Accreditation

Accreditation provides assurances to the community that a general practice meets expected standards for safety and quality via a formal program, in which trained independent reviewers assess a general practice’s implementation of the RACGP Standards for general practices.

National General Practice Accreditation Scheme (NGPA)

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care is responsible for managing a number of national accreditation schemes, including the National General Practice Accreditation (NGPA) Scheme. General practices participating in the NGPA Scheme are assessed against the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards for general practices (5th edition) and the RACGP Standards for point-of-care testing (5th edition). 

Achieving and maintaining accreditation is a key requirement for access to the Department of Health’s programs such as Practice Incentives Program (PIP), Workplace Incentive Program (WIP) – Practice Stream and MyMedicare.

General practices will need to commence coordination of assessment processes between 12 to 18 months from its accreditation expiry date. An accreditation cycle is generally three years, with an assessment occurring before the end of each three-year cycle.  The accreditation flow chart for the NGPA Scheme can be found here.

RACGP Standards for General Practice (6th ed) 

Brisbane North PHN has released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) resource relating to the upcoming release of the 6th Edition Standards. 

The Frequently Asked Questions document (FAQs) highlights expected changes, anticipated implementation timelines and key areas where further clarification may be needed, including accreditation evidence, environmental sustainability, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and privacy and security requirements.  

This resource helps practices understand requirements, plan ahead and access further guidance in preparation for the release of the RACGP 6th ed Standards for General Practice.

Exemptions for non-traditional practices

The RACGP Interpretative guide for non-traditional general practices for the purposes of accreditation provides general practices and accreditation assessors information to understand how the RACGP 5th Edition standards apply to general practices previously not eligible for accreditation. The interpretive guide outlines how indicators in the standards may apply differently or may not be relevant to non-traditional practices and those without a physical clinic premises.

Whilst MyMedicare, and the General Practice in Aged Care Incentive require a practice to be accredited. The accreditation exemption for non-traditional practices choosing to participate in MyMedicare has been extended from 30 June 2025 until 31 December 2026. The accreditation exemption is available to non-accredited practices (including sole providers) who deliver general practice services entirely through mobile and outreach models: 

• in rural settings
• in residential aged care
• in disability residential settings
• to First Nations Australians
• to people experiencing homelessness 

This exemption aims to support non-accredited practices in considering their accreditation options under the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme. 

Non-traditional practices do not need to indicate their intention to become accredited to register and participate during the exemption period. Follow the links below to:

1. Register your organisation with Services Australia, and
2. Register for the General Practice in Aged Care Incentive

Get support

Accreditation providers have dedicated support and resources including fact sheets, templates and webinars. They can provide personalised support and guide you through every step of your accreditation journey. 

AGPAL offer training and webinar resources via their website. Quality Practice Accreditation (QPA) webinars and resources can also be found online.

The Brisbane North PHN has a newly developed support model for General Practice Accreditation. All general practices in the North Brisbane and Moreton Bay region have access to our GP Accreditation support such as:

• Telephone/email support via the Practice Support
• Accreditation newsletter updates via Practice Link
• Dedicated accreditation webpage
• Accreditation webinars
• Networking events on the topic of accreditation

In addition, access to official resources will be regularly updated and made available via the Practice Support website to assist practices undertaking accreditation for the first time or undergoing re-accreditation.

The PHN works closely in partnership with the Accreditation agencies and will be hosting a networking event in 2026 on the RACGP 6th ed standards.