After-Hours Care Policy Template for Australian General Practices

What's in this template?

This after-hours care policy ensures patients know how to access medical care outside practice hours. It maps to RACGP 5th edition Criterion GP1.3, Care outside of normal opening hours. In the 6th edition, published on 26 August 2026, the same subject sits under criterion PP10.A (access to after-hours care), and accreditation assessments still use the 5th edition. The template covers 13 sections:

1. Purpose: ensuring patient access to appropriate care after hours
2. Practice Opening Hours: customisable schedule for each day of the week
3. Patient Communication: voicemail, signage, website, registration materials, verbal safety-net advice
4. After-Hours Voicemail Message: required content (practice closed confirmation, 000 for emergencies, after-hours service details, nearest ED, Healthdirect number), space for approved script
5. After-Hours Service Arrangements: deputising/after-hours service (name, phone, service type), nearest ED (name, address, phone), nurse helplines (Healthdirect, state-specific), own on-call roster option
6. Clinical Handover with After-Hours Providers: shared clinical systems, verbal/written handover for specific patients, ISBAR framework
7. Follow-Up of After-Hours Encounters: report receipt and filing, GP review timeframe, abnormal finding action, patient follow-up
8. Patients at Higher Risk: safety-net advice for deteriorating conditions, palliative care plans shared with after-hours providers, mental health crisis numbers
9. Service Agreement with After-Hours Provider: scope, coverage, information sharing, reporting, annual review
10. Public Holidays and Extended Closures: voicemail updates, website updates, patient rescheduling, prescription completion
11. Monitoring and Review: quarterly report review, patient feedback, voicemail testing, annual policy review
12. Related Policies: Clinical Handover, Emergency Response, Privacy, Health Records
13. Review History

Editable placeholder fields

• {{ }}Practice name{{practice_name}}, {{ }}ABN{{abn}}, {{ }}Practice address{{practice_address}}, {{ }}Phone{{phone}}, {{ }}Email{{email}}
• {{ }}Weekday hours{{weekday_hours}}, {{ }}Saturday hours{{saturday_hours}}, {{ }}Sunday hours{{sunday_hours}}
• {{ }}After hours service name{{after_hours_service_name}}, {{ }}After hours service phone{{after_hours_service_phone}}, {{ }}After hours service type{{after_hours_service_type}}
• {{ }}Nearest ed name{{nearest_ed_name}}, {{ }}Nearest ed address{{nearest_ed_address}}, {{ }}Nearest ed phone{{nearest_ed_phone}}
• {{ }}Followup review days{{followup_review_days}}: days within which after-hours reports are reviewed
• {{ }}Agreement review date{{agreement_review_date}}, {{ }}Practice principal name{{practice_principal_name}}, {{ }}Review date{{review_date}}, {{ }}Next review date{{next_review_date}}

How to customise this template

1. Download and fill in all {{ }}Placeholder{{placeholder}} fields. Start with your opening hours
2. Write your voicemail script using the guidance in Section 4. Include all required elements
3. Document your after-hours arrangements: deputising service, nearest ED, helpline numbers
4. Establish how clinical information is shared with your after-hours provider: shared PMS, secure messaging, or verbal handover
5. Set your follow-up review timeframe: how quickly after-hours reports should be reviewed by the regular GP
6. Test your voicemail: call the practice after hours to confirm the message is clear and accurate

Frequently asked questions

Do we need a formal agreement with our after-hours service?

The RACGP recommends a documented arrangement covering scope of services, information sharing, and reporting. This doesn't need to be a complex legal document. A simple documented agreement reviewed annually is sufficient.

What should our voicemail message say?

At minimum: practice name, confirmation you're closed, next opening time, call 000 for emergencies, after-hours service name and number, nearest ED, and the Healthdirect helpline (1800 022 222). Test it regularly.

How do we follow up after-hours encounters?

After-hours providers should send a consultation report to the practice. The patient's regular GP reviews this within the timeframe set in your policy (e.g. 3 business days). If no report is received for a known after-hours encounter, reception follows up.

Does this cover the safety of a staff member running a solo after-hours clinic?

No. This policy is about how a patient reaches appropriate care when the practice is closed, not about the WHS safety of a worker on shift. If your practice runs a solo evening clinic, an on-call roster, or otherwise has staff working alone or in isolation, that is a separate WHS Regulation 48 duty covered by the Working Alone and Lone Worker Policy.

Does this cover how we triage calls during opening hours?

No. This policy starts when the practice closes. How reception and the clinical team prioritise patients by urgency of need while the practice is open, including telephone triage, red flags and the fully booked day, is the Triage Policy and Protocol (RACGP 6th edition PP9.A, 5th edition GP1.1B). The recorded message that tells callers to ring 000 in an emergency is the point where the two documents meet.

What changes under the RACGP 6th edition?

Criterion PP10.A asks that patients are told how to get care in real time, from clinicians who meet Australian professional requirements, whenever the practice is closed, whether the practice provides that care itself or refers to an after-hours or deputising service. Leaving a message or sending an email is not care in real time. Sections 4 and 5 already point patients to an after-hours service, the nearest ED and a nurse helpline; under the 6th edition, check that each option you list reaches a clinician in real time. Also add to the service agreement in section 9 a confirmation that the provider's clinicians meet Australian professional requirements.

Can I use this for AGPAL or QPA accreditation?

Yes. AGPAL and QPA assess against the RACGP Standards 5th edition, where this policy answers Criterion GP1.3; in the 6th edition the same subject sits under criterion PP10.A. Surveyors will check that patients are informed about after-hours arrangements, the voicemail is appropriate, clinical handover processes exist with after-hours providers, and after-hours reports are followed up.