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Core course for every profession

Reducing the Risk of Complaints and Notifications

The Everyday Habits That Keep Patients Safe and Concerns Rare

  • 2 CPD hoursEstimated learning time
  • 15-question assessmentPass mark 80%
  • Online, self-pacedStart any time
  • CertificateFor your CPD records

Written for

About this course

Almost every practitioner worries about receiving a complaint or an Ahpra notification. Yet most notifications do not come from regulators or colleagues hunting for misconduct. In 2024/25, nearly three-quarters came from patients, their families and members of the public, and most of them began with an experience that ordinary habits could have prevented: feeling unheard, a surprise bill, a result that was never followed up, a moment of rudeness, or a concern that was brushed aside.

This course turns that insight into practical prevention. You will see how complaints move through local resolution, state and territory health complaints entities and Ahpra, what the national data and Australian research show about who is at risk, and why a first complaint is a signal worth acting on. Then you will work through the everyday habits that matter most: safety-netting, closing the loop on results, working within scope, setting expectations and explaining costs, quick consent checks, courtesy and respect, good records and reliable practice systems.

Finally, you will learn how to notice dissatisfaction early and resolve it at the front line, when to call your insurer or MDO, how to learn from feedback, and how fatigue and burnout raise risk. You finish with a personal prevention plan you can review each year alongside your CPD plan.

Written and reviewed by

Written by

Dr Hannah Whitmore PhD, MSc, RN

Nursing Education & Professional Practice

Reviewed by (legal reviewer)

Professor James Ellington LLB, LLM, PhD

Healthcare Law, Ethics & Professional Regulation

Reviewed by (editorial team)

Editorial Team Member

Healthcare ethics, professional conduct, patient safety and evidence-based education.

Last reviewed

Our authors and reviewers check course content for accuracy and currency. Completing a course does not guarantee any particular outcome with Ahpra, a National Board, a tribunal or an employer.

Who this course is for

  • Doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists in any setting
  • Dental practitioners, physiotherapists, chiropractors, podiatrists, psychologists and other allied health practitioners
  • Practice owners and managers responsible for results, recalls, reception and complaints systems
  • Practitioners who have received a complaint and want to reduce the chance of another
  • Early-career practitioners building safe habits from the start
  • Practitioners returning to practice or changing their scope
  • Anyone who wants a practical, Australia-specific approach to complaint prevention

What you’ll learn

  • Understand where risk comes from

    Explain the complaints pathways in your state or territory, what national data show and why past complaints predict future ones.

  • Practise the protective habits

    Apply habits in clinical care, communication, consent, respect, records and practice systems that prevent the most common triggers.

  • Respond early and well

    Recognise early dissatisfaction, resolve concerns at the front line and know when to call your insurer or MDO.

  • Sustain safe practice

    Use peer review, audit and attention to your own wellbeing, captured in a personal prevention plan linked to your CPD.

Learning objectives

  • Describe the pathways by which complaints and notifications are raised in Australia, including co-regulatory arrangements.
  • Summarise what national data and research show about the sources and patterns of notifications.
  • Apply clinical habits that reduce diagnostic error and close the loop on results and referrals.
  • Set realistic expectations, explain costs and check consent in routine care.
  • Keep records and practice systems that protect patients and practitioners.
  • Identify compliance areas that commonly generate notifications and meet registration requirements.
  • Recognise and respond early to dissatisfaction, and learn from complaints and feedback.
  • Develop a personal complaints-prevention plan that includes your own wellbeing.

Scenarios covered

Practice situations you reason through, step by step, in the course.

  • A crown that leads to a root canal

    A recognised risk becomes a complaint because cost and outcome were never discussed. You fix the consent template and the conversation.

  • New red flags in a familiar patient

    A physiotherapy patient with long-standing back pain reports new urinary symptoms. You practise re-thinking on return and urgent safety-netting.

  • The locum's orphaned results

    Abnormal results arrive after a locum leaves. You close the loop with named ownership and a results audit.

  • A student in the room

    A podiatry patient feels uncomfortable with an observer she never agreed to. You build quick consent checks into routine care.

  • Replying to a bad online review

    A chiropractor's reply discloses health information. You learn a safe response that invites the reviewer to make contact.

