Free Ahpra Notification Course: What to Do, Step by Step

Lesson 13 minutes

Read the letter

Start with what the letter actually says. It tells you which body wrote to you, what the concern is about, what you are being asked to do and by when.

• Who wrote to you. In most states Ahpra writes on behalf of your National Board. In New South Wales, concerns are managed by the Health Professional Councils Authority and the Health Care Complaints Commission. In Queensland, the Office of the Health Ombudsman receives all concerns and may refer some to Ahpra.
• What it is about. A concern can be about your conduct, your performance or your health. The letter names it; keep its exact wording in front of you.
• What you are asked to do. A written response, information or records, or a conversation. Note every date in your calendar.

Ahpra gives you a case officer and arranges a time to speak with you about what happens next. Ahpra says most notifications close within nine months and about 40% within one month, and it updates you at least every three months on a longer matter.

Lesson 23 minutes

Your first calls

Before you speak to Ahpra about the detail of the concern, or write anything, call the people whose job is to help you.

• Your indemnity insurer or medical defence organisation (for doctors, for example Avant, MDA National or MIGA), or your union or professional association. They advise on what to say, in what order, and they read your response before it goes.
• If Ahpra calls you first, you can say that you would like to speak with your insurer before you answer in detail.
• Support for you. Ahpra lists support services for practitioners and says it is important to engage the supports you need early.

Do not contact the person who made the notification about it. The law protects people who raise a concern in good faith, and contact about the notification can harm your own response.

Lesson 33 minutes

Protect the record

What you do with your records in the first days can matter as much as anything you write later.

• Keep every record exactly as it is. Never change, add to or back-date a clinical note after the event.
• Write your own account now, dated and private, of what happened and why you acted as you did. It is for you and your insurer, not for sending.
• Gather what you will need: the relevant records, policies, messages and rosters, through the proper channels at your workplace.
• Keep it to yourself. Do not discuss the detail with colleagues who may be asked for information, and do not post about it online.

Lesson 44 minutes

What the Board will look for

Ahpra and your Board look at whether you understand the concern and whether it could happen again. Three words carry that question.

• Insight: you understand what went wrong, why it matters, and how it looked to the patient or colleague involved.
• Reflection: you have thought it through in writing, linked to the code or standard for your profession. Our guide on how to write a reflection for Ahpra or the Board sets out a structure.
• Remediation: what you have done since, with evidence: a course on the subject of the concern, an audit of your records, supervision or mentoring, a change to how you work.

MDA National describes “a considered and reflective response” as the best opportunity to defend your performance or conduct. In a case it published in 2026, a general practitioner sent the certificates for the training he had completed with his written response.

Self-check2 minutes

Five questions

Choose an answer to see the explanation.