On this page
Key facts for allied health professionals
- Profession law
- Federal Law No. 6 of 2023, with Cabinet Resolution No. 176 of 2025
- Scope
- Your licence title under the national PQR, your facility privileges and your competence
- Liability law
- Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016, applied through Article 37
- Federal penalty range
- Written reprimand to revocation; fines of AED 1,000 to 50,000; suspension of up to six months; partial revocation
- Grievance against a penalty
- 15 days (federal), 30 days (DHA), 60 days (Abu Dhabi Law No. 10 of 2018)
- First step
- Ask for the notice in writing, note the date and contact the facility's liability insurer
Which allied professionals this page covers
"Allied health" in the UAE covers dozens of licensed titles, and the risks differ between them. This page is for physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, radiographers, sonographers and radiation therapists, laboratory scientists and technologists, dietitians, respiratory therapists, optometrists, audiologists, podiatrists, psychologists, dialysis and cardiovascular technologists and other allied professionals licensed in any emirate who are facing:
- a patient complaint to the facility or the licensing authority;
- an incident review, for example after a fall during therapy, a wrong-patient scan or a mislabelled sample;
- a notice from the DHA, DOH, MOHAP or SHA about an investigation, a Medical Liability Committee review or a penalty;
- conditions on a licence, supervised practice, or a return to work after suspension.
Without a live concern, the allied health ethics and professionalism page is the place to start.
The core set for allied professionals
Core course 1Ethics
Ethics and Professional Conduct for Allied Health Professionals
Scope under the PQR and your licence, delegation, consent, boundaries in hands-on therapy, chaperones, records, probity and safeguarding for UAE allied professionals.
Core course 2Professionalism
Professionalism in Practice for UAE Health Professionals
Licensing integrity, CPD and good standing, respect at the point of care, civility, candour, digital conduct and conflicts of interest for every UAE profession.
Which one do I need?
| Compare | Ethics and Professional Conduct for Allied Health Professionals | Professionalism in Practice for UAE Health Professionals |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Values, reasoning and ethical dilemmas | Conduct, standards, scope, records and accountability |
| The question it answers | What is the right thing to do here, and why? | What do my standards require, and how do I show it? |
| Choose it when | A decision, a dilemma or your judgement is in question | Behaviour, systems, scope of practice or records are in question |
Not sure? Many concerns and most CPD plans need both: take them together for a complete picture.
Ethics and Professional Conduct for Allied Health Professionals is written for allied practice under Federal Law No. 6 of 2023 and its 2025 Executive Regulations: scope under your licence title, delegation to assistants and students, consent in hands-on and imaging work, boundaries and chaperones, records, social media, probity and incident reporting. Alongside it:
- Facing a Licensing Investigation: The Core Remediation Course for the liability and disciplinary tracks and each authority's process.
- Professionalism in Practice for UAE Health Professionals for conduct in multinational teams, communication and your professional record.
- Insight: Understanding and Showing It After a Concern and Reflective Practice and Written Reflections for the written account.
- Building a Remediation Plan After a Concern for objectives, supervision logs and audits a manager can sign.
Then add the course for your concern: professional boundaries for hands-on therapy, informed consent for imaging, or record keeping for a notes or claims query.
Core setComplete the set with these
Course by course: what each core course covers
The six courses come to 16 CPD hours. Here is what each does for an allied professional, whatever the title on your licence.
Ethics and Professional Conduct for Allied Health Professionals (3 hours). Written for the whole allied workforce, with cases from rehabilitation, imaging and laboratories. Section 3 is the heart of most allied cases: what defines your scope under the PQR, role creep and new techniques, supervising assistants and students, and lesson 3.4 on home visits, telehealth and working in more than one place. Section 5 covers touch, chaperones and the third-party rule in hands-on and long-term therapy, and lesson 7.1 deals with honesty in session records and claims.
Facing a Licensing Investigation: The Core Remediation Course (4 hours). It is assessed with 30 questions instead of the usual 20. Allied professionals often find themselves in a case that started as a complaint about a doctor, so lesson 1.1 on how concerns reach a professional and section 3 on the medical liability track are worth reading early. The boundary case in Dubai in section 10 is a close match for many therapy complaints.
