Top tips: Using the register

The online register of practitioners has accurate, up to date information about the registration status of all registered health practitioners in Australia. It is an important way the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme helps keep the public safe.

1. If a practitioner’s name does not appear on the register, they are not registered to practise in Australia¹.
2. Ahpra's online, national register of practitioners is accurate, up to date and publishes the current registration status of every health practitioner registered in Australia.
3. The register is always available, free to use, updated continuously and is the only reliable source of information about practitioners’ registration status.
4. The National Boards made a decision to publish links to disciplinary decisions against a practitioner’s record on the National Register.
   The decisions to be published are those which involve adverse findings and which were delivered after the commencement of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.
   The Boards have made their decisions under s225(p) of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law in the interests of transparency and the links are to publicly available decisions.
5. There is no gap between being granted registration and appearing on the register.
6. Ensure you check that someone is registered:
   • use the online register to verify the information provided by the practitioner is accurate and up to date
   • don’t rely on a hard copy print out of a register entry
   • if a practitioner’s name does not appear on the register, or you have questions about the details shown on the national register, call Ahpra on 1300 419 495.  

It is important that you are searching for the name the practitioner has used for their registration and use the correct spelling in your search. This may be different to the name the practitioner is known by.

Top tips: Using the register for public safety checks 
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