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Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
Australia
v5th edition (current edition at build; the RACGP publishes interpretive updates on its website)
17 domains
44 controls
The RACGP's 5th edition Standards for general practices, the accreditation benchmark for Australian general practice: 44 Criteria across the Core, Quality improvement and General practice modules covering patient communication and rights, practice governance, preventive and clinical care, information management and records, quality improvement, clinical indicators and risk, access and after-hours care, comprehensive care and follow-up, clinician qualifications, infection prevention and sterilisation, facilities and equipment, and vaccine cold chain.
Verified
Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) is a compliance framework from Australia with 17 domains and 44 controls. The largest domains are Core Standard 3 Practice governance and management – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) (6 controls), Core Standard 1 Communication and patient participation – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) (5 controls), Core Standard 6 Information management – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) (4 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.
Maintained by Gerard Blokdyk
Framework summaries on this platform are interpretations grounded in the published source, for educational and compliance planning purposes. They do not reproduce or replace the official standards. Refer to the authoritative source for the definitive text. Framework names and trademarks belong to their respective organisations.
Framework Domains (17)
Core Standard 1 Communication and patient participation – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
5 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C1.1 | Information about your practice: patients can find current details of the practice, at minimum its address and phone numbers, its consulting hours, how care is arranged when the practice is closed, the billing approach, how to give feedback or complain, and how the practice handles personal health information |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C1.2 | Telephone and electronic communications: the practice has a system for handling phone calls, voice messages and electronic messages from patients, including who answers, how urgent matters are escalated to a clinician, how messages are logged and actioned, and what patients are told about response times and the risks of email |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C1.3 | Informed patient decisions: patients are told the purpose, importance, benefits and risks of proposed investigations, referrals and treatments, and are given information that helps them understand their diagnosis and manage their condition |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C1.4 | Interpreter and other communication services: the practice makes an effort to use an interpreter for patients who do not speak the team's primary language and appropriate communication services for patients with a communication impairment, and offers resources that are culturally appropriate, translated or in plain English |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C1.5 | Costs associated with care: patients are told what they will pay out of pocket for care at the practice and warned that referred services may carry costs of their own |
Core Standard 2 Rights and needs of patients – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
3 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C2.1 | Respectful and culturally appropriate care: care takes account of each patient's rights, beliefs and religious and cultural background; patients are told the risks of declining a treatment, advice or procedure; the practice accepts a patient's right to another opinion; distressed patients are given privacy; and the clinical team has a way of working through ethical dilemmas |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C2.2 | Presence of a third party during a consultation: the practice seeks and records the patient's prior consent whenever it brings a third party such as a student, observer or interpreter into a consultation |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C2.3 | Accessibility of services: patients with disabilities or special needs can get into and use the practice's services, through physical access, communication aids, flexible consultation arrangements and reasonable adjustments |
Core Standard 3 Practice governance and management – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
6 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C3.1 | Business operation systems: the practice sets goals to improve its services and reviews its progress toward them, runs a business risk management system that identifies, monitors and reduces risks, and has a complaints resolution process |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C3.2 | Accountability and responsibility: every team member understands their role, has performance discussions, and is inducted into the practice's systems; one team member leads risk management and one coordinates complaint resolution |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C3.3 | Emergency response plan: the practice has a plan for unexpected events such as natural disasters, pandemics, power or IT failure and the unplanned absence of clinicians, covering how care continues and how the team and patients are kept informed |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C3.4 | Practice communication and teamwork: the team can raise administrative matters with the principals, directors, management or owners when needed, all members are encouraged to contribute, and the clinical team discusses clinical issues and the systems that support care |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C3.5 | Work health and safety: the practice supports the safety, health and wellbeing of its team, and encourages team members to obtain the immunisations the Australian Immunisation Handbook recommends for their duties and immunisation status |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C3.6 | Research: any research the practice conducts has ethics committee approval and indemnity proportionate to its risk, and identified patient information is passed to a third party for quality improvement or professional development only with the patient's consent |
Core Standard 4 Health promotion and preventive care – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
1 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C4.1 | Health promotion and preventive care: patients receive information on health promotion, illness prevention and preventive care that is tailored to them, drawing on the RACGP Red Book and the practice's knowledge of its population |
Core Standard 5 Clinical management of health issues – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