Professionalism in Practice for UAE Health Professionals (2 hours). The shared course for every licensed profession, and in an allied case it does a particular job: it covers conduct in teams where you may be the only member of your profession. Lesson 4.1 on scope, delegation and reliability, lesson 5.2 on clinical systems, messaging and telehealth, and section 7 on how professionalism concerns are handled are the parts to open first.
Insight: Understanding and Showing It After a Concern (2 hours). Lesson 2.1 sets out what each UAE decision-maker is actually deciding, which helps when you are unsure whether your manager, a committee or the authority is the main audience. Section 8 adjusts the evidence of insight to the type of concern, from a scanning slip to a boundary complaint.
Reflective Practice and Written Reflections (2 hours). Models and practice in reflective writing. Lesson 6.3 on confidentiality in reflective writing matters in small allied teams, where a few details can be enough to identify a patient or colleague, and lesson 7.1 covers reflecting with peers and in supervision.
Building a Remediation Plan After a Concern (3 hours). Building a plan that a head of department can sign. Lesson 4.3 explains how to work within orders, conditions and your employer's own processes at once, lesson 5.1 covers supervised practice and mentoring, and section 7 deals with returning after suspension, after revocation or after a long gap.
Scope of practice: the question behind many allied cases
Your scope is defined by the licence title the authority issued you under the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), any privileges your facility grants, and your own competence. Article 8 of Federal Law No. 6 of 2023 makes working within the scope of your licence a statutory duty, and the DHA Fitness to Practice Policy names practising outside scope among its areas of concern.
Scope drift is the usual pattern rather than a single dramatic act: a physiotherapist adding a technique learned on a weekend course, a technician interpreting an image for a patient, a therapist working at a second clinic under a manager's verbal assurance, or a beauty-sector role that requires a separate licensed title. Where serious harm follows, deliberately practising beyond your specialty or privileges, or using a technique without prior training or supervision, are criteria for a gross medical error under Cabinet Resolution No. 40 of 2019. Remediation should show how you now check a new activity against your licence before you start it.
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Hands-on therapy, boundaries and chaperones
Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry and similar work involve touch, undressing and long courses of treatment, which is where boundary complaints arise. Outside an emergency, Article 5 of the Medical Liability Decree-Law forbids examining or treating a patient of the other sex unless a third person is present and the patient has agreed beforehand; in Dubai a breach is Schedule 4 item 27. The DHA Code goes further, asking for that agreement in writing, and it rules out any romantic or personal relationship with a patient you are treating or with their close family.
Many complaints are about explanation rather than intent: a patient who did not understand why a technique required contact in a particular area, or who was not offered a chaperone. Your remediation should show how you now explain each technique before touching, how you offer and record a chaperone, and how you handle a patient's request for contact outside therapy.
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Imaging, radiation and consent
Radiographers, sonographers and radiation therapists face complaints about wrong-patient or wrong-site imaging, pregnancy checks, dignity during examinations and comments made about findings. The DOH Patient Consent Standard lists CT and MRI among the interventions needing written consent, so a scan without a valid consent record can become an allegation in its own right in Abu Dhabi.
Patient identification and justification are the safeguards committees ask about first. A reflection after a wrong-patient scan should describe the identification step that failed and the one you now use every time. If you told a patient what an image showed before the report was issued, address that directly: it is a scope and communication question, and the patient may have acted on it.
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Laboratory results, samples and reporting
Laboratory staff rarely meet the patient, so complaints usually reach them through an incident: a mislabelled or haemolysed sample reported as valid, a critical result not phoned through, a delayed report that led to delayed treatment, or a result released to the wrong record. A Medical Liability Committee can assign a share of the responsibility to each contributor, so a laboratory professional can be named in a case that began as a complaint about a doctor.
