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Changes in the works for general practice accreditation
GPs are being encouraged to give their feedback on proposed changes to the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme.
The Commission’s public consultation is open until Friday 4 April.
The process general practices undergo to attain accreditation under the National General Practice Accreditation (NGPA) Scheme could be set to change.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) has drafted two changes to the accreditation cycle and assessment process, with public consultation on the options opening on 24 February.
As it stands, the current accreditation process involves a routine assessment against all relevant indicators of the RACGP Standards for general practices (the Standards) at the beginning of the accreditation cycle.
The assessment is conducted on-site, and practices receive prior notice, scheduled at least four months before a practice’s accreditation expiry.
Practices that are found to be fully compliant are awarded accreditation for three years and are expected to maintain this compliance until the next cycle.
As part of its consulation process, the Commission has put forward two potential changes:
- An extended accreditation cycle with at least one mid-point review
- A short notice assessment (SNA)
Under the proposed cycle extension, the cycle would be increased to four or more years. While it would still involve an announced routine assessment on-site, there would also be at least one mid-point review. This would provide insight into how the practice is meeting the Standards in preparation for the subsequent assessment.
The second proposed option would see the notice practices receive ahead of their on-site assessment reduced, down from at least four months prior, to up to one month during the accreditation cycle.
The assessment would have to take place at least six months after the last routine assessment, and four months before accreditation expiry.
‘SNAs would transfer the focus from preparing for an announced assessment, which become a managed event, to embedding and maintaining safety and quality requirements and an assessment of daily operations,’ the Commission says.
The proposed changes are in response to the Department of Health and Aged Care’s 2021
review of the general practice accreditation arrangements.
Dr Louise Acland, Chair of the RACGP Expert Committee – Standards for General Practices, told
newsGP the college has been heavily involved in the consultation process.
‘In 2024, I and members of the RACGP Standards Team, made submissions and met with ACSQHC representatives on a number of occasions to consider possible options for modernising the accreditation process,’ she said.
‘I also presented possible new models of accreditation proposed by the college to the ACSQHC General Practice Accreditation Co-ordinating Committee.
‘Of the various models considered by the Commission, the proposed options provide reasonable points of difference for GP practices to consider. While the short notice option is based on the model in place for hospital accreditation, it is one of several options that have been suggested by the college to the Commission. The college is also supportive of a lengthening of the accreditation cycle.’
Dr Acland said there is no denying the accreditation process ‘needs to change’.
‘The current model, based around an accreditation visit once every three years, places a high workload burden on practices leading up to the visit, and does not promote a culture of continuous quality improvement,’ she said.
‘The Standards for general practices represent the daily lived experience of general practice with GPs providing safe high-quality care. Accreditation should not require additional burdensome preparation.’
These concerns were also expressed in the feedback provided by general practices during the consultation process, with the following emerging as the main issues associated with the accreditation process:
- Administrative burden – accreditation-related activities are often condensed into a short period of time, amplifying the administrative burden
- Staff shortages and changes – this results in loss of corporate knowledge of accreditation processes, timelines, and requirements
- Pressure to meet deadlines – accreditation can be viewed as a tick-box activity rather than a reliable safety and quality assurance mechanism
This is the first reform of the NGPA Scheme since 2017.
Dr Acland encouraged all GPs and practices to consider taking part in the consultation process.
‘The chance to participate being offered by the ACSQHC provides a rare opportunity for our GPs to influence the future of general practice accreditation,’ she said.
‘I strongly encourage all GP members, not just practice owners, to take part in this short survey.’
The Commission’s public consultation is open until Friday 4 April. For more information and to contribute, visit the Commission’s website.
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