A new edition of the RACGP Standards brings plenty of questions. What has changed? What needs updating? Where should your practice start?
The first step is to understand the changes.
Your practice has systems, experience and good habits to build on. Preparing for the 6th edition means identifying where those foundations remain sound and where something needs strengthening.
Importantly, publication of the 6th edition does not mean assessment arrangements have changed immediately. Accreditation currently continues against the 5th edition, however practices can start preparing now. If your timeframes to begin your next accreditation round is approaching, contact QPA to discuss the requirements that apply.
Start with an overview
Before working through individual requirements, get familiar with the new edition’s structure and key changes.
QPA clients can access our comprehensive Key Changes guide through Connect. Open the Resources section and search ‘Key Changes’.
Use that overview to identify which areas need a closer look in your practice. Keep a list of questions as you go, so uncertainty can be resolved before it turns into unnecessary worry.
Review what you already do
A changed requirement does not automatically mean starting from a blank page.
Look at your existing systems and ask:
- What does our current approach already cover?
- Does our documentation reflect what happens in practice?
- Where do we need to change or strengthen our processes?
- How will we know whether those changes are working?
This helps separate genuine gaps from work you have already done.
It is also an opportunity to check how reliable your systems are. A process that depends on one person remembering every step may need attention, even if it usually works well.
Bring the team into the conversation
Practice managers can coordinate preparation, but your whole team has something to contribute.
Reception staff understand where communication becomes difficult. Nurses can identify issues in clinical workflows. GPs can explain how systems support clinical decisions and follow-up. Owners can help clarify priorities and resources.
Give people specific areas to review, then discuss what they find.
You will get a clearer picture of the practice – and a more useful improvement plan – when the people doing the work help shape it.
Make the next steps manageable
As you identify gaps, record what needs to happen, who will take responsibility and when progress will be reviewed.
Address immediate safety concerns promptly. For other improvements, set priorities according to risk, importance and the work involved.
Be specific. “Review our emergency response plan” is a starting point. “Coordinate a simulated emergency exercise by December, record any gaps in, assign corrective actions and retest within six weeks.”
A small number of well-defined tasks is easier to progress than a long list without owners or deadlines.
Check that improvements become everyday practice
Updating a policy is one step. Staff also need to understand the change and use it consistently.
After implementation, check whether the improvement has addressed the issue you identified. Has it clarified responsibilities, reduced confusion, or made the process more reliable?
Record what you learn and adjust where needed. That is how preparation becomes useful beyond the next assessment.
Use the support available
QPA clients can speak with their Quality Accreditation Manager and access practical resources through Connect.
Keep following official transition updates, particularly if your next assessment is approaching.
You do not need to resolve every question at once. Start by understanding the changes, involve your team and work through the priorities.
The goal is to prepare confidently while strengthening the systems your practice relies on every day.