What is on the RACGP accreditation checklist under the 5th edition?
Practices are accredited today against the RACGP Standards for general practices, 5th edition. That means 3 modules, 17 standards and 44 criteria, assessed indicator by indicator, with accreditation awarded for three years once every relevant mandatory indicator is met.
The structure you are assessed against
The 5th edition has a Core module, a Quality improvement module and a General practice module.1 The Core module carries 8 standards, from Communication and patient participation to Education and training of non-clinical staff. The Quality improvement module carries 3, Quality improvement, Clinical indicators and Clinical risk management. The General practice module carries 6, from Access to care to Vaccine potency.1
Under the NGPA Scheme, the accrediting agency reviews compliance against the relevant indicators by visual inspection, interviews with key personnel and a review of documents, and rates each indicator Met, Not met, Not applicable or Not assessed.2
The checklist, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | What to have ready | Where wai holds it |
|---|---|---|
| C1.1 Information about your practice | Hours, fees, services and how to reach a doctor after hours | The booking page and the information the patient saw |
| C1.3 Informed patient decisions | How risks, options and costs are explained | The consent discussion in the signed note |
| C1.4 Interpreter and other communication services | How patients who need another language are cared for | Replies drafted in the patient's own language |
| C1.5 Costs associated with care initiated by the practice | Fees explained before care | The fee and policy shown at booking, and the invoice |
| C5.3 Clinical handover | Structured handover at every transfer of care | Letters and referrals written from the visit, signed |
| C6.1 Patient identification | Approved identifiers at every step | One record per patient across every location |
| C6.3 and C6.4 Confidentiality, privacy and information security | Access controls and an access log | Role-based access and every read logged |
| C7.1 Content of patient health records | Complete, contemporaneous notes | Notes written during the visit, signed and timed |
| QI1.2 Patient feedback | Feedback collected, and acted on | Review requests and the patient's thread |
| QI3.1 Managing clinical risks | Incidents reported and reviewed | The audit trail, for your incident review |
| GP1.1 Responsive system for patient care | Urgent and same-day access | Online booking, reminders and a response clock |
| GP2.2 Follow-up systems | Results, referrals and recalls that close | Recalls a clinician approves, on the record |
Timelines that catch practices out
- The initial assessment should take place at least four and no more than eight months before your accreditation expires.2
- A practice with physical premises has its initial assessment on site.2
- The initial report arrives within five business days of the initial assessment.2
- Indicators rated Not met can be remediated in a period that cannot exceed 65 business days.2
- The final report is due within 20 business days of the final assessment.2
- A practice with 20% or more of its mandatory indicators rated Not met at initial assessment must be reassessed within six months.2
- Fix the assessment window. Count back eight months from your expiry date. Agree the assessment date with your accrediting agency inside the four to eight month window.
- List every indicator. Take all 44 criteria and their indicators. Mark the mandatory ones and any that are not applicable to your practice.
- Point to the evidence. For each indicator, name where the evidence lives today, the record, the inbox, the policy, the minutes.
- Give each module an owner. One named person for Core, one for Quality improvement, one for General practice.
- Run a mock interview. Ask a colleague the questions an assessor asks, and time how long each answer takes to produce.
- Close the gaps first. A single mandatory indicator not met at final assessment means accreditation is not awarded. Fix those before polishing anything else.
- Module ______ Criterion ______ Indicator ______
- Mandatory, yes or no ______ Not applicable, reason ______
- Evidence lives in ______
- Owner ______
- Last checked on ______ Met or gap ______
The 6th edition was released on 26 August 2026, but the NGPA Scheme still uses the 5th edition.3 Build this checklist for your next assessment, and start a second column for the 6th edition alongside it.
The guide to what changes in the RACGP Standards 6th edition covers the second column. To see the checklist evidence held in one record, request a demo of the RACGP accreditation software.
Questions
How many criteria are in the RACGP 5th edition?
44 criteria across 17 standards, in 3 modules. Core has 24 criteria, Quality improvement 7, and General practice 13.
How long does RACGP accreditation last?
Three years. For a practice already accredited, the new expiry is three years from the previous expiry date, unless the outcome was decided after it.
What happens if an indicator is Not met?
You have a remediation period of up to 65 business days to show it has been met. If a mandatory indicator is still not met at final assessment, accreditation is not awarded.
Is a self-assessment required?
Not by the NGPA Scheme itself, though your accrediting agency may ask for one to help you prepare.
Sources
- 1RACGP, 2023Standards for general practices, 5th edition, table of contentsRead source
- 2Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2026National General Practice Accreditation (NGPA) SchemeRead source
- 3Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2026RACGP Standards for general practices (the Standards) 6th editionRead source
Written by the wai team from Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and the RACGP guidance, checked on 15 October 2026. This is guidance, not legal advice. Neither ACSQHC nor the RACGP endorses wai or any software.