It can feel a little daunting finding a new doctor, psychologist, dentist, chiropractor physiotherapist or other health professional that is right for you. Sometimes you may feel that you would like to know more about a health professional before you make your first appointment with them.

Did you know you can check if a NSW based health professional is registered to practise? You can also find out if they have any current conditions on their registration or if their registration has been suspended because of regulatory or disciplinary action.

What is the Register of practitioners?

The Register of practitioners is a free searchable database available to the public. It is managed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), which oversees the registration of practitioners across 15 health professions in Australia.

The Register which shows when a practitioner completed their qualifications, when they were first registered as a health practitioner and details of the

Sometimes a registered practitioner has a type of registration, or conditions that limit what they can do. This can be for a variety of reasons and may simply reflect their type of practice or limits on the type of care they can deliver at this time.

Restrictions or conditions can also be the result of a decision by a regulator such as a NSW health professional council who have imposed conditions to protect the public, or a disciplinary finding by a court or tribunal.

To find out more, visit the Register of practitioners:

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency - Register of practitioners

What if I can’t find a health practitioner in the Register?

If you can’t find a particular practitioner in the Register, it could be because:

• their registered name is different to the name they are commonly known as
• they have never been registered as a health professional in Australia
• they were registered but their registration has been cancelled
• they were registered but surrendered their registration, for example because they retired; or
• they have given undertakings not to practise.

Ahpra also has a list of cancelled practitioners and a list of practitioners who have formally agreed not to practise. Practitioners on these two lists are not allowed to provide any services as a practitioner.

What doesn’t the Register cover?

The Register of practitioners provides information on current conditions that apply to a health practitioner’s registration.

It does not include information about whether there have been previous conditions on their registration or the details of previous conditions.