It can feel a little daunting finding a new doctor, psychologist, dentist, physiotherapist or other health professional.

Did you know that you can check if a New South Wales based health practitioner is registered? You can also find out if they have any current conditions on their practice or have been suspended because of regulatory or disciplinary action. All this information can be found on the Register of practitioners.

What is the Register of Practitioners?

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

When a health practitioner’s name appears on the register, you know that they are allowed to practise. 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 are not necessarily a bad thing but, may reflect their type of practice or limits on the type of care they can deliver.

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

To find out more about your practitioner, 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; 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 health practitioner.

It’s also important to note, that the Register of practitioners only 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.