In NSW, complaints about medical practitioners and nurses and midwives can be prosecuted before two disciplinary forums - Tribunals or Professional Standards Committees.

Complaints about other registered health practitioner may be prosecuted before a Tribunal or at an inquiry of the relevant NSW Council.

Hearings before a Tribunal

Hearings before a Tribunal are public. For NSW, a list of current hearings can be accessed online. Decisions of these hearings are publicly available.

Hearings before a Professional Standards Committee

Since October 2008, hearings before a Medical Professional Standards Committee are generally held in public in NSW. A list of current hearings can be accessed online at the Medical Council of NSW website.

With the introduction of the National Registration Scheme for health practitioners, also matters that the Commission refers to a Nursing and Midwifery Professional Standards Committee after 1 July 2010, will generally be public. Decision of these hearings will generally also be publicly available.

Professional Standards Committee hearings outside NSW will remain closed to the public.

Hearings before a NSW Council Inquiry

Complaints about registered health practitioner, except medical practitioners and nurses and midwives, can be brought before a Inquiry of the relevant NSW Council. These hearings are usually not open to the public, unless the Chairperson decides otherwise.

Decisions of these Inquiries are not public, unless the Chairperson decides to make them public.