Records rules apply fully. Each step belongs in the record with what was done and when, under the Medical Liability Executive Regulations, and in Dubai editing data afterwards is a violation of its own. Remediation for a laboratory concern should show a changed process with an audit trail, for example a revised critical-result call log checked weekly by a supervisor.
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Treatment notes, outcome measures and claims
Allied professionals often bill per session, which makes the treatment note the evidence for the claim. In Dubai, the DHA Code's insurance standard forbids double billing, inflated coding, splitting one service into several claims and editing notes to obtain cover, and ordering tests that are not needed is Schedule 4 item 32. In Abu Dhabi, DOH sanctions for insurance violations have included recovery of claims and restrictions on practitioner licences. Billing for sessions that were shortened, delivered by an assistant, or not delivered at all is treated as a probity matter.
Federal Law No. 6 of 2023 makes accurate records a statutory duty. A strong response shows that your notes now record what was done, by whom, for how long and with what result, and that someone else has checked a sample against the billing.
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Assistants, students and supervision
Allied departments rely on assistants, technicians and students. The DHA Code expects duties to be delegated responsibly and with appropriate supervision, and the person accepting a task is expected to be authorised for it. When an assistant applies a modality outside their role, or a student treats without supervision, both the person who delegated and the person who acted can be asked to explain.
Remediation for a supervision concern works best when it changes the system as well as your own practice: a written list of tasks each grade may perform, a supervision record for students, and a simple way for assistants to say no to a task they are not authorised for.
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Home visits, online sessions and second jobs
Home-based therapy and online sessions are common in allied practice, and they carry their own risks. A home visit has no corridor full of colleagues, so chaperone arrangements and consent need to be planned and recorded before you arrive. Online sessions raise data questions: Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 limits the use of health information to health purposes without written approval and restricts storing or transferring health data outside the UAE except where permitted.
Working at more than one place is another trigger. Your licence is activated for a facility, and practising elsewhere without the right permit can lead to action whatever the quality of your care. Check each arrangement with your licensing authority in writing.
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Match the concern to a course
The concerns that most often lead to complaints and investigations, how they are viewed, and the courses that address each one.
Technique or task outside your licence title
Working within the scope of your licence is a duty under Article 8 of Federal Law No. 6 of 2023.
Hands-on treatment without a chaperone or explanation
The third-party and prior consent rule in Article 5 applies; the DHA Code expects written consent outside emergencies.
Personal messages or a relationship with a patient
Under the DHA Code, a romantic or personal relationship with a current patient or their close family is not allowed.
Wrong-patient or wrong-site scan
Identification and justification are the safeguards examined first; the action you now take each time matters most.
CT or MRI without a consent record in Abu Dhabi
The DOH Patient Consent Standard lists CT and MRI among interventions needing written consent.
Critical laboratory result not passed on
A committee can assign a share of responsibility to each contributor, including laboratory staff.
Sessions billed that were not delivered as recorded
DHA Code Standard 12 prohibits misleading claims; DOH sanctions have included licence restrictions.
Assistant applied a modality outside their role
Delegation must be to someone authorised for the task and properly supervised.
Therapy records kept on a personal device or overseas app
Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 restricts health data use and storage outside the UAE.
Fall or injury during a therapy session
Judged under Article 6 against a professional of your grade; the risk assessment in your notes is key evidence.
How the authorities handle a case about an allied professional
| Authority | Route | Your deadline to challenge |
|---|---|---|
| DHA | Health Regulation Sector investigation; Medical Practices Committee under Resolution No. 49 of 2024; possible precautionary suspension of up to three months, extendable once | 30 days to the Director General |
| DOH | Investigation Request for Medical Error, or an inspection finding; penalties under Abu Dhabi Law No. 10 of 2018 or Federal Law No. 6 of 2023 | 60 days under the Abu Dhabi law; 15 days under the federal law |
| MOHAP | Administrative complaint to the facility first, or a medical complaint to the Medical Liability Committee; action under Federal Law No. 6 of 2023 | 15 days to the Minister or head of the health authority |
| SHA | Accountability, medical practice and grievance committees under Resolution No. 29 of 2025 | Ask in writing; work to 15 days until told otherwise |
Whichever authority holds the file, you have 30 days from notification to take a Medical Liability Committee report to the Supreme Committee of Medical Liability. The complaints and investigations guide explains each stage, and the DHA, DOH, MOHAP and SHA pages cover each authority.
