RACGP Accreditation

What RACGP accreditation is, and why it runs your income

RACGP accreditation is the independent assessment of a general practice against the RACGP Standards for general practices, carried out by an approved accrediting agency over a three-year cycle. It is voluntary in name, but for most practices it is close to essential: it is a precondition for the entire Practice Incentives Program, for several MyMedicare and bulk-billing income streams, and it is the recognised signal that a practice meets a baseline of safety and quality.

That financial link is the reason accreditation matters more than any other compliance milestone in general practice. Letting accreditation lapse does not just remove a badge, it can switch off a large share of practice income overnight. Because the assessment depends on evidence built over time, accreditation rewards practices that treat it as a continuous system rather than a pre-survey scramble.

The framework at a glance

The RACGP Standards: what you are measured against

The RACGP Standards are the document at the centre of the whole system. They are organised into modules, each containing Criteria, and each Criterion is demonstrated through one or more Indicators. Some Indicators are flagged as Mandatory Indicators: meeting every applicable Mandatory Indicator is the pass/fail line for accreditation.

The current edition is the 6th. If your practice last accredited against the 5th Edition, the move to the 6th is a defined transition with new mandatory requirements to close out. The two guides below cover the overview and the practical migration:

• For what the 6th Edition is and what changed, read the 6th Edition standards overview.
• For the step-by-step transition (gap analysis, the new mandatory requirements, a working timeline), read the 6th Edition migration guide.

In-depth guideRACGP 6th Edition Migration Guide: From 5th Edition in 2026

The accrediting agencies

Accreditation is delivered by one of three approved agencies: AGPAL, QPA, and GPA Accreditation plus. They assess against the same RACGP Standards, so the substance of what you must demonstrate does not change with your choice of agency. What differs is the support package, the portal, the pricing, and the surveyor pool. You enrol with one agency, and that agency manages your self-assessment, your evidence submission, and your on-site survey.

The evidence assessors want to see

Accreditation evidence is the documented proof you present against each applicable Indicator. It falls into a few broad shapes:

• Policies and procedures that show a system exists (for example infection prevention and control, cold chain management, recall and reminders, emergency response, privacy).
• Records that show the system runs (training logs, fridge temperature logs, sterilisation records, complaint records, audit results).
• Evidence built over time that cannot be created retrospectively, which is why timing matters so much (see below).

A common failure pattern is having the policy but not the running record, or the record but not the policy. Assessors look for both: the documented intent and the proof it actually happens. Our common RACGP accreditation failures guide breaks down the gaps surveyors flag most often, drawn from thousands of practices.

In-depth guide7 Common RACGP Accreditation Failures in Australian GP Clinics

Clinical governance and the systems behind the Indicators

Underneath the Indicators sits clinical governance: the system of responsibilities and accountabilities through which a practice assures the safety and quality of care. Surveyors expect to see functioning systems, not just paperwork, in areas including:

• Infection prevention and control, including sterilisation and reprocessing.
• Cold chain management for vaccines, a frequent Mandatory Indicator gap.
• Recall and reminder systems for clinically significant results and follow-up.
• Results management, so investigations are reviewed and actioned.
• Emergency response, including equipment, drills, and staff readiness.
• Privacy and health records handling.
• Informed consent and its documentation. For what to record and why, see informed consent documentation requirements.

Continuous quality improvement: the engine that produces evidence

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is the ongoing, systematic use of your practice's own data and feedback to identify problems, make changes, and measure whether those changes worked. It is the single most important habit for painless accreditation, because it generates much of the evidence the Standards ask for, as a by-product of normal operation rather than a separate project.

CQI shows up in three main evidence types, each a distinct method:

• A PDSA cycle (Plan, Do, Study, Act) tests a change on a small scale before adopting it widely.
• A clinical audit measures something, makes a change, and re-measures to show improvement.
• A significant event analysis reviews a single notable event, good or bad, to understand what happened and what should change.

Patient feedback and complaint handling are also QI evidence. A working complaints system and register is its own Indicator: see patient complaint handling in general practice.

In-depth guideClinical Audits for RACGP Accreditation: A Step-by-Step Guide

The accreditation journey, step by step

1. Enrol with an agency. Choose AGPAL, QPA, or GPA Accreditation plus and register early.
2. Run a self-assessment. Work through the Standards with a traffic-light gap analysis: green where you have evidence, amber where it is partial, red where it is missing.
3. Close the gaps. Build the missing policies, start the records that need time to accumulate, and run your CQI activities.
4. Submit evidence. Provide documentation against each applicable Indicator through the agency portal.
5. Host the on-site survey. Surveyors visit, review systems and evidence, and interview staff.
6. Achieve accreditation. A successful practice is accredited for three years, then reaccredits.

If you are starting from scratch, the getting started with RACGP accreditation guide is the beginner orientation for practice managers.

In-depth guideGetting Started with RACGP Accreditation for Practice Managers

Timing: why new practices cannot rush it

A new practice should enrol with an agency early but plan its first on-site assessment for roughly 12 to 18 months in. The reason is structural: assessors need to see evidence accumulated over time (training cycles, audit results, fridge logs, CQI activity), and that evidence cannot be back-dated. Trying to compress the timeline is the fastest way to fail an otherwise well-run practice.

Common mistakes

• Treating accreditation as a one-off project instead of a continuous system, so the evidence dries up between cycles.
• Leaving evidence-over-time items late, when they physically cannot be created in the weeks before a survey.
• Holding policies with no running records (or records with no policy), so the system is only half-demonstrated.
• Letting accreditation lapse, which ends Practice Incentives Program eligibility and the income attached to it.

Frequently asked questions

What is RACGP accreditation?

RACGP accreditation is an independent assessment of a general practice against the RACGP Standards for general practices, carried out by an approved accrediting agency (AGPAL, QPA, or GPA Accreditation plus). A successful practice is accredited for a three-year cycle and becomes eligible for Practice Incentives Program payments and several other Medicare income streams.

How long does RACGP accreditation last?

Accreditation is granted for a three-year cycle. Before it ends, the practice must reaccredit by being assessed again against the current RACGP Standards. Maintaining evidence and CQI activity throughout the cycle makes reaccreditation far easier than starting again each time.

Is RACGP accreditation compulsory?

It is technically voluntary, but it is a precondition for the Practice Incentives Program and several other Medicare income streams, and it is the recognised marker of baseline safety and quality. Most general practices treat it as essential.

What are Mandatory Indicators?

Mandatory Indicators are the items in the RACGP Standards that a practice must meet to be accredited. Where most Indicators contribute to the overall picture, a failed Mandatory Indicator stops accreditation until it is resolved, which is why they get the closest attention before a survey.

How long does it take a new practice to get accredited?

A new practice should enrol early but plan its first on-site assessment for roughly 12 to 18 months after opening, because assessors need to see evidence built up over time and that evidence cannot be created retrospectively.

What is the difference between the RACGP Standards and accreditation?

The RACGP Standards are the document you are measured against. Accreditation is the process of being assessed against that document by an approved agency. The evidence is the proof you present, and the Mandatory Indicators are the pass/fail items within it.

Last reviewed 20 June 2026