Accreditation
Accreditation is the assessment of a general practice against the requirements outlined in the Standards of General Practice written and published by the Royal Australian College of General Practice (RACGP) 5th Edition Standards The Standards of General Practice are considered the benchmark for Australian practices.
Please note the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care had announced the recommencement of accreditation site visits for general practices with a low risk of COVID-19 transmission from 26 October 2020.
Accredited general practices will have 12 months added to their current accreditation expiry date. Any payments received from Services Australia as part of the Practice Incentives Program (PIP) and Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) will automatically continue.
Practices are therefore not required to contact Services Australia or submit revised accreditation certificates to continue receiving PIP and WIP payment(s).
Central and Eastern Sydney PHN offers support for general practices going through accreditation process including:
- Providing advice and support on meeting and understanding the RACGP accreditation standards
- Provision of templates and resources
- Advising on key aspects of accreditation including infection control, sterilisation and cold chain management supplying resources
- Delivering mock accreditation visits prior to a practice’s survey visit
- Facilitating on-site training sessions for health professionals and administration staff
What does the Accreditation Process Involve?
Whether your practice is seeking accreditation for the first time or more, we are able to tailor support to help you through the whole accreditation process that involves the following:
There are five accreditation bodies for general practice.
AGPAL - Australian General Practices Accreditation Limited |
![]() |
Suite 4.07 32 Delhi Road, North Ryde NSW 2113 Ph: 1300 766 509/02 9886 0222 Email: Health@Global-Mark.com.au Website: www.global-mark.com |
![]() |
95-97 Sheridan Street, Gundagai NSW 2722 Ph: 1800 188 088 Email: info@gpa.net.au Website: www.gpa.net.au |
![]() |
5 Macarthur Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 Ph:02 9281 9955 Email: achs@achs.org.au Website: www.achs.org.au/ |
![]() |
PO Box 5582, West End QLD 4101 |
![]() |
There are many benefits to accreditation, including:
- The framework to focus on quality care and risk management
- Access to the Commonwealth’s financial incentives programs - Practice Incentives Program (PIP) and Workforce Incentive Program (WIP)
- RACGP QI&CPD points (Category 2)
- Increased recognition from insurance providers
- Reduced risks in service delivery
- Improved practice efficiency
- Improved patient safety and health outcomes
- Ensures the practice complies with regulatory requirements and national standards
ALLOW TIME. Start planning your accreditation at least 12-18 months ahead of the current accreditation expiry date.
- Register for an accreditation agency pay invoice which will give you access to your accreditation agency’s online self-assessment portal to manage your accreditation.
- Obtain a copy of the 5th Edition standards and look through what is required
- Start talking to your practice about the upcoming accreditation process including this in team meetings
- Start preparation for accreditation including starting the self-assessment and identify gaps.
- Engage with your Practice Support officer for assistance in reviewing current situation and identifying gaps – PHN meeting #1
- Continue the self-assessment, develop a priority task list and delegate tasks amongst practice team including, clinical and non-clinical aspects.
- Update all documentation/processes/procedures and create any new required for new indicators. Upload to self-assessment.
- Review Progress with PHN meeting #2
- Commence a validated patient feedback activity (usually a survey) if not already done. See RACGP Patient Feedback Guide for 5th Edition standards
- Survey preparedness/ Mock survey (this is normally conducted at least 4 weeks before the survey date. PHN meeting #3
- Survey Date. The visit takes approximately four hours for small practices, and a full day for large practices. At the end of the survey visit, the practice will be provided with information about the assessment, including any areas that need to be addressed.
- RACGP – Standards for General Practice 5th edition and resources
- RACGP – Standards for after-hours services and medical deputising services
- RACGP – Patient feedback guide: learning from our patients
- Options for collecting feedback about patient’s experiences
- RACGP – Computer Information Security Standards, guidelines, and workbook
- RACGP – Infection prevention and control standards 5th edition
- RACGP – Information Security in General Practice
- RACGP – Managing emergencies and pandemics in general practice
- RACGP- General Practice Management
- The RACGP the Guidelines for preventive activities in general practice 9th edition (Red book)
- Guidelines to work with patients on the lifestyle risk factors of smoking, nutrition, alcohol and physical activity (SNAP)
- Australian Prescriber- NPS Medicinewise
- Heart Foundation