Module 8: Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards and Accreditation

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this module participants will have:

  • Increased awareness of the RACGP Standards
  • Increased understanding how nurses contribute to the standards for accreditation purposes
  • Knowledge of online resources to guide quality improvement.
Information provided in this module belongs to the RACGP www.racgp.org.au

Standards for General Practice

The principle aim of the RACGP Standards  for General Practice is assess and improve  care provided by practices and demonstrate the commitment General Practitioners have to high quality care for communities.

There are 15 broad standards which guide the practice to providing high quality care:

  • Standard 1.1  Access to care
  • Standard 1.2  Information about the practice
  • Standard 1.3  Health promotion and prevention of disease
  • Standard 1.4  Diagnosis and management of specific health problems
  • Standard 1.5  Continuity of care
  • Standard 1.6  Coordination of care
  • Standard 1.7  Content of patient health records
  • Standard 2.1  Collaborating with patients
  • Standard 3.1  Safety and quality
  • Standard 3.2  Education and training
  • Standard 4.1  Practice systems
  • Standard 4.2  Management of health information
  • Standard 5.1  Facilities and access
  • Standard 5.2  Equipment for comprehensive care
  • Standard 5.3  Clinical support processes
Criteria for each standard can be access via the following link www.racgp.org.au/standards

Accreditation powerpoint


The accreditation powerpoint provides useful background and will inform participants on the necessity for practice accreditation and the influence accreditation has on the Practice Incentive Payments (PIP).
 

Reflection

How does your scope of practice meet the criteria of the standards?  Can you identify 5 areas where a change in practice will improve meeting the criteria of standards which are currently not met by your practice?

Accreditation


Commitment to accreditation ensures the practice continually monitors services and improve service provision in a systematic and continuous approach. 

Accreditation against the RACGP Standards ensures the high quality care general practice want to deliver.

As practice nurses are a vital member of the general practice team, practice nurses should be part of the accreditation process and demonstrate commitment to the Standards by regularly reviewing their own practice and discussing improvement with other members of the general practice team.

Guidance on Accreditation

The following Accreditation organisations provide services which formally review general practices against the RACGP Standards and may be useful resources to contact for the improvement of practice standards:


 

 















 

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