Suspension and cancellation
Suspension and cancellation may be applied as an outcome of disciplinary action.
- Immediate suspension of a registered practitioner pending disciplinary action is a form of protective action. An immediate suspension is made in response to serious non-compliance and where that action is necessary to protect the public.
- A substantive suspension (for up to three years) may be applied at the outcome of a full investigation and disciplinary process. Because a suspension denies an individual the ability to earn income, this action is reserved for the most serious of non-compliances or offences under the Act, or to address patterns of wilful misconduct.
- A partial suspension is used where it is necessary to protect the public from risk of serious practitioner misconduct, but it is in the public interest that they continue to operate to rectify a current issue or non-compliance.
- Cancellation, coupled with a period of disqualification, is our most serious disciplinary tool.