Support

General Practices obtain accreditation from an independent accreditation agency. The agency will be able to assist the process and provide support for requirements, the process usually takes 12-18 months. There are four accreditation agencies that general practices can choose from:

• AGPAL
• Global Mark
• Quality Practice Accreditation
• The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards

• Promotion of quality and safety of the standard of service provided to patients and the wider community
• Provides confidence to patients and/or consumers
• Reduction of business risk
• Education and engagement of staff in the provision of quality service
• The creation of a culture of quality
• A competitive advantage over practices/service providers who are not accredited
• Eligibility for access to the practice incentive program (PIP)
• QI and CPD points for each general practitioner participating in accreditation, and
• Compliance with regulatory requirements and national standards.

Country SA PHN Practice Support team provides support for practices undertaking accreditation for the first time, or for those undergoing re-accreditation. This support includes:

• Deciding on an 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. providing (capped) in-practice support to practices preparing for accreditation using the 5th Edition Standards
• Sourcing relevant resources, including templates and guidelines

• Royal Australian College of General Practice Practitioners (RACGP)
• Patient Feedback Guide RACGP Standards for General Practices 5th Edition
• Resource Guide RACGP Standards For General Practices 5th Ed
• FAQs RACGP Standards for General Practices 5th Ed
• RACGP Infection Prevention and Control Standards 5th Edition - What has changed

Country SA PHN provides sponsorship of the Emergency Response Planning Tool, a cloud-based system for Australian general practices, managed by Healthpoint ANZ and developed in collaboration with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)/. Funding goes towards creating customized plans for emergencies like pandemics, power outages, or natural disasters, ensuring business continuity and patient safety. It helps practices meet accreditation standards by providing templates for managing various risks, from cyberattacks to staff shortages. 

Maintaining an up-to-date emergency plan helps ensure the safety of your staff, the smooth recovery of your practice and reduces the risk of financial loss. To ensure business continuity, the ERPT provides suggested contingency measures for staff so that, in the event of an emergency, they will know how to respond for the benefit of patients, the wider community and the operation of their practice.

The critical information entered into the ERPT is used to create an emergency response plan which is individually tailored to your practice, providing a roadmap to recovering from emergencies.

The Country SA PHN Practice Support team provides support for practices undertaking accreditation for the first time, or for those undergoing re-accreditation. This support includes:

Purpose: Helping general practices prepare, respond to and recover from disruptions

Benefits: Ensures staff safety, practice recovery, meets accreditation, and reduces financial loss

Management: Managed by Healthpoint ANZ, often funded by Primary Health Networks (PHNs) for local practices

Access: An online tool accessible via browser, allowing plans to be saved and printed.

Features: The ERPT guides users through templates for specific risks such as:

• managing emergencies and disasters in general practice 
• the effects of a pandemic on the provision of healthcare services
• loss of power supply to the practice 
• disruption to water and gas supplies 
• disruption to telecommunications systems 
• loss of IT systems or data 
• loss of business records 
• complete or partial loss of practice premises 
• loss of medical supplies, equipment and furniture 
• loss or non–availability of key staff 
• dealing with patient aggression and violence

The RACGP Standards for general practices (5th edition) (the Standards) were launched on 26 October 2017. The Standards require practices to have a contingency plan for adverse and unexpected events such as natural disasters, pandemic diseases or the sudden, unexpected absence of clinical staff (refer to Criterion C3.3). The ERPT is one way that general practices can meet Criterion C3.3. The ERPT complies with 5th edition of the Standards.

The RACGP 6^th edition is expected to include information on broader operational risk/response planning. The edition release date is expected to be in April 202

For further information or support regarding the ERPT, contact the Healthpoint ANZ team on 1800 008 384 or via email at [email protected].