Martin Fletcher will depart the regulator in December, after 15 years at the helm.
AHPRA CEO Martin Fletcher has announced that he will step down from the role before the end of the year, marking the first change of leadership in the history of the regulator.
Mr Fletcher, who previously helmed the National Patient Safety Agency in the UK, was appointed to establish and lead the Australian regulator in 2010; he has been CEO since that time.
Announcing his oncoming departure, Mr Fletcher said AHPRA had been through “continuous improvements” to better respond to the sensitive aspects of regulation.
“I’m proud of what we’ve achieved, that we’ve never rested on our laurels and always looked at how we can keep learning and do the important work of regulation better,” he said.
“It’s not just about administering a law.
“It’s about making sure all the moving parts in the National Scheme are guided every day by our core role of protecting the public, while ensuring fairness and respect for practitioners.”
Over its first 15 years of life, AHPRA has been the subject of at least six independent inquiries.
AHPRA has historically been unpopular among doctors, with renewed anger stoked by the fact that registration fees have quietly been raised again this year.
It now costs most doctors $1027 for general registration, up from $995 in 2023.
Doctors in NSW continue to pay a lower rate, which itself has risen to $956.
Last year, a study identified at least 12 deaths by suicide over four years among practitioners who were either involved in a regulatory process or had recently been involved in a regulatory process.
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Several more had nonfatally self-harmed.
Mr Fletcher will finish up in the CEO role when his term ends in December.
He said it was the “right time” to take on new challenges, and that his successor would have to address emerging issues related to AI, global workforce shortages and new models of care.
The global search for a new CEO will begin immediately.