3 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C5.1 | Diagnosis and management of health issues: the clinical team can reach current clinical and other guidelines that help diagnose and manage patients, and the practice supports consistency in diagnosis and management across its clinicians |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C5.2 | Clinical autonomy for practitioners: clinicians can make decisions affecting clinical care to the full scope of their practice, skills and knowledge, free from commercial or managerial pressure |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C5.3 | Clinical handover: the practice manages the transfer of responsibility for a patient's care, both between its own clinicians and to external providers, so that the information needed for safe continuing care travels with the patient |
Core Standard 6 Information management – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
4 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C6.1 | Patient identification: the practice uses at least three approved identifiers, such as name, date of birth, address, gender or a healthcare identifier, to match patients to their clinical information at every point where a mix-up could cause harm |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C6.2 | Patient health record systems: the practice has a system for managing patient health information and, if it runs a hybrid paper and electronic system, records every consultation or interaction in each system with a note of where the clinical notes are kept |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C6.3 | Confidentiality and privacy of health information: patients are told how the practice manages their personal health information and how to access it; the practice transfers information in response to valid requests in a timely, authorised and secure way; and only authorised team members can reach health records, prescription pads and other official documents |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C6.4 | Information security: a team member is responsible for electronic systems and computer security; personal health information is never left where the public could see it; clinical software is reached only through unique individual passwords matched to each person's authorisation; and the practice has a business continuity and information recovery plan, procedures for storing, retaining and destroying records, and policies on email and on social media |
Core Standard 7 Content of patient health records – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
1 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C7.1 | Content of patient health records: each patient has one record holding all the practice's health information about them; active records contain identification, contact, demographic, next of kin and emergency contact details, consultation notes and clinical communications, evidence that earlier issues were followed up, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, cultural background where relevant, and lifestyle risk factors |
Core Standard 8 Education and training of non-clinical staff – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
1 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::C8.1 | Education and training of non-clinical staff: non-clinical staff complete training suited to their role and the practice's patient population, and complete cardiopulmonary resuscitation training at least every three years |
General Practice Standard 1 Access to care – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
3 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP1.1 | Responsive system for patient care: the practice offers different consultation types to match patients' needs, runs a triage system so urgent needs are recognised and prioritised, and its recorded phone message tells callers to ring 000 in an emergency |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP1.2 | Home and other visits: patients can obtain visits at home, in residential aged care or elsewhere when a visit is safe and clinically reasonable, either from the practice or through an arrangement it makes |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP1.3 | Care outside of normal opening hours: patients are told how to obtain after-hours care, and they can access it, whether the practice provides it, shares it with other practices or formally arranges a medical deputising service |
General Practice Standard 2 Comprehensive care – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
4 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP2.1 | Continuous and comprehensive care: patients can ask for their preferred practitioner, and the practice provides continuity of care and comprehensive care across the range of a patient's health needs over time |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP2.2 | Follow-up systems: incoming pathology, imaging, investigation reports and clinical correspondence are reviewed and notated or signed, with action recorded; patients with clinically significant results are recalled; patients are told the practice's follow-up process; the practice runs patient reminders; and high-risk results arriving outside opening hours are managed |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP2.3 | Engaging with other services: the practice collaborates with other health services to deliver comprehensive care, and its referral letters are legible and contain the information the receiving provider needs |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP2.4 | Transfer of care and the patient-practitioner relationship: the practice transfers care to another practitioner, inside or outside the practice, when the patient asks, and facilitates the transfer when the practitioner asks to end the relationship, in a way that keeps the patient safe |
General Practice Standard 3 Qualifications of our clinical team – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
1 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP3.1 | Qualifications, education and training of the clinical team: clinicians hold current national registration where applicable and accreditation with their professional body and take part in relevant continuing professional development; GPs are vocationally registered, on a pathway to Fellowship or registrars under appropriate supervision; and the clinical team is trained in the equipment they use and aware of its risks |
General Practice Standard 4 Infection prevention and control – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
1 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP4.1 | Infection prevention and control, including sterilisation: a clinical team member leads infection prevention and the supply of sterile equipment; the practice has a written practice-specific infection control policy and a team member who educates the team; everyone manages cross-infection risk through hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, safe handling of sharps and waste, triage of infectious patients and environmental cleaning; patients are told about respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene; and when sterile items are used the sterilisation load number is recorded in the patient's record with the patient's name logged against the load |
