Do the Standards apply to our practice?
Why are the Standards important to our practice?
How does our practice use the Standards?
How do the Standards help reduce risk?
Does meeting the Standards protect our practice legally?
Quality and safety in general practice extends beyond the skills and abilities of the GP. In assessing and enhancing quality and safety in general practice, the RACGP Standards for General Practice describes quality in care in terms of its stuctures, processess and outcomes.
Structure, process and outcomes are all important in defining quality in general practice. back to top
The Standards provide a benchmark for quality and safety and outline the aspects of general practice that support high quality and safe comprehensive care, including attention to:
The Standards focus on the principles of quality and safety, rather than prescribing how a practice should provide care. Practices can look at the principles of quality and safety outlined in the Standards and apply these to their own situation.
| Standard 1.1 | Standard 1.2 | Standard 1.3 | Standard 1.4 | Standard 1.5 | Standard 1.6 | Standard 1.7 |
| Criterion 1.1.1 | Criterion 1.2.1 | Criterion 1.3.1 | Criterion 1.4.1 | Criterion 1.5.1 | Criterion 1.6.1 | Criterion 1.7.1 |
| Criterion 1.1.2 | Criterion 1.2.2 | Resources | Criterion 1.4.2 | Criterion 1.5.2 | Criterion 1.6.2 | Criterion 1.7.2 |
| Criterion 1.1.3 | Criterion 1.2.3 | Resources | Criterion 1.5.3 | Resources | Criterion 1.7.3 | |
| Criterion 1.1.4 | Criterion 1.2.4 | Criterion 1.5.4 | Resources | |||
| Resources | Criterion 1.2.5 | Resources | ||||
| Resources |
| Standard 2.1 |
| Criterion 2.1.1 |
| Criterion 2.1.2 |
| Criterion 2.1.3 |
| Resources |
| Standard 3.1 | Standard 3.2 |
| Criterion 3.1.1 | Criterion 3.2.1 |
| Criterion 3.1.2 | Criterion 3.2.2 |
| Resources | Criterion 3.2.3 |
| Resources |
| Standard 4.1 | Standard 4.2 |
| Criterion 4.1.1 | Criterion 4.2.1 |
| Criterion 4.1.2 | Criterion 4.2.2 |
| Resources | Criterion 4.2.3 |
| Criterion 4.2.4 | |
| Resources |
| Standard 5.1 | Standard 5.2 | Standard 5.3 |
| Criterion 5.1.1 | Criterion 5.2.1 | Criterion 5.3.1 |
| Criterion 5.1.2 | Criterion 5.2.2 | Criterion 5.3.2 |
| Criterion 5.1.3 | Resources | Criterion 5.3.3 |
| Resources | Criterion 5.3.4 | |
| Resources |
RACGP 3rd Edition Standards for General Practice back to top
The Standards have been specifically written for general practice. If your service is a general practice, then these Standards can apply to your practice.
The RACGP define 'general practice' for the purposes of accreditation as a service that provides 'initial, continuing, comprehensive and coordinated medical care which draws on biomedical, psychological, social and environmental understandings of health'.
The Standards might also be relevant for health services that do not necessarily see themselves as 'general practices' but as 'specialty interest practices' targeted to a particular population.
Primary care practices that 'target' a particular population may provide as specialty services as part of a comprehensive range of general practice services. back to top
The Standards are important to your practice for a number of reasons:
Practices can self assess against the Standards as a quality improvement process. Each standard has a number of specific criteria that separates the Standard into serveral components. Each criterion describes a process or system that your practice can utilise in order to meet the Standard. Each criterion is followed by a number of indicators that outline methods for your practice to demonstrate that it has achieved that criterion. back to top
The Standards provide an integrated assessment of vulnerabilities in practice systems that are important to safety and quality. By achieving the Standards, the gaps in the practice systems are greatly reduced, thereby minimising the likelihood of errors occurring. The assessment process will also highlight areas where improvements could be made. back to top
The Standards have been prepared to reflect what is reasonably expected of a practice. back to top
