The Medical Board of Australia will work with the medical profession on strategies to support late career doctors to keep practising safely as they age, opting against mandatory health checks for doctors aged over 70.
A media release said that new analysis of complaints outcomes to Ahpra showed that regulatory action involving doctors aged over 70 more commonly related to concerns beyond health, including communication, clinical care, and pharmacy or medication issues.
The board said these findings highlighted that health checks alone would not address the full range of risks identified.
Following a consultation process that considered 201 submissions, the board decided to take what it described as a proportionate approach to a nuanced and sensitive issue. Mandatory health checks were among the options canvassed, but feedback from stakeholders and further data analysis led the board to pursue a collaborative, profession-led response instead.
Medical Board of Australia chair Dr Susan O’Dwyer said the contribution of late career doctors remained highly valued.
“The board values the contribution of late career doctors to their patients, the medical profession and our community,” she said. “There are also some clear issues in the practice of some doctors in this group that health checks alone won’t address.”
The consultation regulation impact statement published in 2024 indicated there was nearly double the rate of notifications, including health-related matters, about doctors aged over 70 compared with those aged under 70. While consultation feedback broadly accepted that there was an increased risk to patients from unsafe practice and unmanaged health issues among late career doctors, there was concern about the introduction of mandated health checks.
The board noted that its code of conduct, Good medical practice, already encourages all registered medical practitioners, regardless of age, to have a general practitioner and to take care of their health. It also found there was no existing research demonstrating that health checks would definitively reduce notifications.
In response to consultation feedback, the board examined more recent Ahpra registrations and notifications data from 2022 to 2024. Although the number of late career doctors subject to regulatory action each year was relatively small (70 in 2022–23 and 60 in 2023–24) the rate of regulatory action was 1.6 times higher than for doctors aged under 70.
The data showed regulatory action was 2.5 times more likely for communication concerns, 1.8 times more likely for clinical care issues, and 1.4 times more likely for pharmacy or medication concerns. In contrast, regulatory action relating to health issues occurred at a similar level to younger doctors.
Over the same period, the proportion of late career doctors in Australia’s medical workforce declined from 6.8% in 2020 to 4.8% in 2025, with 6,988 doctors aged 70 and over practising as at 30 June 2025.
The board said it would actively monitor complaints data to ensure profession-led approaches effectively manage risks to patients. An advisory group will work with organisations representing older doctors, specialist colleges, doctors’ health organisations, medical defence organisations, the AMA and other relevant groups to develop strategies to support safe practice.
“We heard the concerns of some stakeholders and want to work together to find a proportionate solution to a nuanced and sensitive problem,” Dr O’Dwyer said.
