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 four accreditation bodies for general practice. 

AGPAL - Australian General Practices Accreditation Limited Level 1, 65 Park Road (PO Box 2058) Milton QLD 4064 Ph: 1300 362 111 Fax: 1300 362 110 Email: info@qip.com.au  Website: www.qip.com.au
Global Mark Pty Ltd 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
QPA - Accreditation Plus 95-97 Sheridan Street, Gundagai NSW 2722 Ph: 1800 188 088 Fax: 1800 644 807 Email: info@gpa.net.au  Website: www.gpa.net.au
The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards 5 Macarthur Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 Ph:02 9281 9955 Email: achs@achs.org.au Website: www.achs.org.au/
Institute for Healthy Communities Australia Certification Pty Ltd PO Box 5582, West End QLD 4101 Ph:1800 035 033 Email: ihcac@ihcac.com.au Website: www.ihcac.com.au

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

ALLOW TIME. Start planning your accreditation at least 12-18 months ahead of the current accreditation expiry date.

1. 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.
2. Obtain a copy of the 5th Edition standards and look through what is required
3. Start talking to your practice about the upcoming accreditation process including this in team meetings
4. Start preparation for accreditation including starting the self-assessment and identify gaps.
5. Engage with your Practice Support officer for assistance in reviewing current situation and identifying gaps – PHN meeting #1
6. Continue the self-assessment, develop a priority task list and delegate tasks amongst practice team including, clinical and non-clinical aspects.
7. Update all documentation/processes/procedures and create any new required for new indicators. Upload to self-assessment.
8. Review Progress with PHN meeting #2
9. Commence a validated patient feedback activity (usually a survey) if not already done. See RACGP Patient Feedback Guide for 5th Edition standards
10. Survey preparedness/ Mock survey (this is normally conducted at least 4 weeks before the survey date. PHN meeting #3
11. 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.