Health practitioners’ obligations to continually update National Board

Health practitioners who hold registration with one of the National Registration and Accreditation Boards are required to renew their registration annually to be able to continue to practise. At renewal time you will be asked questions about, among other things, your suitability to hold registration so your Board can determine whether to renew your registration.

You also have obligations to continually disclose certain events to your Board throughout the registration year in respect of “relevant events”.

Many practitioners are not aware of these requirements and run into trouble by not making a notification at the right time or at all. Failure to notify your Board may result in action being taken against your registration, including disciplinary action for unprofessional conduct.

When must health practitioners make notifications to the National Board?

You must notify your Board within seven days in writing after becoming aware of any of the following.

• Being charged with an offence punishable by 12 months imprisonment or more.
• Being convicted or found guilty of an offence whether punishable by imprisonment (including less than 12 months imprisonment).
• Appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements not being in place in relation to your practice of the profession.
• Your right to practice at a hospital or another facility in which the health services are provided being withdrawn or restricted because of your conduct, professional performance or health. This, in our view, does not apply to disciplinary processes – but it is imperative you seek advice if this occurs.
• Your billing privileges being withdrawn or restricted under the Medicare Australia Act 1973 because of your conduct, professional performance or health.
• Your authority to administer, obtain, possess, prescribe, sell, supply or use a scheduled medicine or class of scheduled medicines being cancelled or restricted.
• A complaint being made about you to any of the following entities:

1. the CEO under the Medicare Australia Act 1973;
2. an entity performing functions under the Health Insurance Act 1973;
3. the secretary within the meaning of the National Health Act 1953;
4. the secretary to the Department in which the Migration Act 1958 is administered;
5. another Commonwealth, State or Territory entity having functions relating to professional services provided by health practitioners or the regulation of health practitioners.

• Your registration in another country being suspended or cancelled or made subject to a condition or another restriction.

When must ‘student registrants’ make notifications?

If you hold student registration you must notify your Board within seven days after becoming aware of any of the following.

• Being charged with an offence punishable by 12 months imprisonment or more.
• Being convicted or found guilty of an offence whether punishable by imprisonment (including less than 12 months imprisonment).
• Your registration in another country being suspended or cancelled or made subject to a condition or another restriction.

Being issued with a Notice to Appear, by a police officer, constitutes being charged with an offence and the seven-day period commences from receiving the Notice to Appear.

Get help from an employment lawyer 

The process of notifying the Board is simple. Contact Hall Payne Employment Lawyers to speak with one of our professional conduct team about what you need to do.