Why this matters for your practice
The Standards are the yardstick every accredited general practice is measured against, so knowing their structure is the difference between an evidence folder that maps cleanly to what a surveyor checks and one that leaves gaps. Practices often treat accreditation as a scramble near survey time; understanding the Standards turns it into a set of systems you can maintain year-round. It also matters because the Standards decide which requirements are mandatory, and a single unmet mandatory indicator can hold up accreditation regardless of how strong the rest of the practice is.
How the Standards are structured
The Standards work as a hierarchy:
- Modules group the requirements. In the current 5th edition these are the Core module, the Quality improvement module, and the General practice module.
- Criteria sit under each module and describe an area of safe, quality care (for example informed consent, clinical governance, or infection prevention).
- Indicators are the specific, checkable requirements under each criterion. Some are marked as mandatory, and these carry extra weight at survey.
Accreditation against the Standards runs on a three-year cycle, with a self-assessment followed by an on-site or hybrid assessment by an accrediting agency.
The RACGP published the 6th edition on 26 August 2026, restructured into five standards: Foundations of general practice, Clinical governance, Patient participation, Continuous quality improvement, and a point-of-care testing standard for practices that perform it. Every practice is still accredited against the 5th edition, and will continue to be until the National General Practice Accreditation scheme formally transitions; the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care's dedicated page for the 6th edition says accreditation currently uses the 5th edition and that transition arrangements will be provided in due course.
What the assessor expects
- Evidence mapped to indicators, so each requirement has a document, record, or demonstrable system behind it.
- Every mandatory indicator met, with no exceptions treated as optional.
- Live systems, not just policies, for example a recall system that is actually used, not only described.
- Quality improvement activity that shows the practice measures, changes, and re-measures.
- Consistency across the team, so what the policy says matches what staff do.
Common mistakes
- Confusing the Standards with accreditation: the Standards are the document, accreditation is the process of being assessed against them.
- Missing a mandatory indicator while over-investing in lower-weight areas.
- Writing policies that describe an ideal practice the team does not actually follow.
- Leaving evidence to the last month instead of maintaining it across the cycle.
- Not tracking edition changes, so evidence is prepared against a superseded version.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the RACGP Standards?
The RACGP Standards for general practices are the national benchmark a practice is accredited against. They are structured into modules, criteria, and indicators, and set out what a safe, quality general practice must have in place.
What is the difference between the RACGP Standards and accreditation?
The Standards are the document that defines the requirements. Accreditation is the three-yearly process, run by an accrediting agency, of assessing whether a practice actually meets those requirements.
What are mandatory indicators?
Mandatory indicators are the requirements within the Standards flagged as essential. They carry particular weight at survey, and an unmet mandatory indicator can prevent a practice from being accredited even if other areas are strong.
Which edition of the RACGP Standards applies?
Practices are currently accredited against the 5th edition. The RACGP published the 6th edition on 26 August 2026, but it does not apply to accreditation until the National General Practice Accreditation scheme transitions, and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care's dedicated page for the 6th edition says those arrangements will be provided in due course. Once it does, practices will need to track the transition and migrate their evidence to the version they are being assessed against.
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