Giving notice of ‘certain events’: understand your obligations

The requirement to make a notice of certain events (NOCE) to the regulator is enshrined in the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (National Law).

Importantly, making a NOCE is not intended to be punitive. Instead, it’s about promptly assessing and managing any event that could put public safety at risk or impact your fitness to practise.

Making a NOCE is different from mandatory notifications, because it relates to you, rather than your obligation to make a notification about other health professionals. You can read more about mandatory notifications on the Ahpra websiteopen_in_new.

Timely reporting is important because it:

• mitigates risk to the public and reduces the likelihood of unsafe practice
• enables early intervention, such as health assistance or imposing conditions that can help you return to practising safely
• upholds professional standards and public confidence in the system.  

Your reporting obligations

The loss of clinical privileges is a widely recognised trigger for a NOCE, but practitioners often fail to report criminal matters.

Under the National Law, you have a legal obligation to provide written notice to Ahpra within seven days of becoming aware of a ‘relevant event’.

These include:

• being charged with an offence punishable by 12 months' imprisonment or more
• being convicted or found guilty of an offence punishable by imprisonment
• no longer having appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements in place
• the withdrawal or restriction of your right to practise at a hospital or other health service due to conduct, professional performance, or health issues
• the restriction or withdrawal of your Medicare billing privileges
• the cancellation or restriction of your authority to administer, possess, or prescribe scheduled medicines
• if your registration in another country is suspended or cancelled
• if a complaint has been made about you to various Commonwealth, state or territory government entities and individuals.

Your obligation to self-notify applies even if the event is not directly related to your practice. You would still need to report a conviction for a personal offence committed outside of the practise of medicine.

Late reports and implications

When we receive a NOCE, we will always consider the context of what you tell us and assess any risk to the public before we decide what happens next.

Depending on the situation, we might ask you for more information. We will complete a joint assessment with the Health Care Complaints Commission (the HCCC), which includes considering whether we need to take any action to protect public safety.

While failure to make a NOCE is not an offence, it may be considered a breach of your professional obligations under the National Law. When we learn about a notifiable event that was not reported in a timely manner, we will need to consider whether further action is needed regarding your health, conduct or performance.

Key takeaways

The Notice of Certain Events requirements are part of your professional responsibilities. By reporting promptly, you are meeting your legal obligations and demonstrating your commitment to professional integrity and public safety.

If you are unsure if an event is notifiable, seek advice from your medical indemnity insurer or professional association.

More information

You can find more information about making a NOCE on the Ahpra websiteopen_in_new. There is also information about self-notifying on our websiteopen_in_new.