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We can look into safety concerns raised about registered health practitioners and students.
We can also investigate unregistered people who are claiming to be health practitioners.
Some types of healthcare complaints are handled by different organisations.
Use this page to find the right place for your concern.
Tell us about your concern
Information for practitioners
This is often the quickest and easiest way to have your concern resolved.
This can depend on:
If you have a concern about unsafe practice or behaviour, we want you to tell us about it.
There is more than one way to raise a concern:
Call Ahpra on 1300 419 495 or submit an online enquiry
Translating and Interpreting Service 131 450 (free service)
Find the support you need – these agencies may be able to help you
If you have questions about your healthcare, it is ok to ask questions and seek explanations. You can do this while you are receiving care, or after you’ve stopped. Sometimes talking to the practitioner or health service to understand what happened can resolve your concerns.
A practitioner is the person who treated you such as a doctor, nurse or dentist. A health service is the hospital or clinic where you had your appointment.
If you don’t get the answers you are seeking or things go wrong then you can make a complaint directly to the practitioner or health service.
However, we know that there are situations when you can't talk to the practitioner or health service, or don't feel comfortable. For example, if your concern is about unprofessional behaviour (see examples below) you may wish to speak to us first. If your concern is a crime such as sexual assault, it should also be reported to the police.
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For concerns about registered practitioners or students in these states, you can report your concern to Ahpra.
There are different arrangements for students and health practitioners practising in Queensland and New South Wales. To find out more about healthcare complaints in these states, contact:
For example:
We can consider concerns about a practitioner’s health impairment that may present a risk to patient safety. We do not need to know about all health issues, only those that are not managed.
We can consider concerns about students relating to criminal convictions and health matters.
We consider concerns about some issues that are criminal offences. Because these criminal offences relate to registered health professions, we manage these matters and prosecute where necessary.
These include:
Raising concerns is important because it can help improve the quality of healthcare in Australia. If you have a concern about safety, we want you to tell us about it.
Submit a concern online
Or you can call us on 1300 419 495.
Ahpra regulates 16 professions, which are listed below.
Ahpra regulates individual practitioners, not organisations.
Contact your local health complaints organisation
Ahpra can consider concerns about individual registered practitioners working in aged care. It can’t consider concerns about other types of health workers or about aged care organisations.
Contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
Ahpra regulates practitioners and students in 16 professions:
If your complaint is about a different type of healthcare worker, you may be able to raise it with a health complaints organisation in your state or territory.
This is the quickest and easiest way for most people to raise a concern with us.
Submit a concern
You can speak to one of our staff if you would like assistance.
Call 1300 419 495
What information do I need to provide?
Can I be anonymous?
How long does the notification process take?
By law, registered health practitioners, employers and education providers must make a mandatory notification in some circumstances.
CODES AND GUIDELINES
What makes advertising about health services, including on social media and in testimonials, lawful or unlawful?
PUBLIC SAFETY
How to submit a concern
Sexual boundaries in the doctor–patient relationship
Codes of conduct
Blueprint to improve public safety in health regulation
The Ahpra service charter (Service charter), launched in April 2022, sets the standard of service you can expect when interacting with us. It’s our commitment to you.
How to make a complaint about Ahpra or a National Board.
Contact information for online enquiries, telephone enquiries, media enquiries and ways you can send us documents.