What changes in the RACGP Standards 6th edition for your practice?

The RACGP released the Standards for general practices, 6th edition, on 26 August 2026, with 5 standards, new criteria on planning, sustainability, digital health and artificial intelligence, and mostly mandatory criteria. Accreditation under the NGPA Scheme still uses the 5th edition until the Commission publishes transition arrangements, so meet the 5th edition now and build the 6th edition into how the practice runs.

What is in force today, and what is not

The RACGP announced the 6th edition on 26 August 2026, 30 years after the first edition in 1996, with new and updated topics including defining and planning for your practice, environmental sustainability, artificial intelligence, reprocessing, engaging consumers and continuous quality improvement.¹ The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, which runs the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme, says the 6th edition supersedes the 5th, but that accreditation under the NGPA Scheme currently uses the 5th edition, and that information about arrangements for the 6th edition will be provided in due course.²

So there are two jobs at once. Meet the 5th edition at your next assessment. Build the 6th edition into how the practice runs, because the Commission encourages practices to begin implementing it now, and says implementation is separate from assessment.²

How the 6th edition is built

The 6th edition has five standards, Foundations of general practice, Clinical governance, Patient participation, Continuous quality improvement and Point of care testing. Each holds named sets of criteria with alphanumeric codes, a consumer expectation statement, and guidance under the headings why this is important, meeting these criteria and accompanying resources.³ The criteria run from F1 to F11, CG1 to CG13, PP1 to PP10, CQI1, and PoCT1 to PoCT8.⁴

The flagged and unflagged indicators of the 5th edition are gone. Most criteria are mandatory, and a small number are clearly labelled aspirational and not required for accreditation.⁵

What changes for your practice

• Planning. New criteria on the practice's mission, strategy, operations, ethical issues and governance risk.⁵
• Digital records. Clinical information systems are expected to be digital, with limited hybrid allowances, and demographic fields codable, with allergy status recorded.⁵
• Artificial intelligence. AI governance criteria, F11, which apply to practices that use AI. An AI scribe brings your practice into scope.⁵
• Consent. Informed consent for procedures and treatments has its own criterion, PP4.⁵
• Consumers. Engaging consumers, PP8, replaces the 5th edition's patient feedback requirement.⁵
• Quality improvement. At least one quality improvement activity every 12 months, one of them using coded clinical data, with documented responses to feedback, complaints and audits.⁵

A plan for the transition

1. Download the mapping. The RACGP publishes a mapping of the 6th edition to the 5th. Read it against your last assessment report, criterion by criterion.
2. Flag the new criteria. Flag every criterion with no 5th edition equivalent, starting with planning, environmental sustainability, digital health and AI.
3. Check your AI use. List every AI tool the practice uses, from scribes to triage, and who governs each. F11 applies if you use any.
4. Move records to digital. Find any part of the record that still lives on paper, and plan its move, so CG1 is met before assessment.
5. Start a coded data activity. Choose one quality improvement activity that uses coded clinical data, run it, and record the result.
6. Keep the 5th edition whole. Do not let a 5th edition indicator lapse while you build for the 6th. Your next assessment may still be against it.

1. Criterion ______ Required or aspirational ______
2. 5th edition equivalent, if any ______
3. What we do today ______
4. Gap ______
5. Owner, name and role ______
6. Evidence lives in ______ Ready by ______

Copy template

The 6th edition has also achieved accreditation from the International Society for Quality in Health Care, ISQua.⁶ When the Commission sets the transition dates, your accrediting agency will explain the assessment arrangements that apply to you.²

For the criteria you are assessed against today, use the RACGP accreditation checklist for the 5th edition. The NSQHS and RACGP accreditation hub sets out both frameworks, and the guide to clinic AI in Brisbane covers general practice there.

Questions

When was the RACGP 6th edition released?

On 26 August 2026, 30 years after the first edition in 1996.

Will my next accreditation be against the 5th or the 6th edition?

As of 15 October 2026, accreditation under the NGPA Scheme uses the 5th edition. The Commission says arrangements for the 6th edition will be provided in due course, and your accrediting agency will explain what applies to you.

Does the 6th edition still use flagged indicators?

No. The flagged and unflagged indicator approach is gone. Most criteria are mandatory, and a small number are labelled aspirational.

Does using an AI scribe affect accreditation?

Under the 6th edition, the AI criteria in F11 apply to practices that use AI. Know which tools you use, who governs them, and how clinicians check their output.

Sources

1. 1RACGP, 2026New Standards for general practices put the focus on patients while supporting GPs with continuity amid changeRead source
2. 2Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2026RACGP Standards for general practices (the Standards) 6th editionRead source
3. 3RACGP, 2026Structure of the Standards, 6th editionRead source
4. 4RACGP, 2026Standards for general practices (6th edition)Read source
5. 5RACGP, 2026Standards 6th edition, what practices need to knowRead source
6. 6RACGP, 2026Standards for general practices, 6th edition hubRead 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.