It can sometimes be difficult to decide whether a health condition meets the threshold for notification.
We have provided some guidance and example scenarios with our responses here. These scenarios can be used to help physiotherapists to increase their knowledge about health notifications, and to compare their own situation when they are navigating whether they need to make a health notification.
We also recommend that you look at our Health Notifications webpage and view our webinar.
Quick guide to when notification is needed
In general:
- Notify the Board te Poari when a health condition is affecting your ability to practise physiotherapy safely.
- If the condition is short‐term, resolved, or not affecting practice, then notification is unlikely to be needed.
- If the condition is stable, you usually only need to notify once, unless things change.
- If you are unsure whether notification is needed, it is best to seek advice or make a notification and explain the circumstances.
| Scenario | Notify? | Why |
| Short‐term sprain, should resolve quickly | Usually no | Not affecting ongoing ability to practise physiotherapy safely. |
| Stable chronic condition, no work impact | Usually no, or one‐time notification only | No current impact on practice. Update the Board te Poari if the condition or its impact changes. |
| Condition affects duties, hours, or safe practice | Yes | It affects ability to practise physiotherapy safely. |
| Return‐to‐work plan in place | Yes | Notify the Board and include the plan so existing supports can be considered. |
| Condition has changed or worsened | Yes/update | The Board needs current information about any new or increased impact on practice. |
Example Scenarios
Self‐notifications: short‐term, resolved or historical conditions
I have been off work with a mental health condition. I’ve been having treatment and I’m improving. I haven’t notified the Board because I am worried I might not be allowed to return to work when I feel ready to. What should I do?
Make a health notification and include a letter from your doctor advising that you are having treatment with a health care provider and are now fit to return to work. The Board te Poari will follow the professional opinion of your health care provider.
I have sprained my wrist – do I need to notify the Board?
No, if it is short term and will not affect your ongoing ability to practise.
I had a medical event ten years ago – do I need to notify the Board?
Usually no, unless you are still experiencing effects from the medical event that impact your ability to practise. If the issue is ongoing, notify us once and update us only if things change.
I’ve been off work for a month with a back injury. I’m ready to return to work and I feel like I can get straight back to my usual work. Do I still need to inform the Board?
No. If you are able to return to your usual work then you do not need to notify us.
Self‐notifications: ongoing or chronic conditions
I have a well‐managed health condition, and I have no problems with completing my work as long as I am taking regular medication. Do I need to keep notifying the Board each year?
No. If nothing has changed since the initial notification, you do not need to notify us again. Let us know if the condition or its impact changes.
I sometimes get migraines and when this happens, I can’t go to work for a day or two. Once the migraine has improved, I’m able to do my normal work. Do I need to tell the Board about this?
Yes, notify the Board te Poari once. If the migraines are self‐limiting and do not otherwise affect your ability to practise, repeat notification isn’t needed unless things change.
I have been diagnosed with ADHD – do I need to notify the Board?
Only if your ADHD symptoms are impacting on your ability to perform physiotherapy.
I have a chronic condition that hasn’t changed for years – do I need to notify the Board?
Yes, if it affects your ability to practise. You only need to notify us once, unless something changes.
I have a chronic condition that fluctuates. If it’s affecting me at the time of APC renewal, then I notify the Board but otherwise I don’t. Is this the correct process?
Yes, notify us when the condition is affecting your practice. This can be done at the time of APC renewal or anytime during the practising year. You do not need to keep notifying us during periods when it is not affecting your work.
Notifications about another physiotherapist
I have a physio colleague who has a health condition which I think they should notify the Board about. Our employer doesn’t know about the condition. How do I go about this?
If you feel comfortable, we encourage you to speak to your colleague and try to support them to make a self‐notification.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, or they don’t agree, you should consider whether, based on what you are sure about, the physiotherapist is unable to perform their functions because of a health condition, and then whether a notification should be made.
Following a notification, the conversation is between the physiotherapist who the notification is regarding and the Board te Poari. We wouldn’t contact an employer unless there were specific concerns for the health and safety of the public.
I’m thinking about notifying the Board about my colleague but I’m worried that I might get it wrong and the ramifications that could have for me, or for my colleague. What’s your advice?
So long as a notification is made in good faith, you won’t face sanction from the Board te Poari for making a notification. If the Board te Poari looks into the Health Notification and decides the health condition is not affecting the physiotherapist’s ability to practise, then things will be closed at that point and there wouldn’t be ramifications for the notifier or the physiotherapist.
I’m worried about the health of a physio who I work with and I’ve decided to tell my manager about my concerns. They’ve said they’ll look into it so do I still need to notify the Board too?
Yes, we would still encourage you to make the notification if you think the physiotherapist is unable to practise due to a health condition. If you’re unsure, notify us and let us know that your manager or employer has advised you that they will also look into the matter.
Employer and workplace responsibilities
I employ a team of physios. We have our own internal processes for managing health conditions for our staff. Do I still need to notify the Board about their health conditions?
