Why this matters for your practice
Triage is a required accreditation system today. Under the RACGP 5th edition Standards, which practices are still accredited against, indicator GP1.1B reads "Our practice has a triage system" and requires the practice to "prioritise patients according to urgency of need, and retain evidence of this". The 6th edition, published 26 August 2026, carries the same obligation at criterion PP9.A and expands it, most notably by requiring a named member of the clinical team with primary responsibility for triage training.
The word "triage" appears in two different places in the Standards, and practices regularly answer one thinking they have answered both. Prioritising patients who ask for care sits under PP9.A (6th edition) and GP1.1B (5th edition). Triage of returned pathology, imaging and specialist results sits under CG6 (6th edition) and GP2.2 (5th edition). A results follow-up policy satisfies the second and nothing under the first. The evidence a surveyor wants is retained, not assumed.
What is clinical triage in general practice?
Clinical triage in general practice is the process of prioritising patients by urgency of need at the point they ask for care. It happens wherever a patient first makes contact: at the front desk, on the telephone, and through online booking requests. The question it answers is who is seen first, how quickly, and by whom.
Who does it depends on where it happens. Reception staff can triage within the limits the practice's policy sets, and the 5th edition expressly contemplates training "so that administrative staff members and members of the clinical team can identify patients in need of urgent care". Practice nurses and GPs handle the clinical judgements. Clinical decisions about an individual patient remain the treating clinician's: a triage policy does not replace clinical judgement.
General practice does not use the hospital scale. The Australasian Triage Scale is the hospital emergency department instrument, and general practice sets its own urgency categories. Our Triage Policy and Protocol template uses a four-level practice access scale (Emergency, Urgent, Soon, Routine) with timeframes the practice itself sets, and a red-flag list the clinical lead reviews.
| Access triage | Results triage | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | Who is seen first, how quickly and by whom when a patient asks for care | What happens to a result once it returns, what urgency a clinician assigns, and the timeframe for contacting the patient |
| Where it happens | Reception, telephone, online booking | The results follow-up process inside the practice |
| Criterion (6th edition) | PP9.A | CG6 (Follow-up systems) |
| Indicator (5th edition) | GP1.1B | GP2.2 |
| Template | Triage Policy and Protocol template | Follow-up of Tests, Results and Referrals Policy |
A practice that holds only a results follow-up policy has answered CG6 and nothing under PP9.A.
What the RACGP Standards require
Practices are currently accredited against the 5th edition. Criterion GP1.1, "Responsive system for patient care", carries three indicators: "GP1.1 A Our practice provides different consultation types to accommodate patients' needs"; "GP1.1 B Our practice has a triage system"; "GP1.1 C Our recorded phone message advises patients to call 000 in case of an emergency". For GP1.1B the practice must "prioritise patients according to urgency of need, and retain evidence of this".
The 5th edition also says all members of the practice team must know how the practice:
- identifies patients with an urgent medical need
- identifies medical emergencies and reprioritises appointments accordingly
- seeks urgent medical assistance from a clinical team member
- deals with patients who have urgent medical needs when the practice is fully booked.
Two telephone duties are spelled out. Administrative staff members need to know "that they must ask, 'Is the matter urgent or may I put you on hold?' before putting a caller on hold", and "which telephone calls they need to transfer to the clinical team". Training under the 5th edition is a "could": "Training could be provided so that administrative staff members and members of the clinical team can identify patients in need of urgent care. This training can be delivered in-house by a practice member, or by an external training provider."
The 6th edition states criterion PP9.A in full: "The practice has a triage system for prioritising patient care. The practice: prioritises patients according to their urgency of need; has a member of the clinical team who has primary responsibility for training the practice team in triage, including how to: identify patients with an urgent medical need; identify emergency events and reprioritise appointments accordingly; seek urgent medical assistance from an appropriate member of the clinical team; manage patients with urgent medical needs when the practice is fully booked." PP9.A sits in criteria set PP9, "Responsive system for patient care", in the Patient participation standard, and its sibling criterion PP9.B covers consultation types rather than triage.
The change between editions is training. Under the 5th edition training "could be provided"; under the 6th edition a named member of the clinical team holds primary responsibility for it. The RACGP mapping document maps PP9.A "Triage systems" to GP1.1B and classifies the change as "Expanded". The 6th edition guidance also adds a fifth training topic beyond the four in the criterion: "use sensitive and privacy-aware communication methods when patients indicate they have safety or confidentiality concerns". It sits in the guidance, not the criterion text.
