The Australian National Board has developed a consistent approach to auditing health and medical practitioners’ compliance with mandatory registration standards. For health and medical professionals it is essential to understand the audit process. By adhering to the mandatory registration standards, medical professionals are demonstrating to their community and the Boards that they are aware and in compliance with registration standards.
How do you know if you are being audited?
Audits of random samples of practitioners from all professions will occur periodically throughout the year.
If you are selected for an audit, you will receive an audit notice in the mail from AHPRA.. It includes a checklist that outlines what supporting documentation is required to demonstrate that you meet the standard(s) being audited.
What is being audited ?
Every time you apply to renew your registration, you make a declaration that you have (or have not) met the registration standards for your profession. The audit requires that you provide further information to support your declarations.
Your audit notice letter will identify which standard/standards are being audited. One or more of the following four mandatory registration standards may be audited:
- Criminal history registration standard: AHPRA uses an independent service provider to check your domestic criminal history, which will happen automatically at no cost to you. You do not have to do anything further unless you are asked to provide more information.
- Continuing professional development registration standard: You must provide evidence of the CPD activities you have undertaken to meet the requirements of the Board’s standard.
- Recency of Practice registration standard: You must provide evidence of recency of practice activities you have undertaken which meet the requirements of the Board’s standard.
- Professional indemnity insurance arrangements registration standards: You must provide evidence of PII arrangements which meet the requirements of the Board’s PII registration standard.
Declarations, your registration and the National Law
Under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory, AHPRA can request (on behalf of a board) you to provide evidence, within 28 days, that you meet the standards, as declared in your previous annual statement.
Your annual statement is made when you apply to renew your registration. It is supported by a declaration confirming that it is ‘true and correct’.
The annual statement also includes (among other things) statements about whether:
- you have met the recency of practice requirements stated in the Board’s registration standard.
- you met the Board’s continuing professional development (CPD) requirements as set out in the Board’s CPD registration standard during the previous registration period.
- you practised in accordance with the requirements of the Board’s Professional indemnity insurance (PII) arrangements registration standard, and whether you commit to practise in accordance with that registration standard if your registration is renewed, and
- there was any change in your criminal history during the previous registration period and whether you have any other criminal history that has not been disclosed to AHPRA.
We are Australian medical indemnity insurance providers and cover your practice with medical indemnity insurance, doctors indemnity insurance, gp medical indemnity insurance, medical malpractice insurance, medical practice insurance, and more. If you are a health practitioner with Tego, we offer 24/7 medico-legal advice and support to guide you through what you need to know when you are audited.
This publication is general in nature and is not comprehensive or constitutes legal or medical advice. You should seek legal, medical or other professional advice before relying on any content, and practice proper clinical decision making with regard to individual circumstances. Persons implementing any recommendations contained in this publication must exercise their own independent skill or judgment or seek appropriate professional advice relevant to their own particular practice. Compliance with any recommendations will not in any way guarantee discharge of the duty of care owed to patients and others coming into contact with the health professional or practice. Tego Insurance Pty Ltd is not responsible to you or anyone else for any loss suffered in connection with the use of this information. All content on this page has been written in a generic way, and has not been presented with any knowledge of your personal objectives or financial needs.