Vexatious notifications framework review

On 9 December 2024 the National Health Practitioner Ombudsman, Richelle McCausland, published her independent review into the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s (Ahpra) framework for identifying and managing vexatious notifications (the Framework).

The Ombudsman made 17 recommendations based on improving the Framework and its application, and strengthening how Ahpra manages notifications in cases involving domestic and family violence allegations and unreasonably persistent notifiers.

The review was commenced at Ahpra’s invitation to examine whether the framework has been effective, or if it has had any unintended consequences. The report outlines that the framework is the first of its kind in Australia’s health regulatory landscape.

The review supported existing evidence that truly vexatious notifications are rare. It found, however, that allegations that a notification is vexatious were not always recorded by Ahpra, meaning the amount of times the framework should or could have been applied is likely higher than Ahpra reported. The review found that Ahpra should be more transparent about how and when the framework is applied.

The report outlines that Ahpra staff received comprehensive guidance on the framework when it was introduced. However, the review found that Ahpra does not have a tailored or specific process to manage allegations that a notification was made in the context of domestic and family violence. The review also did not find a consistent approach to dealing with unreasonable conduct by notifiers and patterns of repetitive notifications. The Ombudsman recommended that Ahpra strengthens how it manages these types of notifications to help reduce the negative impacts of the notifications process on health practitioners.

The report has been endorsed by the Health Chief Executives Forum, and recommendations regarding potential legislative reform have been referred to the Health Workforce Taskforce.

Read and download the report (PDF)

Response to the recommendations

The Ombudsman has welcomed Ahpra’s acceptance of the review’s recommendations and its development of a plan for implementation. 

Ahpra’s response is available on its website.