Background

In the early 1990's it was proposed by governement and professional organisations that an independent and voluntary system of practice accreditation be established to promote quality care in general practices.

Continuous quality improvement acknowldges the need for primary health care providers to continually improve, upgrase and monitor services the practice provides to ultimately produce better heath outcomes for patients.

General Practices are assessed for accreditation against the RACGP Standards for General Practices.  Since 1 January 2006, all practices registering for accreditation have been assessed against the 4th Edition Standards.

Accreditation bodies

There are two recognised accreditation bodies in Australia that practices may choose to register with for accreditation.

• AGPAL (Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited)
• GPA (General Practice Accreditation)

Both organisations use a system of peer review, provide access to resources and charge a fee for registering.

Practice Incentive Program (PIP)

Accreditation is the entry point for the Australian Government Practice Incentive Program.  Practices can start accessing PIP payments once they have registered for accreditation. 

CWDGP Support

CWDGP can support your practice to undertake accreditation or re-accreditation as follows:

• A mock accreditation visit which is followed by a report of recommendations
• Sample policies, procedures and documents
• Assistance with self-assessment software
• Assistance with development of policies and procedures on a fee for service basis ($60 per hour)

Please contact your practice liaison officer should you require any assistance.