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AHPRA compliance checklist

AHPRA Compliance Checklist

Work through this list before any clinic marketing goes live. It covers the material most practices produce: the website, paid ads, social posts, patient reviews, offers and before-and-after photos. Each item is something you can check against the actual copy or image in front of you. If you cannot tick an item, the piece is not ready to publish. The list follows the five prohibitions in section 133 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. It is a working tool, not legal advice, and it cannot tell you whether one particular ad is lawful. What it does is surface the problems that come up most often.

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1. Accuracy and claims

  • [ ] Every claim can be backed by evidence you hold today, such as a registration record, a certificate or a documented process.
  • [ ] Superlatives such as "best", "leading", "number one" and "most advanced" are removed unless you can substantiate them in a way a reasonable reader would accept.
  • [ ] Specialist wording appears only for an approved specialty in which the practitioner is registered.
  • [ ] Qualifications and postnominals listed are the ones the practitioner actually holds, and they relate to the service being advertised.
  • [ ] Outcome words such as "pain-free", "guaranteed", "permanent" and "cure" are absent.
  • [ ] The copy describes what the service involves, not what it will achieve for the patient.

2. Patient comments and reviews

  • [ ] No patient comment about treatment, its outcome or the practitioner's clinical skill appears on any channel you control.
  • [ ] Each comment you do reuse has been read in full. A line about booking or reception is one thing. A single sentence about the result is another.
  • [ ] Reviews left on platforms you do not control have not been copied into your website, ads, social posts or printed material.
  • [ ] You have not asked patients for comments about their treatment to use in marketing.
  • [ ] Replies you post to third-party reviews have been checked, because a reply can be read as using a testimonial to advertise.

3. Offers and prices

  • [ ] Every offer states what it includes and what it excludes.
  • [ ] The offer states who it is for and when it ends, if it does end.
  • [ ] The terms sit on the landing page, or in a clearly labelled section close to the offer, rather than several clicks away.
  • [ ] A price such as "from $X" says exactly what that price buys.

4. Urgency and volume

  • [ ] No countdown timer, "only three spots left" line or similar scarcity message appears unless a real clinical reason stands behind it and that reason is stated.
  • [ ] No bulk session packs, loyalty rewards for extra visits or prize draws tied to booking appear.
  • [ ] Calls to action invite a patient to get assessed. They do not push a course of care.

5. Before-and-after photos

  • [ ] Both images were taken with the same lighting, angle and framing.
  • [ ] Neither image has been retouched or filtered.
  • [ ] Written consent from the patient is on file.
  • [ ] The surrounding copy does not suggest the reader will get the same result.
  • [ ] If the photos cannot meet the comparability standard, they stay out of the campaign.

6. Titles and medicines

  • [ ] Every protected title in use is held by the person using it.
  • [ ] Any named prescription medicine has been checked against the Therapeutic Goods Administration's advertising rules before publication.

7. Platforms and approvals

  • [ ] Automated ad features, such as generated headlines or pulled review snippets, are switched off or reviewed before they serve.
  • [ ] The practice owner approves each piece of marketing in writing before it goes live, including work from an agency or a template.
  • [ ] The record of that approval can be found quickly if a complaint arrives.

Examples that fail the list

A few common pieces show how the sections apply. They are illustrations of the test, not findings about any named clinic.

  • A physiotherapy ad headed "Back pain gone in one visit" fails section 1. It promises an outcome the treatment cannot reliably produce, whatever the clinic's experience.
  • A social post that shares a five-star review saying a dentist "fixed my tooth in ten minutes" fails section 2. The sentence describes the clinical result, so it cannot be reused. The star rating does not change that.
  • A "free consultation" banner that links to a homepage with no stated terms fails section 3, even if the consultation itself is genuine.
  • A search ad reading "Book now, only two appointments left this week" fails section 4 unless the limited availability has a clinical reason that is stated.

If an item fails

Pull the piece, fix the item, and then check the whole asset again. A fix on one line often leaves the same problem on another page or in another ad, so run the list again on the revised version rather than only the line you changed.

If you are unsure whether a claim, offer or image passes, put the question in writing before anything goes live. Ask for the answer in writing too.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should we do with superlatives like "best" or "leading"?

Remove them unless you can back them up in a way a reasonable reader would accept. The same applies to specialist wording, which should appear only for an approved specialty the practitioner is registered in.

What does an offer need to show before it goes live?

Every offer should state what it includes and excludes, who it is for, and when it ends if it does end. The terms belong on the landing page or in a clearly labelled section close to the offer, not several clicks away.

What should we do if a checklist item fails?

Pull the piece, fix the item and run the whole list again on the revised version, since a fix on one line often leaves the same problem elsewhere. If you are unsure whether something passes, put the question in writing and ask for the answer in writing too.

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Important note

General information only. It is not legal advice and does not replace the current guidelines published by AHPRA and the National Boards. Check the source material or seek advice on your specific situation.