  • Late pain relief overnight

    An angry husband approaches a ward nurse. You resolve the concern at the front line before it becomes a formal complaint.

Course contents

6 sections, 23 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: How Complaints and Notifications Arise4 lessons
    • 1.1 The Complaints System in Australia
    • 1.2 What the National Data Show
    • 1.3 Why Patients Complain
    • 1.4 Risk Is Not Spread Evenly
  2. Section 2: Safe Clinical Care Habits4 lessons
    • 2.1 Assessment, Diagnosis and Safety-Netting
    • 2.2 Tests, Results and Referrals
    • 2.3 Working Within Scope and Competence
    • 2.4 Medication Safety Habits
  3. Section 3: Communication, Consent and Respect Habits4 lessons
    • 3.1 Setting Expectations and Explaining Costs
    • 3.2 Everyday Consent Checks
    • 3.3 Being Reachable and Following Through
    • 3.4 Courtesy, Respect and Dignity
  4. Section 4: Records, Systems and Compliance4 lessons
    • 4.1 Records That Protect Patients and Practitioners
    • 4.2 Practice Systems
    • 4.3 Compliance Areas That Generate Notifications
    • 4.4 Registration Compliance
  5. Section 5: Handling Dissatisfaction Early and Learning4 lessons
    • 5.1 Recognising Early Warning Signs
    • 5.2 Responding at the Front Line
    • 5.3 When to Seek Advice
    • 5.4 Learning From Complaints and Feedback
  6. Section 6: Sustaining Safe Practice3 lessons
    • 6.1 Wellbeing, Fatigue and Complaint Risk
    • 6.2 Peer Review, Supervision and Staying Current
    • 6.3 Your Personal Prevention Plan
  7. Final assessment and written reflection15 questions

Assessment and certificate

  1. Work through the course

    Study each section at your own pace, including the case illustrations and apply-it questions.

  2. Pass the assessment

    15 scenario-based questions. You need 12 correct (80%) to pass.

  3. Write your reflection

    A short written reflection on how the learning applies to your own practice.

  4. Download your certificate

    Shows your name, the course, the date and 2 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 2 hours of learning, to support your CPD plan
  • A written reflective account on complaint triggers, a weak practice system and your prevention priorities
  • A personal prevention plan template covering seven areas of practice
  • Quick-reference checklists for daily habits, front-line resolution and when to seek advice

How certificates and CPD records workVerify a certificate

Primary sources

The course is built on these official documents. Check them for the current version.

Questions about this course

Does Ahpra accredit or approve this course?

No. This is an independent educational course. It is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra, any National Board or any professional body. Under the CPD registration standards you choose the activities that suit your learning needs, so record the time you actually spend and decide whether the course fits your CPD plan.

What are the most common reasons for an Ahpra notification?

Most notifications concern how a practitioner practises, including clinical care and medication management, and more than half raise more than one concern, often combining clinical care with communication, records or behaviour. In 2024/25, 72.8% of notifications came from patients, families, representatives and the public.

Most notifications end with no action, so why worry?

Most notifications do not lead to regulatory action, but every notification takes time, causes stress and may involve costs. Past complaints also predict future ones, so a first complaint is a signal worth acting on.

What is the difference between a complaint and a notification?

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, made locally or to a health complaints entity. A notification is a concern about a registered practitioner's health, conduct or performance made to Ahpra or, in New South Wales and Queensland, through the co-regulatory bodies. Many concerns can be resolved locally before they become either.

How should I respond when a patient is unhappy?

Listen without interrupting, acknowledge how they feel, apologise for their experience, explain what you know, agree what will happen, follow up, tell them about complaint options and record the concern. Never discourage a complaint or let it affect their care.

When should I call my MDO or insurer?

Seek advice early when harm, negligence or legal action is alleged, when a written or external complaint arrives, when records are requested in a dispute, when you are asked for a statement, or when boundary, privacy or billing issues arise.

Does this course cover responding to an Ahpra notification?

This course focuses on prevention. The steps for responding once a notification has been made are covered in a separate course on responding to an Ahpra notification or investigation.

Can this course satisfy a Board condition or undertaking?

The course cannot satisfy a Board condition, undertaking or other mandatory requirement on its own. If you have a condition that requires education, confirm with Ahpra or your Board, and your lawyer or MDO, whether this course is acceptable before you enrol.