What's in this template?
This Practice Information Sheet gives Australian general practices a complete patient-facing information document aligned to RACGP Standards 5th edition criterion GP1.3. Every accredited practice is required to provide written information to patients about how the practice works, this is the most common thing surveyors ask for at the front desk and one of the easiest non-conformities to avoid.
The sheet covers 15 sections:
- About the practice: who you are in plain language
- Our clinicians: clinician table with roles and special interests
- Hours and contact: day-by-day hours plus contact details
- Booking an appointment: in person, phone, online, telehealth
- Fees and billing: bulk-billing policy, standard fees, payment methods
- Telehealth: eligibility, how it works, fallback
- Results and follow-up: recall system, communication of results
- After-hours and emergencies: 000, deputising service, ED, Healthdirect
- Repeat prescriptions and referrals: appointment policy, eScripts, referral validity
- Communicating with your clinician: phone, secure messaging, no email for clinical
- Privacy and your health information: APP summary, access/correction, OAIC contact
- Feedback and complaints: internal process and all 8 State/Territory commissions
- Cultural safety and accessibility: ATSI, interpreters, wheelchair, hearing loop
- New patient information: what to bring, what to expect
- About this sheet: version, last updated, next review
Editable placeholder fields
The sheet uses approximately 40 placeholders covering practice identity, clinicians, hours, contact, fees, after-hours arrangements, accessibility, ACCHO partnerships and feedback channels. Replace each one and the sheet is ready to print.
Who needs a Practice Information Sheet?
Every Australian general practice. RACGP-accredited surveyors look for it on the day of survey. Most practices already have something, this template gives you a thorough, current, well-structured replacement. The template is suitable for:
- General practices of any size, solo, group, corporate
- Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHOs)
- Specialist medical practices: adaptable with light editing
- Allied health practices: adaptable with light editing
- Day procedure clinics
RACGP requirement at a glance
Criterion GP1.3, Practice information. The practice must provide written information to patients that describes:
- Practice opening hours
- Names and qualifications of clinicians (or how patients can find this)
- Practice services
- Billing arrangements
- Appointment arrangements including same-day appointments
- After-hours arrangements
- The practice's complaints and feedback process
- The privacy and health information handling practices
- Cultural safety and accessibility
- How to access health records
The template covers all of these in plain language and is structured for at-a-glance use by patients.
What surveyors actually look for
When a RACGP surveyor asks for the practice information sheet, they're checking three things:
- Does it exist in physical form at reception, plus on the website where you have one
- Is it current: hours, fees, clinicians match the actual practice today (not the practice from two years ago)
- Does it cover the GP1.3 list: particularly after-hours arrangements, complaints process and privacy
Updates are the most common gap. A sheet listing a clinician who left 18 months ago is worse than no sheet. The template includes a "last updated" line in the footer to keep this honest.
How to customise this template
- Download the Word document and work through the placeholders top to bottom
- Write the "About the practice" paragraph in your own voice: two to four sentences saying what makes this practice this practice
- Update the clinician table: every clinician currently practising; remove the row for any clinician who has left
- Set your hours and your after-hours arrangement: if you use a deputising service (e.g. National Home Doctor, Hello Home Doctor), state the name and phone number
- State your billing policy clearly: who is bulk-billed, who pays a private fee, what the standard fee is, and how to pay
- Confirm the State complaints commission for your jurisdiction is listed correctly (the template lists all 8)
- Add accessibility details specific to your premises: ramp access, hearing loop, accessible toilet, parking
- Print copies for reception, email to new patients on registration, and publish on your website
- Diary a review: every 6 months at a minimum, and any time a detail changes (clinician, hours, fees)
Related templates and tools
The Practice Information Sheet is patient-facing, it summarises what many of your other documents do internally:
- Privacy Policy and Patient Data Collection Notice: the full version of section 11
- Complaints Handling Policy: the internal version of section 12
- Recall and Reminder System Policy: the internal version of section 7
- Follow-up of Tests, Results and Referrals Policy: also reflected in section 7
- Telehealth Policy: internal version of section 6
- After-Hours Care Policy: internal version of section 8
Each internal policy reinforces what the Practice Information Sheet promises. Auditors look for both sides to match.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Practice Information Sheet mandatory for RACGP accreditation?
Yes. RACGP criterion GP1.3 requires the practice to provide written information to patients covering hours, clinicians, services, billing, appointments, after-hours, complaints, privacy, cultural safety and access to records. This template covers all of those.
Can we just publish it on the website?
The website is part of the answer but not all of it. RACGP expects a copy to be available in physical form at reception, in addition to any digital version. Many patients prefer paper, particularly older patients and patients without easy internet access.
How often should we update it?
Every 6 months at minimum, and any time a detail changes, a new clinician, departure, fee change, hours change, new service. A "last updated" line keeps this honest. A sheet listing a clinician who left two years ago is one of the most common GP1.3 non-conformities at survey.
Do we need to translate it?
Not as a default. If a significant proportion of your patient population speaks a language other than English, consider a translated version. For one-off interactions, an interpreter via TIS National (131 450) is the standard. The template includes the interpreter information in section 13.
What if we're a specialist or allied health practice, not GP?
The template works with light editing. Remove the GP-specific items (bulk-billing language can be adapted; care plans don't apply; after-hours arrangements differ for specialists). Keep the structure, hours, clinicians, booking, fees, results, privacy, feedback, accessibility, new-patient info, and you have a comprehensive practice information sheet for any setting.
Should we list clinician qualifications?
RACGP recommends listing names and either qualifications or a pointer to where qualifications are publicly available (AHPRA register at ahpra.gov.au). Some practices include qualifications inline (e.g. "Dr Jane Smith MBBS FRACGP"); others link to the AHPRA register or the practice website's "Our team" page. Either is acceptable.
Where do we put the complaints commissions list?
The template lists all 8 State and Territory commissions in section 12. Many practices delete the irrelevant rows once they've populated their jurisdiction. Either is fine, listing all 8 is more thorough if your practice sees interstate patients.
Will accreditors accept this template?
Yes, when populated. The template covers every GP1.3 requirement and uses the structure surveyors expect to find. Surveyors will check the sheet against the actual practice (hours, clinicians, fees) so accuracy at the time of survey is what matters most.