The 2025 primary care handbook sets 21 GAHAR Safety Requirements, from patient identification with at least two identifiers to hand hygiene and approved abbreviations, each scored inside its own chapter. A single GSR standard scored not met rules out accreditation.
The 21 requirements and where they sit
The 2025 edition renamed the National Safety Requirements the GAHAR Safety Requirements, and scores each one in the chapter it belongs to rather than in a chapter of its own.12 They fall into six groups.1
| Group | GSRs | Standards |
|---|---|---|
| General patient safety | GSR.01 patient identification, GSR.02 verbal and telephone orders, GSR.03 critical results, GSR.04 fall screening and prevention | ACT.03, ICD.11, ICD.22, ICD.07 |
| Diagnostic and ancillary services | GSR.05 radiation safety, GSR.06 laboratory safety | DAS.04, DAS.09 |
| Surgical and invasive procedures | GSR.07 site marking, GSR.08 pre-operative checklist, GSR.09 timeout | SIP.03, SIP.04, SIP.05 |
| Medication management | GSR.10 high-risk medications, GSR.11 look-alike and sound-alike, GSR.12 reconciliation, GSR.13 storage and labelling | MMS.06, MMS.07, MMS.09, MMS.04 |
| Environment and facility | GSR.14 fire and smoke, GSR.15 fire drills, GSR.16 hazardous materials, GSR.17 safety plan, GSR.18 medical equipment, GSR.19 utilities | EFS.03, EFS.04, EFS.06, EFS.07, EFS.10, EFS.11 |
| Infection control and information | GSR.20 hand hygiene, GSR.21 symbols and abbreviations | IPC.04, IMT.03 |
Four that live in the record
ACT.03 asks for at least two personal identifiers, verified on defined occasions and recorded in the medical record, and surveyors check a sample of records for both identifiers on every sheet.1 ICD.11 asks that verbal and telephone orders are read back, confirmed by the ordering physician and recorded in the medical record within a predefined timeframe.1 ICD.22 asks that each critical result is recorded with the means and time of notification, who notified, who was notified, the result conveyed and any difficulty, with read-back.1 IMT.03 asks for an approved list and a not-to-use list of symbols and abbreviations, with none used in consent forms or anything a patient receives, and surveyors may check at least ten records.1
- Approve the policies. Each GSR needs its policy covering every point in the standard's intent.
- Train every professional. Surveyors interview staff on each policy, so awareness is evidence too.
- Put the checks in the record. Two identifiers on every sheet, read-back on every verbal order and critical result.
- Monitor the data. Count identification checks, orders and critical results each month and act on gaps.
- Drill the facility ones. Fire drills in different areas, and equipment and utility checks on schedule.
- Patient name ______ Second identifier ______
- Test or study ______ Result ______
- Means of notification ______ Date and time ______
- Notified by ______ Notified to ______
- Read back by recipient, yes or no ______
- Difficulties in notification ______
- Action taken ______
Questions
How many GAHAR Safety Requirements are there for primary care?
Twenty-one in the 2025 handbook, from GSR.01 patient identification to GSR.21 symbols and abbreviations.
Is there a separate GSR chapter score?
No standards are scored in the GSR chapter itself, and each GSR is scored in its corresponding chapter.
Can abbreviations be used on a consent form?
IMT.03 says symbols and abbreviations, even approved ones, are not used in informed consent or any record patients and families receive.
What happened to the National Safety Requirements?
The 2025 edition renamed them the GAHAR Safety Requirements.
Sources
- 1General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR), 2025GAHAR Handbook for Primary Healthcare Accreditation Standards, 2025, second editionRead source
- 2General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR), 2025GAHAR PHC Accreditation Standards 2025, list of amendments from the 2021 editionRead source
Written by the wai team from General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation guidance, checked on 16 October 2026. This is guidance, not legal advice. GAHAR does not endorse wai or any software.