Review launched into AHPRA’s handling of vexatious complaints
The watchdog says only 1% of complaints against health practitioners are deemed vexatious
AHPRA’s approach to identifying vexatious complaints is going under the microscope, two years after the system was revamped.
The National Health Practitioner Ombudsman will conduct the scheduled review and prepare a confidential report before the end of year.
The ombudsman will assess whether vexatious complaints are being identified early enough, whether AHPRA staff are acting “appropriately and consistently” and whether there have been any unintended consequences for health practitioners or complainants.
AHPRA says just 1% of the 10,000 notifications it receives annually about health practitioners are vexatious, which it defines as either lacking substance or being made with the intention of causing “distress, detriment or harassment”.
