FAQs: Concerns and feedback​

As the peak professional body for physiotherapy in Australia, the APA is committed to supporting its members in delivering safe, high-quality care in a professional, ethical, and accountable manner.

The APA is supported by a national network of employees and volunteers who proudly represent both the organisation and the physiotherapy profession. In doing so, they uphold the standards and values outlined in the APA Code of Conduct.

The APA welcomes feedback from members and the broader community regarding the services it provides. To learn more, please read the APA Complaints and Feedback Policy and submit your feedback with the APA.

A concern may relate to either:

• A practitioner: the individual physiotherapist who provided care or treatment.
• A health service: the practice, clinic, hospital, or organisation where care was provided.

The appropriate organisation to consider your concern may depend on whether it relates to an individual practitioner, a health service or both.

The APA is a professional membership body and does not regulate physiotherapists. Concerns involving patient safety, professional conduct, clinical performance, health impairments, criminal matters, or breaches of the National Law should be directed to a Regulatory Body, or the relevant Health Complaints body.

In addition to the role of regulatory bodies, the APA maintains professional standards for its members through the APA Code of Conduct and associated governance processes. The APA may consider concerns about APA members that relate to the APA Code of Conduct, membership obligations, or matters affecting the reputation and integrity of the profession.

If a concern has been lodged with a Regulatory Body, the APA welcomes notification of the matter. However, the APA will not usually investigate matters that are currently being assessed or investigated by a Regulatory Body or law enforcement agency and may defer consideration until those processes have concluded.

If there is an immediate risk to health or safety, contact police immediately. Incidents involving physical or sexual assault should be reported to police and Ahpra. This applies across all Australian states and territories.

Where appropriate, you should first raise your concern directly with the physiotherapist or physiotherapy student, the Health Service or Practice to determine whether the issue can be resolved locally.

If the matter is not resolved, or you are not satisfied with the response provided, you should review the information below to help you determine the most appropriate organisation to contact and the next steps available to you.

A practitioner is the person who treated you such as a physiotherapist. A health service, practice, hospital or clinic is where you had your appointment.

If your concern relates to a health service or practice rather than the practitioner, you should first try to discuss your concern directly with the health service or practice and provide them with an opportunity to address your concerns and resolve the issue.

If you are unable to resolve the matter with the health service or practice, or you require further advice, you can contact the health complaints organisation in your state or territory for information, assistance, and complaint resolution services.

Ahpra (the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) and the National Boards consider concerns (notifications) about registered health practitioners and students, either directly or in some states, through a co-regulatory arrangement with state based health complaints organisations.

A Regulatory Body regulates individual health practitioners, such as physiotherapists, and considers concerns relating to their conduct, performance, health, registration requirements, and public safety. Regulatory Bodies do not generally provide compensation, refunds, or other financial remedies to patients. If you are seeking a refund, compensation, or an apology, these matters are typically considered by a Health Complaints Body in your state or territory.

Physiotherapist: Ahpra assesses and investigates several core categories of concerns in:

• Conduct: Concerns regarding professional behaviour, including boundary violations (such as sexual misconduct), inappropriate prescribing, fraud, or unethical behaviour.
• Performance: Issues where a practitioner's clinical care or treatment falls significantly below acceptable professional standards or demonstrates a lack of competence.
• Health: Concerns that a practitioner has a physical or mental health impairment (such as an alcohol or substance use disorder) that detrimentally affects their ability to practice safely.
• National Law Breaches: Criminal convictions, findings of guilt for certain offences, or breaches of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (e.g., practising while suspended or unregistered).

Physiotherapy Student: Ahpra does not handle complaints about a student's academic progress or day-to-day conduct unless the behaviour results in a criminal charge or conviction. Specifically, Ahpra can consider concerns about:

• Health Impairments: Any physical or mental impairment, disability, condition, or disorder (including substance abuse) that detrimentally affects or is likely to affect the student's capacity to safely undertake clinical training.
• Criminal Matters: Criminal charges or convictions resulting in an offense punishable by 12 months' imprisonment or more.
• Conditions or Undertakings: Any contravention of an existing condition, restriction, or undertaking placed on the student's registration.

Complaints regarding a student's intoxication, sexual misconduct, or general clinical standards (outside of a health impairment) are generally handled directly by the education provider (e.g., their university or college) rather than Ahpra.

