A NSW health care regulator regrets not acting earlier against a doctor who sexually abused boys.
The state's regulators received allegations from 1992 about now convicted pedophile Dr John Phillip Rolleston sexually abusing boys - but he was not arrested until 2009.
The child abuse royal commission has criticised the NSW Medical Board and the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) for their handling of complaints against Dr Rolleston, who did not have appropriate conditions placed on his registration until mid-2009.
The Medical Council of NSW has apologised on behalf of the former NSW Medical Board, which it replaced in July 2010.
"The Medical Council acknowledges the suffering of young people at the hands of Dr Rolleston during the 1970s and regrets that the Board's processes did not result in earlier investigation and suspension of Dr Rolleston," a spokesperson said in a statement to AAP on Friday.
The HCCC has also apologised for its handling of complaints.
"Through the royal commission process, the Commission acknowledged and apologised for its shortcomings in handling these complaints and that more sensitivity should have been shown," a spokesperson said.
In its report released on Wednesday, the royal commission said medical practitioners' reporting obligations concerning historical child sex abuse are not well understood and further education and training is required.
The Medical Council spokesperson said the royal commission has greatly improved the awareness of the appropriate care of survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
The council had also extended its activities in the education of medical practitioners around the issue.
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