UPDATE
Accreditation - Responding to circumstances arising from COVID-19 pandemic
Accreditation in general practice was established to promote a culture of quality and safety in Australian general practices. General practices are assessed for accreditation against the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards for General Practice, which are considered the benchmark for high quality care.
Practice Support services
South Western Sydney PHN’s (SWSPHN) Practice Support team provides support for practices undertaking accreditation for the first time or for those undergoing re-accreditation. This support includes:
- Providing contact information for accrediting body
- Enabling the practice to plan and implement policies and procedures
- Providing feedback regarding the readiness for accreditation
- Providing templates and resources
- Demonstrating available resources - AGPAL “Hub” and QPA Connect Plus websites
To arrange a practice visit for accreditation support please contact your Practice Support Officer (PSO).
Benefits of accreditation
- Improve patient safety and overall health outcomes
- Reduce risk in practice
- Improve practice efficiency
- Build a culture of quality in the practice environment
- Develop staff skills and engaging the practice team in continuous quality improvement
- Access to financial incentives for general practice – Practice Incentives Program (PIP), Service Incentive Payments (SIP) and Workforce Incentive Program (WIP)
Organisations which provide general practice accreditation in Australia
There are currently three approved organisations general practices can choose from to gain accreditation against the Standards for General Practice:
AGPAL - Australian General Practice Accreditation Ltd
Phone: 1300 362 111
Email: info@qip.com.au
QPA - Quality Practice Accreditation
Phone: 1800 188 088 or 02 6944 4042
Email: info@qpa.health
ACHS - The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards
Phone: 02 9281 9955
Email: achs@ashs.org.au
RACGP Standards
Mapping of the 5th ed Indicators to 4th ed Indicators
RACGP 5th Standards - frequently asked questions
Patient feedback
Practices are required to collect feedback, analyse, consider, respond to feedback and inform patients, carers and other relevant parties about how they respond to feedback, for quality improvement.
The 5th Edition Standards does not specify the methods practices must use to collect patient feedback. Practices are strongly encouraged to consider which method best suits their practice and their patients.
Practices may choose to use an RACGP-approved commercial tool, use or modify the RACGP Toolkit for developing practice specific questionnaires, or develop a practice specific feedback mechanism where the practice has sufficiently skilled staff.
Please refer to RACGP patient feedback requirements for the 5th edition requirements and options for collecting feedback.
Regardless of which method, versions or tools used, practices must meet the requirements set out in the RACGP Patient feedback guide for general practices -5th edition.
Computer security
The RACGP Computer and Information Security Standards (CISS) and accompanying workbook provides guidance on the essential information needed to put in place effective computer and information security. The workbook, when completed by practice staff, will form part of the general practice’s policies and procedures manual.
The following templates are provided by the RACGP to assist general practice to meet legal obligations for information security and the requirements necessary for accreditation against the 5th Edition Standards:
Computer and Information Security Workbook (MSword)
RACGP Internet and email policy template
RACGP Confidential agreement template
Privacy of Health Information
General practice has a fundamental role in ensuring the privacy of patient health information. The below signage can also be displayed to inform patients about practice policy regarding management of their personal health information:
Privacy and Medical Records poster
Contingency plan
The RACGP standards require practices to have contingency plans for unusual events such as natural disasters, disease outbreak or the unexpected absence of key members of the clinical team which may disrupt patient care.
The RACGP has developed the online Emergency Response Planning Tool (ERPT) to assist general practices to create their customised emergency response plan. The plan can be saved online and/or printed as a hard copy resource, by completing a series of planning templates online. Call 1800 008 384 or email help@healthpointanz.com.au to find out more about costs involved.
Emergency Response Planning Tool registration form
Alternatively, practices can create their own contingency plan manually. Please contact your Practice Support Officer (PSO) for further support.
Infection control
It is essential GPs and practice staff implement policies and procedures which maintain and enhance public health and safety by ensuring the risk of the spread of infectious diseases is prevented or minimised.
All practice staff, including GPs, must undertake training in infection control based on the RACGP infection prevention and control 5th Edition Standards. Topics may cover:
- Importance of infection control
- How infection is spread
- Hand hygiene
- Standard precautions
- Transmission-based precautions (contact, droplet and airborne precautions)
- Safe management of sharps
- Waste management
- Management of blood and body fluid exposure
- Managing the practice physical environment
- Spills kit contents
Please see the online learning section below for the infection control training link.
Cold chain management
Practices should have a cold chain management system and procedures in place to ensure patients receive effective vaccinations and avoid legal implications.
All practice staff, including GPs, must undertake training in cold chain management based on The Australian Immunisation Handbook 10th Edition and the Strive For 5_3rd edition. Topics may cover:
- What is cold chain?
- Receiving vaccines
- Monitoring of vaccines and temperature recording
- Cold chain breach
- Action in the event of a cold chain breach
- Managing a power failure
- How to pack your purpose-built vaccine fridge
- Packing a vaccine esky
- Fridge maintenance
Please see the online learning section below for cold chain management training link.
Height adjustable bed
Under the RACGP’s 5th Edition Standards, practices are required to have access to at least one height adjustable bed.
This is to ensure disabled patients have easy, safe and dignified access to an examination bench and to ensure practitioners do not over exert themselves by treating patients on an examination bench which is too high.
For bed specifications, see the RACGP's Height Adjustable Bed fact sheet.
Service providers
The list below is provided by South Western Sydney Primary Health Network (SWSPHN) in good faith.
SWSPHN acts as a channel only in the advertising of available providers. SWSPHN has no direct affiliation, invested interests or dealings with any of the business on this list and is not responsible or able to validate claims of work experience or quality of their work.
We recommend you contact the individual or organisation for further information.