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Medical practices play a crucial role in the health of their community – and ensuring everything is done the right way is about more than booking appointments and issuing prescriptions. That’s why general practice accreditation is more than just policy folders and recall and reminder systems. It’s a fail-safe, structured and systematic way to embed quality and safety, improve accountability, reduce risk and improve practice viability.

More than 275 practices across South Western Sydney are currently accredited and a further 22 have started the journey.

Dr Thoa-Van Le from Cabramatta, and practice manager Helen (Truc) Huynh in Padstow, are just two of the happy cohort who completed accreditation in the past 12 months.

While acknowledging accreditation was a thorough process which seemed daunting at first, both experienced professionals reflected on how much they learned through the process and how small, but important, improvements ultimately resulted in better patient care.

Accreditation has a range of benefits for practices, along with its goal of ensuring accountability and promoting a culture of quality and safety. It enables the practice to develop the skill level of their staff and engage their team in continuous quality improvement which increases practice efficiency as well as their patients’ overall health outcomes.

Accreditation reduces risk, improves safety and offers patients assurance a high level of care is always provided. It also increases a practice’s eligibility to access government schemes and financial incentives such as the Practice Incentives Program (PIP), Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) and MyMedicare.

General practices are assessed for accreditation against the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards for General Practice, which are considered the benchmark for high quality care. It is voluntary and valid for three years.

Practices can choose from four independent approved agencies: AGPAL, Quality Practice Accreditation (QPA), Global Mark and The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards. The two most used by practices in SWSPHN’s region are AGPAL and QPA.

Dr Thoa-Van Le has a medical centre in Cabramatta. His practice gained its first accreditation on 1 August 2024. Helen (Truc) Huynh is the practice manager at MD Plus Clinic in Padstow. Her practice received its first accreditation on 14 November 2024.

They were happy to share their accreditation experiences with their peers and talk about why they would encourage others to follow their lead.

Why is the accreditation process important?

Dr Le: Because it ensures we are providing safe, high-quality and patient-centred care, and it gives us an opportunity to reflect on our systems, processes and clinical care, and then benchmark our practice against national standards. Accreditation is not just about meeting requirements; it’s about ongoing quality improvement and creating a culture of excellence within the practice.

Mrs Huynh: It helps to ensure all medical practices in Australia are up to good practice standards and helps to mitigate changes in the working environment, for example Medicare and digital requirements.

What prompted your practice to undertake accreditation?

Dr Le: We wanted to ensure our practice met the highest standards of care for our patients and we were compliant with current regulations and best practices. It was also a way to identify areas where we could improve and grow as a team, ensuring long-term sustainability and trust with our patient community.

Mrs Huynh: We wanted our surgery and staff to be recognised for the great work they have done and to bring our surgery up to date with the changes in Medicare and other legislation requirements.

What did it involve?

Dr Le: The process involved reviewing and updating our policies, procedures and clinical practices to ensure alignment with the RACGP Standards. It also included staff training, reviewing infection control measures, quality improvement activities and ensuring appropriate documentation in both clinical and administrative areas. It required team collaboration and commitment across the entire practice.

Mrs Huynh: It involved all our staff looking at our daily practices, physical environment, procedures and equipment, and comparing it to the good practice standards, then making changes or upgrading to these standards if necessary.

How did your PSO help you understand the accreditation requirements and support you through the process?

Dr Le: Our PSO was incredibly helpful throughout the entire process. She broke down complex requirements into manageable steps, provided clear explanations and offered guidance tailored to our specific needs. Her support was practical and hands-on: from helping us organise our documentation to advising on risk management strategies. Her approach made the process less daunting and far more achievable.

Mrs Huynh: Our PSO helped us greatly in navigating the accreditation procedure by breaking it down to logical, smaller and easy to understand sections. She provided us with all the necessary resources and templates and gave us a good framework to start with.

What were the challenges presented by the accreditation process?

Dr Le: One of the main challenges was balancing the accreditation preparation with our daily clinical workload. It required time, dedication and the ability to manage change without disrupting patient care. Some of the documentation and evidence gathering was time-consuming, but with good planning and support we were able to manage it effectively.

Mrs Huynh: We were quite anxious as this was our first accreditation, and we did not know what to expect. Also, we didn’t know where to obtain some of the requirements. But the greatest challenge was finding time to do the paperwork while still running the busy surgery.

What PHN resources and tools did you find most useful to assist with your accreditation?

Dr Le: The templates and checklists provided by the PHN were very helpful. Most importantly, the one-on-one guidance and personalised support from our PSO made all the difference.

Mrs Huynh: Definitely the templates sent by the PSO and AGPAL. These helped cut down so much writing and typing. Also, the posters were helpful, as some of those are hard to find and take a long time to arrive if ordered online.

What did the accreditation process highlight for you?

Dr Le: It highlighted the importance of clear systems, clinical governance and risk management in supporting safe and effective patient care. It also reminded me of the value of teamwork and regular communication among staff to maintain high standards and respond to changing needs.

Mrs Huynh: It highlighted the gaps in some of our workflow and procedures and showed how the surgery can be better managed.

What areas did you, personally, find out you could improve?

Dr Le: I realised I could improve in areas such as structured quality improvement planning, consistent documentation of clinical actions and formalising internal communication processes. Accreditation gave me the motivation and tools to strengthen these areas.

Mrs Huynh: I found I need to be more organised and streamlining procedures could also help.

What overall impact did your PSO have on your practice’s accreditation outcome?

Dr Le: Our PSO had a significant positive impact on our outcome. Her professionalism, knowledge and patient support enabled us to stay on track and confident throughout the process. I truly believe her involvement was key to our successful accreditation.

Mrs Huynh: The interviewers were most impressed with our clinic performance, especially our paperwork, thanks to our PSO.

Would you encourage other practices to take part? If so, why?

Dr Le: Absolutely. It’s a valuable opportunity for growth, improvement and assurance to patients that their care is being delivered in a safe and high-quality environment. With the right support, especially from a dedicated PSO, the process is very manageable and ultimately rewarding.

Mrs Huynh: I would encourage other practices to take part in the accreditation process. I have learned so much. It also helps to improve our workflow and make it more efficient. Our staff have learned new skills and take more pride in their work, all of which ensures our surgery is functioning better than ever before.