Medical Board opts for profession-led support for late career doctors’ safe practice

11 Dec 2025

The Medical Board of Australia will work with the medical profession on strategies to support late career doctors to keep practising safely as they age.

New analysis of the outcome of complaints to Ahpra shows the issues that require regulatory action for doctors aged over 70 are broader than health and most commonly include concerns about communication, clinical care, pharmacy/medication, as well as health.

The Board consulted on possible compulsory health checks for late career doctors but, after feedback and further analysis, has opted to seek a more nuanced and collaborative solution.

‘The Board values the contribution of late career doctors to their patients, the medical profession and our community,’ Medical Board of Australia Chair, Dr Susan O’Dwyer, said.

‘There are also some clear issues in the practice of some doctors in this group that health checks alone won’t address.’

She said the Board had listened to stakeholders and wanted to trial profession-led support over new regulatory rules to mitigate the risks.

‘We heard the concerns of some stakeholders and want to work together to find a proportionate solution to a nuanced and sensitive problem,' Dr O’Dwyer said.

‘We are keen to collaborate with the profession on supporting this group of doctors to keep their practice safe and their knowledge and skills up to date.'

In 2024, the Board consulted on options to keep late career doctors in safe practice, including through mandatory health checks.

Ahpra notifications data published in the consultation regulation impact statement indicated there was nearly double the rate of notifications (including for health-related matters) about doctors aged over 70, compared with doctors aged under 70.

The Board carefully reviewed 201 submissions to the consultation, which are published on the Board’s website.

Consultation feedback showed general acceptance that there was increased risk to patients from unsafe practice and unmanaged health issues among late career doctors, but disquiet about mandated health checks.

Good medical practice, the Board’s code of conduct, already encourages registered medical practitioners of all ages to have a GP and take care of their health.

The Board noted there was no existing research demonstrating that health checks would definitively reduce notifications.

Responding to consultation feedback, the Board examined more recent notifications data, to compare regulatory action taken about doctors aged 70 and over, compared to doctors aged under 70.

The Board analysed Ahpra registrations and notifications data about late career doctors from 2022-2024, sourced in October 2025. While the number of late career doctors involved in regulatory action each year is relatively small (70 in 2022-23 and 60 in 2023-24), the data shows:

• regulatory action is taken about late career doctors at 1.6 times the rate it is taken about doctors aged under 70 
• regulatory action is more likely to be taken about communication concerns (2.5 times more often), clinical care (1.8 times more often), pharmacy/medication issues (1.4 times more often). In relation to health, regulatory action was taken at around the same level (1.08 times more often) 
• the proportion of late career doctors in Australia’s medical workforce decreased from 6.8% to 4.8% of the total practising medical workforce between 2020 and 2025, with 6,988 doctors aged 70 and over practising medicine on 30 June 2025.

The Board will actively monitor complaints data to make sure emerging profession-led approaches effectively manage risk to patients from the practice of late career doctors.

Through an advisory group, it will work with groups representing older doctors, specialist colleges, doctors’ health organisations, CPD homes, medical defence organisations, the AMA and other relevant groups on strategies to keep late career doctors in safe practice.