What a decision can contain
Allied professionals share the federal scale in Article 13 of Federal Law No. 6 of 2023: a written reprimand, a written notice, a fine of AED 1,000 to 50,000, temporary suspension of up to six months, partial revocation, or revocation with removal from the register. Partial revocation matters for allied titles, because it can remove one area of practice, such as a modality or a patient group, while leaving the rest of your licence in place.
- Reapplying after revocation: the authority may make the new licence conditional on training about what led to the revocation, a new assessment of competence, a narrower scope or a fixed period of direct supervision (Cabinet Resolution No. 176 of 2025, Article 11).
- Licence refusal, revocation or non-renewal: a grievance within 15 days, decided within 30 (Article 6).
- In Dubai: the Medical Practices Committee can order training to a deadline, up to a year of supervised practice and a reassessment, and failing to remedy a violation within the time set is a new violation.
No penalty may be imposed without hearing you, so treat any invitation to be heard as the key date.
A reflection that fits allied practice
Allied reflections are often too technical or too general. Write for a reader who may not share your profession:
- The setting and your role, including your licence title.
- What happened, taken from your notes or the incident report.
- Where your part lay, separating it from the system around you.
- The standard that applied: licensed scope, consent, the third-party rule or accurate records.
- What changed in your thinking, linked to a specific course lesson.
- What you now do, and who confirms it.
For example, a physiotherapist in a Dubai clinic whose patient complained about a soft-tissue technique near the hip might write that he now explains every technique and the area involved before starting, asks whether the patient would like a chaperone and records the answer, and has asked his clinical lead to observe two sessions. Ask your manager or insurer to review it before it goes to an authority.
What a strong reflective statement looks like for allied health professionals
The reader of an allied professional's statement often does not share your profession. A committee may be made up mostly of physicians, and an HR panel may include no clinicians at all. A strong statement therefore passes a simple test: could an intelligent reader from outside your field explain, after one reading, what went wrong, what your part was and what you now do?
Three questions to ask of each paragraph
- Have I named my title and setting? "As a speech and language therapist on a stroke unit" tells the reader which rules apply before they reach the facts.
- Would a non-specialist understand the key term? If not, add a short plain explanation in brackets, or leave the term out.
- Can someone else confirm the change? A new handover step, a signed audit or an observed session can be checked; good intentions cannot.
An illustrative excerpt
An invented example for illustration, not a real case. A speech and language therapist in a Dubai hospital, whose swallowing recommendation did not reach the ward before a meal was served, might write:
"I assessed the patient at 11:00 and found that he needed thickened fluids and a soft diet. I wrote my recommendation in the therapy notes but did not tell the nurse in charge in person or check that the diet order had changed. At lunch he was given a standard meal and coughed and choked; the nurse stopped the meal and he was reviewed by the medical team. He was frightened, and his wife was very distressed. I now tell the nurse in charge face to face after every swallowing assessment, confirm that the diet order has been updated in the electronic record before I leave the ward, and note both steps in my entry. My clinical lead has reviewed 20 of my recent assessments to confirm that the new steps are recorded."
Mistakes common in allied statements
- Technical detail that hides the point: three paragraphs on assessment scales before the reader learns what happened to the patient.
- Claiming supervision or delegation that is not written down anywhere.
- Describing the department's shortcomings at length; mention system factors briefly and return to your own part.
- Small identifying details, such as a rare condition and a ward name together, that make the patient recognisable.
- Leaving out your licence title, so the reader cannot judge whether the task was within your scope.
Showing change your manager can confirm
- A scope check: a written note, agreed with your manager, of the activities your licence title covers and those it does not.
- A chaperone and consent record for a period of sessions, showing the new habit in use.
- An audit of your notes against the billing or the department's documentation standard, done by someone else.
