review is an appealable decision.
Appealing a decision to impose conditions
A Board decision to impose or change a condition on your registration can be appealed to the responsible tribunal in your state or territory, under section 199 of the National Law (section 175 in New South Wales). Time limits apply to appeals, so speak to your indemnity insurer or a lawyer as soon as you receive the decision. If your conditions were imposed by a New South Wales Council, a Professional Standards Committee or the Queensland Health Ombudsman, your notice sets out how to seek a review or appeal.
Where remediation fits
A course does not take the place of what a condition requires. Remediation can still help: when you apply for review, the Board decides whether the condition is still necessary, and completed remediation with a written reflection can be part of the evidence of what you have learned and changed. Our guides on what Ahpra means by insight and remediation and how to write a reflection for Ahpra explain what that evidence looks like. For which conditions a course can support and how to use it in an application for review, read ethics course for Ahpra conditions.
The courses that fit are Remediation for Fitness to Practise, Ensuring No Repeat of Misconduct or Mistake in Future Practice, and the course on the subject of your condition, such as prescribing, documentation or professional boundaries. Healthcare Ethics Australia cannot promise any outcome.
Sources and further reading
- Ahpra: Possible outcomes
- Ahpra: Monitoring and compliance fact sheet
- Ahpra: Practitioner restrictions (National Restrictions Library)
- Ahpra: Review of conditions or undertakings
- Ahpra: Appealing a decision
- HPCA (NSW): Conditions on my practice
Frequently asked questions
Can anyone see the conditions on my registration?
Yes, for conditions that restrict your practice. Ahpra publishes them on the public register of practitioners, which anyone can search. Ahpra says the details of health conditions are not usually published.
How long do conditions on my registration last?
Until they are changed or removed. When a Board imposes conditions it must set a review period, and you can apply for a review on form ARCD-00 once that period has ended, or earlier if a material change substantially affects your capacity to comply or makes the conditions no longer necessary.
What happens if I do not comply with a condition?
Outside New South Wales, breaching a condition is listed in the National Law as an example of unprofessional conduct, and Ahpra says the Board may consider further action under Part 8 of the National Law. If you cannot meet a requirement on time, tell your case officer before the deadline.
How long does a review of conditions take?
Ahpra says an application may take four to twelve weeks to consider if your restrictions do not stop you practising; if they do, the application is given priority. Reports you include should be dated within the four weeks before you apply, and Ahpra will not seek additional reports on your behalf.
Can I appeal conditions on my registration?
Yes. A Board decision to impose or change a condition can be appealed to the responsible tribunal, and so can a decision to refuse an application for review. Time limits apply, so speak to your indemnity insurer or a lawyer as soon as you receive the decision.
This article is published by Healthcare Ethics Australia for general information. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice from your indemnity insurer, professional association or a lawyer about your own matter.