When accreditation moves to the 6th edition has not been published. Transition arrangements under the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme are unsettled, and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care's own page says accreditation "currently uses the 5th edition" and arrangements will come "in due course". Do not plan around a date nobody has set. Our 6th edition migration guide tracks what is known, and our 6th edition standards guide sets out how the new criteria are structured.
What the regulator or assessor expects
A surveyor assessing your triage system is looking for retained evidence. Under the 5th edition the practice must "prioritise patients according to urgency of need, and retain evidence of this", which means the policy itself plus records showing it operates, not a verbal description of what the practice does. The four items below are the 6th edition guidance's "could" suggestions rather than requirements, but they are the clearest published picture of what a surveyor will accept.
- Triage guidelines at the reception area, and a triage flowchart available for reception staff members and the clinical team.
- A sign in the waiting area advising patients who have a high-risk condition or deteriorating symptoms to tell reception staff members.
- Evidence that administrative staff members update the patient waiting list if there has been an emergency, and that they explain to patients that this may increase their waiting time.
- The training record. Under the 6th edition, evidence naming the member of the clinical team with primary responsibility for triage training, and records of that training being delivered.
See our accreditation evidence entry for how evidence retention works across the Standards.
Common mistakes
Treating the results follow-up policy as the triage system. A results follow-up policy answers CG6 and GP2.2. It says nothing about prioritising patients who ask for care. If a surveyor asks for your triage system and you hand over results follow-up, you have shown them the wrong document.
Reception telling a caller no appointment is available and ending the call. Both editions require the practice team to know how to deal with patients who have urgent medical needs when the practice is fully booked. "We're full" is not a triage outcome.
Placing callers on hold without the hold question. The 5th edition is explicit: staff "must ask, 'Is the matter urgent or may I put you on hold?' before putting a caller on hold".
No named clinical lead for training. Under the 6th edition, a member of the clinical team holds primary responsibility for training the practice team in triage. A policy that says "staff are trained" without naming who is responsible does not answer PP9.A.
A red-flag list nobody has reviewed. The practice's triage policy carries a red-flag list, and the clinical lead should review it. A list inherited from a template and never looked at again is not a working system.
Copying a hospital triage scale into a general practice. The Australasian Triage Scale is the hospital emergency department instrument. General practice sets its own urgency categories, such as the four-level practice access scale (Emergency, Urgent, Soon, Routine) with timeframes the practice sets.
Frequently asked questions
What is triage in general practice?
Triage in general practice is the process of prioritising patients by urgency of need at the point they ask for care: at reception, on the telephone, or through an online booking request. It determines who is seen first, how quickly, and by whom. It is required under RACGP 5th edition indicator GP1.1B and 6th edition criterion PP9.A.
Is a triage system mandatory for RACGP accreditation?
Yes. Under the 5th edition, which practices are currently accredited against, indicator GP1.1B reads "Our practice has a triage system" and the practice must "prioritise patients according to urgency of need, and retain evidence of this". The 6th edition carries the same requirement at criterion PP9.A and expands it with a named clinical team member responsible for triage training.
Can reception staff triage patients?
Yes, within the limits the practice's policy sets. The 5th edition contemplates training "so that administrative staff members and members of the clinical team can identify patients in need of urgent care". Reception staff identify urgency and escalate to the clinical team. Clinical decisions about an individual patient remain the treating clinician's.
What is the difference between triage and results follow-up?
Access triage answers who is seen first when a patient asks for care (PP9.A in the 6th edition, GP1.1B in the 5th). Results triage answers what happens to a pathology, imaging or specialist result once it returns to the practice, and sits under CG6 and GP2.2. A results follow-up policy alone does not satisfy the triage requirement.
Who is responsible for triage training under the 6th edition?
A named member of the clinical team. Criterion PP9.A requires "a member of the clinical team who has primary responsibility for training the practice team in triage". This is the change from the 5th edition, where training "could be provided". The training covers identifying urgent need, identifying emergency events, seeking urgent medical assistance, and managing urgent patients when fully booked.
Does general practice use the Australasian Triage Scale?
No. The Australasian Triage Scale is the hospital emergency department instrument. General practice sets its own urgency categories. Our Triage Policy and Protocol template uses a four-level practice access scale (Emergency, Urgent, Soon, Routine) with timeframes the practice sets.
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