- A supervision log if supervised practice was required, dated and countersigned.
- Patient feedback collected through your facility's normal process.
- Certificates and reflective accounts, each showing title, CPD hours and date.
If the authority has ordered training, follow its decision exactly. Your licensing authority decides how any learning counts towards your CPD or a requirement it has set.
A 4-week remediation plan for allied health professionals
The six core courses total 16 CPD hours, roughly four hours a week over a month. Allied professionals often work across sites or in small teams, so agree the plan with your head of department at the start; if an authority decision has already set training or supervision terms, those terms govern the timetable.
Week 1: understand the notice
Take Facing a Licensing Investigation: The Core Remediation Course. Confirm in writing which body has opened the file and what it says the concern is, and note the date you received the notice. Secure your treatment notes, images, sample logs or session records exactly as they stand. Contact the facility's liability insurer and tell your manager what you have received.
Week 2: test your scope
Take Ethics and Professional Conduct for Allied Health Professionals. List every technique and activity you performed in the month before the concern and set each against the licence title the authority issued you and the privileges your facility has granted. Ask your head of department to confirm the list in writing, and mark anything that needs further training or supervision before you use it again.
Week 3: look at how you work with others
Take Professionalism in Practice for UAE Health Professionals and Insight: Understanding and Showing It After a Concern. Arrange for a senior colleague in your own profession to observe two sessions or review a sample of your notes, and ask for written feedback. If the concern involved an assistant or student, write down who may do which tasks in your service.
Week 4: write it down and look ahead
Take Reflective Practice and Written Reflections and Building a Remediation Plan After a Concern. Write the full statement and a reflective account for each course. Turn each change into an objective with a date and a named checker, and ask your manager to read the statement before it goes to the authority.
Fees for allied professionals
Prices follow CPD hours: AED 239 for two hours, AED 289 for three hours and AED 329 for the four-hour core course. Buying together lowers the total: AED 120 off three or more courses, AED 180 off five or more and AED 300 off ten or more.
| For | Courses | Price | After discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| A boundaries or chaperone complaint | Allied ethics, Professional Boundaries, Reflective Practice | AED 767 | AED 647 |
| A notes or claims query | Allied ethics, Record Keeping, Probity, Insurance Billing | AED 1,006 | AED 886 |
| A formal investigation | The six core courses | AED 1,624 | AED 1,444 |
Every course is online and self-paced, with 12 months' access on any device, knowledge checks and UAE case studies. Each ends with a 20-question scenario-based assessment (30 questions in the 4-hour core investigation course) needing 16 correct answers, a certificate of completion and a structured reflective account.
Renewal, gaps in practice and CPD
Allied professionals need 10 CPD points a year of licence with the DHA and 20 credits per two-year licence with the DOH; MOHAP lists 10 hours for medical and dental technicians, and DHCR asks 30 points per renewal for a specialist and 20 for an assistant or technician. If a case keeps you out of practice, two rules matter: a licence is revoked after six consecutive months of unjustified inactivity (Cabinet Resolution No. 176 of 2025, Article 10), and the PQR applies retraining requirements to a gap in clinical practice of more than three years.
Your licensing authority decides how any learning counts towards your CPD or a requirement it has set. Each certificate shows the estimated learning time and date for your portfolio.
Start with the allied health ethics course
Begin with Ethics and Professional Conduct for Allied Health Professionals, then add the courses that match your profession and the concern in your letter.
Questions
Which law covers allied health professionals in the UAE?
Federal Law No. 6 of 2023 on the practice of medical professions by persons other than physicians and pharmacists, with its Executive Regulations in Cabinet Resolution No. 176 of 2025. In Dubai, Resolution No. 49 of 2024 also applies, and in Abu Dhabi the DOH can act under Abu Dhabi Law No. 10 of 2018.
Can a Medical Liability Committee review an allied professional?
Yes. Article 37 of Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 extends the physician's liabilities to other health professionals as far as they can apply, and a committee can assign a share of responsibility to each person who contributed to the harm.
What is partial revocation?