General Practice Standard 5 Practice facilities – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
3 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP5.1 | Practice facilities: the premises are fit for purpose; every face-to-face consultation happens in a dedicated consultation or examination space that protects privacy and confidentiality; the waiting area accommodates the usual number of people; toilets and hand-cleaning facilities are available; and the practice is visibly clean |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP5.2 | Practice equipment: the practice holds the equipment for comprehensive primary care and emergency resuscitation, including the items the Standards list such as an auriscope, peak flow meter, blood glucose monitor, PPE, oxygen and airway equipment; maintains clinical equipment as manufacturers recommend; has one or more height-adjustable beds; has timely access to a spirometer and an electrocardiograph; and has a defibrillator |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP5.3 | Doctor's bag: each GP has access to a fully equipped doctor's bag for routine visits and emergency care, containing the items the Standards list, with medicines in date and the bag secured |
General Practice Standard 6 Vaccine potency – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
1 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::GP6.1 | Maintaining vaccine potency: a team member leads cold chain management, ensures the process complies with the current National Vaccine Storage Guidelines Strive for 5, and reviews ordering, stock rotation, equipment maintenance, temperature monitoring and the response to breaches; the practice has a written practice-specific cold chain policy |
Quality Improvement Standard 1 Quality improvement – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
3 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::QI1.1 | Quality improvement activities: a team member leads the practice's quality improvement systems, the team shares information about quality improvement and patient safety, the practice seeks the team's feedback on those systems, and the team can point to areas improved in the last three years |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::QI1.2 | Patient feedback: the practice collects feedback from patients, carers and other relevant parties by a method consistent with the RACGP Patient feedback guide, analyses and responds to it, and tells patients how feedback was used to improve quality |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::QI1.3 | Improving clinical care: the team codes clinical information with a nationally recognised medical vocabulary, and the practice uses its patient and practice data to improve clinical care, for example in chronic disease management and preventive health |
Quality Improvement Standard 2 Clinical indicators – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
2 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::QI2.1 | Health summaries: every active patient's record holds a record of their known allergies and a current health summary including, where relevant, adverse drug reactions, current medicines, current health problems, relevant past history, immunisations, family history and social history |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::QI2.2 | Safe and quality use of medicines: patients are told the purpose, importance, benefits and risks of their medicines and treatments and made aware of their own role; the clinical team uses current medicines information and reviews its prescribing patterns against evidence; patients and the providers they are referred to receive an accurate current medicines list; and medicines, samples and consumables are acquired, stored, administered, supplied and disposed of as manufacturers and the law require |
Quality Improvement Standard 3 Clinical risk management – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)
2 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::QI3.1 | Managing clinical risks: the practice monitors, identifies and reports near misses and adverse events in clinical care, and the team improves its clinical risk management systems to prevent them recurring |
| australia-racgp-standards-for-general-practices-5th-edition::QI3.2 | Open disclosure: when a patient is harmed by their care the practice follows an open disclosure process consistent with the Australian Open Disclosure Framework, acknowledging what happened, apologising, explaining and setting out what will be done |
What is Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) and who does it apply to?
Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) is a compliance framework from Australia with 17 domains and 44 controls. The RACGP's 5th edition Standards for general practices, the accreditation benchmark for Australian general practice: 44 Criteria across the Core, Quality improvement and General practice modules covering patient communication and rights, practice governance, preventive and clinical care, information management and records, quality improvement, clinical indicators and risk, access and after-hours care, comprehensive care and follow-up, clinician qualifications, infection prevention and sterilisation, facilities and equipment, and vaccine cold chain. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
What does Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) actually require?
Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) has 44 controls organised across 17 domains. The largest domains are Core Standard 3 Practice governance and management – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) (6 controls), Core Standard 1 Communication and patient participation – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) (5 controls), Core Standard 6 Information management – Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) (4 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.
If I already comply with another framework, how much of Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) do I already cover?
Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) does not currently have cross-framework mappings in our system. Check back as we continuously expand our mapping database.
How do I implement Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition)?
Start your Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about Australia RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th edition) requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 44 controls and track your progress.
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