Yes. If the health condition is impacting on an employee’s ability to perform physiotherapy, you should either support the physiotherapist with making a self‐notification or make a notification about the physiotherapist.
It is very helpful when the Board te Poari is provided with information about what support is already in place for the physiotherapist. We wouldn’t override good plans that already exist to support the physiotherapist to safely continue practising.
I have a good relationship with my employer. If I feel like I can’t manage my normal work because of my ongoing health condition, my employer puts a plan into place to modify my work while I get back on track. Do I still need to notify the Board?
Yes. Notify the Board te Poari and include information about the workplace supports or plans already in place. You don’t need to continue to notify us, unless something changes.
I have a chronic health condition, and I have permanently changed to a part‐time employment contract because I can’t manage full‐time hours. Things are going well at work, as I long as I am doing part‐time hours. Do I need to notify the Board?
Yes, notify the Board te Poari once. You don’t need to continue to notify us, unless something changes.
I’ve had shoulder surgery and I’m on a return‐to‐work programme. Do I still need to notify the Board even though there’s a plan in place with my employer and health care provider to get me back to work?
Yes. Notify the Board te Poari and include your return‐to‐work plan so the Registrar can see that the supports are already in place.
Notifications about a physiotherapy student
I am supervising a physiotherapy student, and I am concerned about how a health condition is impacting on them. Who do I notify?
Notify the student’s university. Under the HPCA Act, the person in charge of the educational programme will make the health notification to the Board te Poari.
Barriers or concerns about notifying
I do have a health condition, but I don’t want to report it to the Board in case I lose my job. What should I do?
You are required by law to notify about the health condition if it is impacting on your ability to perform physiotherapy. In most cases, physiotherapists can continue to practise physiotherapy.
Following a notification, the conversation is between the physiotherapist and the Board te Poari. We wouldn’t contact an employer unless there were specific concerns for the health and safety of the public.
Is there any ‘stand‐down’ period while the Board investigates a health condition that’s been reported?
In the vast majority of cases, there is no stand‐down period while the health condition is looked into. In very rare cases, the HPCA Act does enable the Board te Poari to place an interim order to suspend registration, for a period of up to twenty days, but the threshold for this is high and we would only do that when we had serious concerns about the physiotherapist’s wellbeing and the health and safety of the public.
Privacy and confidentiality
I am treating another physiotherapist who I believe needs to notify the Board of their health condition. They’re not keen to report and they don’t believe they have to. Am I breaking privacy laws by reporting them when I am their health care provider?
No, you won’t be breaking privacy laws because this a requirement under the HPCA Act, and the Privacy Act allows for exceptions when a disclosure to a regulator is authorised by law (in this case authorised by the HPCA Act). As long as the notification is done in good faith and for the right reasons, i.e. you want to keep the public safe, then you should do what the HPCA Act says you need to.
If I make a notification about another physiotherapist, is it kept confidential that I made the notification?
Wherever possible, we won’t advise the physiotherapist about who has notified us about the health concern. If there is a dispute about what the facts are, then it may be a bit different, but in the vast majority of cases, we do not need to disclose this information.
What information does the Board need in order to make decisions about my health condition?
The Board te Poari will use information provided from your own health care providers, wherever possible.
For example, a letter from your health care provider outlining:
- your health condition,
- any ongoing treatment or planned treatment,
- how it impacts on your ability to complete your work as a physiotherapist and
- any plans in place to manage the impacts.
We do not require information about co‐existing health conditions if they do not impact on your ability to perform physiotherapy.
I’m worried about my privacy if I provide my health information to the Board. Who gets access to the information and what happens to the information once I have provided it?
The information remains confidential, on your personal file at the Board te Poari. It is only shared with the Health Committee, if necessary, and with a medical assessor if you are required to have a medical assessment. Practitioner health information is never made publicly available.
Health Committee and medical assessments
What is the Health Committee?
Occasionally, the Registrar will refer a Health Notification to the Health Committee. The Health Committee is appointed by the Board Te Poari to consider matters relating to a physiotherapist’s health and fitness to practise. It is made up of members of the Board te Poari, and laypersons.
The Health Committee’s role is not disciplinary. Its focus is on ensuring that any health condition is appropriately managed so that the physiotherapist can practise safely and competently, where possible.
The Health Committee may review health information, monitor a physiotherapist’s health status, request independent medical assessments where appropriate, and determine or recommend measures to protect the public while supporting the physiotherapist’s safe practice.
If the Board decides that I need to have a medical assessment, who does the assessment and who gets to see the report?
Medical assessments don’t happen very often. Most of the time the Board te Poari will use information provided by your own health care providers.
Where a medical assessment is required, the Board te Poari would appoint and fund an assessment with an independent health practitioner. The report is provided to the physiotherapist and to the Board te Poari, including the Health Committee. The report is not shared with your employer or other parties.