Skip to content
Cart Notification help

Core course for every profession

Responding to an Ahpra Notification: A Calm, Practical Guide for Practitioners

Your First Steps, Your Response and What Happens Next

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

Written for

About this course

Few things are as frightening for a health practitioner as an email or call from Ahpra about a concern. In the first hours, many practitioners imagine the worst, draft angry replies, think about contacting the person who complained or even consider changing their notes. Each of those reactions is understandable, and each can turn a manageable concern into a much more serious one.

This course gives you a clear map of the process and a plan for each stage. It explains who decides notifications in each jurisdiction (including the different systems in New South Wales and Queensland), what Ahpra's own information says about likely outcomes and timeframes, the first steps to take and the mistakes to avoid, how to write a response that is factual, respectful and shows genuine insight, what happens in assessment, investigation, health and performance assessment and immediate action, and how outcomes, the public register, conditions, appeals and complaints about process work. It also covers the 2025 National Law amendments that protect notifiers and limit non-disclosure agreements.

You finish with a day-by-day action guide, examples of more and less effective response wording, a list of support services and a reflective account for your CPD record. The course is educational and does not replace advice from your insurer, medical defence organisation or lawyer.

Who this course is for

  • Registered health practitioners in any profession who have received, or fear receiving, a notification
  • Practitioners who want to be prepared before a concern ever arises
  • Practice owners, managers and clinical leads who support staff through notifications
  • Supervisors and mentors of practitioners going through the regulatory process
  • Early-career practitioners who want to understand how the regulatory system works
  • Practitioners with conditions or undertakings who want to understand compliance and review

What you’ll learn

  • Act well in the first days

    Read the notice, meet deadlines, get advice early and avoid record alteration and contact with the notifier.

  • Write an effective response

    Structure a clear, factual and respectful response that shows specific, evidenced insight.

  • Understand every stage

    Know what assessment, investigation, health and performance assessments and immediate action involve and how to engage.

  • Manage outcomes and recover

    Understand outcomes, the public register, compliance, appeals and process complaints, and look after your wellbeing.

Learning objectives

  • Explain what a notification is, who makes notifications and who decides them, including in NSW and Queensland.
  • Use Ahpra's published information about outcomes and timeframes to put a notification in context.
  • Take the right first steps and avoid actions that make matters worse, including any detriment to notifiers.
  • Prepare a clear, factual and respectful response that shows specific, evidenced insight.
  • Describe the assessment, investigation, health and performance assessment and immediate action processes.
  • Explain possible outcomes, publication on the register and how to comply with conditions and undertakings.
  • Identify review, appeal and process complaint options.
  • Look after your own wellbeing and use support services during and after the process.

Scenarios covered

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

  • The Friday evening email

    A registrar nearly sends a defensive reply the night a notification arrives. You will learn the first steps that protect you and the patient's experience.

  • The complaint about rudeness

    A pharmacist faces a notification about a refused prescription. You will see how a short, insightful response led to closure within weeks.

  • Two pages too long

    A dentist's first draft focuses on the patient's history of complaints. You will learn how to rewrite it around facts, reasoning and change.

  • The investigation interview

    A nurse practitioner's prescribing is investigated. You will prepare for interview, acknowledge gaps and present an audit.

  • Proposed immediate action

    A notice arrives with days to respond. You will learn how to address the risk rather than only dispute the allegations.

  • Life under conditions

    A physiotherapist complies with supervision and audit conditions and later has them removed. You will learn what effective compliance looks like.

Course contents

6 sections, 26 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: Understanding the Notification System4 lessons
    • 1.1 What a Notification Is and Who Makes One
    • 1.2 Who Decides: Ahpra, Boards and Co-Regulatory Jurisdictions
    • 1.3 What Usually Happens
    • 1.4 Recent Changes You Should Know About
  2. Section 2: The First Days: What to Do and What Not to Do5 lessons
    • 2.1 Reading the Notice Carefully
    • 2.2 Get Advice Early
    • 2.3 What Not to Do
    • 2.4 Looking After Yourself
    • 2.5 Telling Your Employer and Others
  3. Section 3: Preparing Your Response5 lessons
    • 3.1 Gathering the Facts and Records
    • 3.2 Structuring the Response
    • 3.3 Showing Insight Without Overstating
    • 3.4 Tone, References and Common Pitfalls
    • 3.5 Putting It Together: An Example Outline
  4. Section 4: Assessment, Investigation and Immediate Action4 lessons
    • 4.1 The Assessment Stage
    • 4.2 Investigation
    • 4.3 Health and Performance Assessments
    • 4.4 Immediate Action
  5. Section 5: Outcomes and What Follows4 lessons
    • 5.1 Possible Outcomes
    • 5.2 The Public Register and Publication
    • 5.3 Complying With Conditions and Undertakings
    • 5.4 Reviews, Appeals and Complaints About the Process
  6. Section 6: Practical Complications and Moving Forward4 lessons
    • 6.1 Concurrent Processes
    • 6.2 Confidentiality and the Notifier
    • 6.3 Mistaken or Vexatious Notifications
    • 6.4 After the Matter Closes
  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 CPD hours of learning
  • A reflective account on your preparedness and practice
  • A day-by-day action guide for responding to a notification
  • A list of practitioner support services and contacts

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 this course or recognise it as part of a response?

No. This is independent education. It is not accredited by Ahpra, it is not approved by any National Board and it is not endorsed by any professional body. Completing it is not a substitute for advice on your matter, and it does not satisfy any condition or undertaking unless Ahpra or your Board confirms that it is acceptable.

Should I respond to Ahpra straight away?

Respond within the deadline, but not before getting advice. Contact your indemnity insurer, medical defence organisation or professional association first. A rushed response written in distress is one of the most common mistakes practitioners make.

Can I contact the person who complained to sort it out?

You should not contact the notifier about the notification. Since 1 December 2025, threatening, intimidating or causing detriment to a person because they made a notification is an offence with substantial penalties. Seek advice about any ongoing clinical relationship.

Will the notification appear on the public register?

Most notifications do not lead to anything being published. Conditions and undertakings are generally published, and tribunal outcomes may be. Since April 2026, additional information about tribunal findings involving sexual misconduct is included. Your adviser can explain what applies to your matter.

Is the process different in NSW or Queensland?

Yes. In NSW, the Health Care Complaints Commission and the NSW professional councils manage complaints about registered practitioners. In Queensland, the Office of the Health Ombudsman receives all complaints and refers some to Ahpra. The principles of responding are similar, and the course explains the differences.

How long does a notification take?

Ahpra reports that around 40 per cent of notifications close within a month and most within nine months, and it aims to finish most assessments within 60 days. Investigations and tribunal matters can take much longer.

Where can I get emotional support?

Profession-specific services include Drs4Drs (1300 374 377), Nurse and Midwife Support (1800 667 877), the Pharmacists' Support Service (1300 244 910) and Dental Practitioner Support (1800 377 700). Lifeline (13 11 14) is available at any time, and your own GP and employer assistance program can help.

Save with the program that includes this course