The APA has a governance structure in place to hear concerns about APA members in relation to matters that sit outside the scope of the regulatory and health complaint bodies listed above. An advisory committee, the National Professional Standards Panel (NPSP), oversees this governance.

If your concern relates to a physiotherapist who is not an APA member, you may still notify the APA. Although we cannot investigate or take action in relation to non-members, the information may be retained for professional and industry awareness. You may also wish to contact the relevant Regulatory Body or Health Complaints Body.

The NPSP may conduct a review of a Member's conduct only where the matter relates to one or more of the following and is not concurrently under investigation by a Regulatory Authority or other law enforcement agency:

• alleged conduct or action prejudicial to the interests of the Association, its Members or the physiotherapy profession
• alleged conduct or action that brings the Association, its Members or the physiotherapy profession into disrepute
• alleged conduct or action that fails to comply with the Constitution or the APA Code of Conduct
• conduct that a Regulatory Authority has determined constitutes professional misconduct, unprofessional conduct or unsatisfactory professional performance (or similar)
• or conduct that has led to disciplinary action by a Regulatory Authority.

If a Regulatory Authority has fully investigated a matter, the NPSP may decide that no further investigation by the NPSP is required.

The information above is intended to help you identify the most appropriate pathway for your concern. As you prepare to lodge a complaint, you may also find the resources available on the Ahpra and National Boards website helpful. They provide additional information about the complaints process, the types of concerns that can be considered, and what information may be required.

If you lodge a concern with a Regulatory Body or Health Complaints Organisation, we encourage you to also notify the APA. This assists the APA in understanding matters affecting the profession and determining whether any aspect of the concern falls within its professional standards framework. Please note that where a matter is being assessed or investigated by a Regulatory Body or law enforcement agency, the APA may defer its consideration of the matter until those processes have been completed.

If your concern falls within the scope of a Health Complaints Organisation, you may choose to lodge your complaint directly with that organisation:

• Australian Capital Territory: ACT Human Rights Commission
• Queensland: Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO)
• New South Wales: Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC)
• Northern Territory: Health and Community Services Complaints Commission (HCSCC)
• South Australia: Health and Community Services Complaints Commission (HCSCC)
• Tasmania: Health Complaints Commissioner Tasmania (HCC)
• Victoria: Health Complaints Commission (HCC)
• Western Australia: Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO)

If your concern falls within the scope of a Regulatory Body you may choose to lodge your complaint directly with that organisation:

• Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria or Western Australia: For concerns about register Physiotherapists or Physiotherapy Students practicing in these states you can report your concern to Ahpra.
• New South Wales or Queensland: There are different arrangements for Physiotherapists or Physiotherapy Students practicing in these states. You can report your concerns to the NSW Health Professional Councils Authority, the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission and Queensland’s Office of the Health Ombudsman.

If your concern falls outside the jurisdiction of a Regulatory Body or Health Complaints Organisation, but relates to an APA member's obligations under the APA Code of Conduct, membership requirements, or conduct that may adversely affect the reputation and integrity of the profession, you may lodge your concern directly with the APA. Eligible concerns may be reviewed in accordance with the APA's National Professional Standards Panel Regulations.

Please note that where a matter is being considered by a Regulatory Body or law enforcement agency, the APA may defer its review until those processes have been completed.

If a concern has been raised with a regulatory body about your health, conduct or professional performance, it can be helpful to understand how the regulatory process works and what to expect. Ahpra provides this information and additional resources for practitioners.

Support for APA Members

APA members who receive a complaint or regulatory notification can access confidential support, wellbeing resources, and information through the APA and National Professional Standards Panel (NPSP).

To preserve the integrity of external complaint and regulatory processes, the APA does not participate in external investigations or influence outcomes. Additional member-only resources are available.

Self-reporting

The APA encourages members to notify us as early as possible if they are concerned a matter may develop into an issue affecting their professional practice or registration, or if a concern, complaint, notification, or significant change in professional status has arisen. Early engagement allows us to provide support, guidance, and access to relevant member resources.

Please note that notifying the APA does not replace your obligation to notify Ahpra. Registered health practitioners and students must notify Ahpra and their National Board within seven days of becoming aware of certain events, including criminal charges or convictions, changes to professional indemnity insurance, or restrictions on practice, registration, or regulatory privileges.

Find out more information about your reporting obligations and how to notify Ahpra