One of the penalties in Article 13 of Federal Law No. 6 of 2023. It removes part of what your licence allows, rather than the whole licence. The decision should say exactly what is removed and whether conditions apply to getting it back.
Which courses should a physiotherapist take after a boundaries complaint?
Ethics and Professional Conduct for Allied Health Professionals, Professional Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues, and Informed Consent and Chaperones. Your reflection should describe how you now explain techniques, offer a chaperone and record consent.
I am a radiographer. Does the consent rule really apply to scans?
In Abu Dhabi, the DOH Patient Consent Standard lists CT and MRI among the interventions needing written consent. Other authorities expect informed consent before any examination or procedure. Check your department's consent policy against your authority's standard.
My manager told me to do a task outside my licence. Am I still responsible?
Yes. Working within the scope of your licence is your own statutory duty under Article 8 of Federal Law No. 6 of 2023. Decline, explain why and escalate through the proper channel. A manager's instruction can be part of the context, not a defence.
How long do I have to challenge a penalty?
Fifteen days under Article 14 of Federal Law No. 6 of 2023, to the Minister or the head of the health authority. Against a DHA decision it is 30 days to the Director General; under Abu Dhabi Law No. 10 of 2018 it is 60 days. Read the decision for the provision it relies on.
Can I work at a second clinic while my case is open?
Only if your licence and permits allow it and you are not suspended. Do not practise anywhere while suspended, including as a locum. If you are unsure, ask the licensing authority in writing.
What happens if I reapply after my licence is revoked?
Under Article 11 of Cabinet Resolution No. 176 of 2025, you may reapply once the grounds have ceased, and the authority can require training on the causes of revocation, reassessment, a restricted scope or supervised practice for a set period.
Do these courses cover my specific profession?
The allied ethics course uses cases from physiotherapy, imaging, laboratory work, therapy and other allied roles, and the topic courses apply to every licensed profession. Choose the topic that matches the allegation rather than the one closest to your job title.
Will my learning count for renewal?
Your licensing authority decides how any learning counts towards your CPD or a requirement it has set. Each certificate shows the estimated learning time and date so you can record it in your portfolio.
Should I stop seeing the patient who complained?
Discuss it with your manager. Continuing care can be difficult for both sides while a complaint is open, and many facilities arrange for another professional to take over. Record the decision and the handover.
Official sources
Checked October 2026. Rules and processes change, so confirm the current position with the official source. This page is general information, not legal advice.
- Federal Law No. 6 of 2023 on the Practice of Some Medical Professions by Persons Other Than Physicians and Pharmacists
- Cabinet Resolution No. 176 of 2025, Executive Regulations of Federal Law No. 6 of 2023
- Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 Concerning Medical Liability
- Cabinet Resolution No. 40 of 2019, Executive Regulations of the Medical Liability Decree-Law
- Cabinet Resolution No. 14 of 2020 Concerning the Supreme Committee of Medical Liability
- Cabinet Resolution No. 20 of 2017 adopting the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements
- Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 on the Use of ICT in Health Fields
- Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 49 of 2024 Regulating the Practice of Health Professions
- DHA Standards for Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Health Professionals, Version 1
- DHA Fitness to Practice Policy 2025
- DOH Patient Consent Standard
- DOH service: Investigation Request for Medical Error
- DOH news: healthcare facilities disciplined over health insurance violations (December 2017)
- DOH Encyclopedia of Health Legislation, Book 1 (includes Abu Dhabi Law No. 10 of 2018)
- MOHAP service: Complaints about private health facilities and their medical staff
- Sharjah Executive Council: resolution regulating health activities and professions
How these courses are built
Official sources only
Every legal and regulatory point comes from primary sources: UAE federal health laws, the licensing authorities' codes, standards and policies, and official government guidance. Anything we cannot confirm is left out.
Original, edition by edition
Lessons, scenarios and assessment questions are written by us for each edition separately, then checked for accuracy, teaching quality and fair assessment before publication.
Reviewed when rules change
When a code, standard or law changes, the affected courses are reviewed and updated. Reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.