Advisory GP26/02: Relocation assessment of accredited general practices
Advisory details
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Advisory number | GP26/02 |
| Version number | 1.0 |
| Publication date | May 2026 |
| Replaces | Version 1.0, published 5 September 2024 |
| Compliance | It is mandatory forapproved accrediting agencies to implement this Advisory |
| Applicable to |
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| Key relationship | |
| Attachment(s) | |
| Note(s) | |
| Responsible officer | Director, National Standards Email: AdviceCentre@safetyandquality.gov.au |
| Review date | May 2028 |
Purpose
To standardise the requirements for assessing a general practice accredited against the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards for general practices (5th edition) (the Standards) following a relocation.
Issue
Relocating a general practice may introduce additional safety and quality risks for patients. The degree of risk depends on the nature and extent of the changes involved with the relocation, including changes to the:
- business operation
- physical size and layout
- equipment
- personnel
- governance arrangements
- management systems.
Risk is also influenced by the extent and quality of planning undertaken prior to relocation, as well as the degree to which key stakeholders are engaged in the change management process.
Relocation may impact the general practice’s eligibility for Commonwealth funded programs that require accreditation against the Standards, such as:
It is the responsibility of the general practice to be aware of the latest requirements and comply with them to maintain eligibility.
Requirements
Prior to the relocation assessment
General practices must notify their accrediting agency of their intention to relocate as soon as reasonably possible and comply with the relocation assessment requirements to retain their accreditation status.
If a general practice’s relocation has been completed or will be completed with:
- eight months or less remaining on its accreditation expiry date, its new location may be assessed through its routine assessment
- more than eight months remaining on its accreditation expiry date, a relocation assessment is warranted.
Relocation assessments must be conducted within 3 months of completing relocation.
General practices should consult their accrediting agencies to confirm their ongoing eligibility for accreditation following any changes to their business operations and to establish the appropriate timing of their relocation assessment.
If the relocation also results in changes that may require an out-of-cycle assessment—such as a merger, as stipulated in Guidance on out-of-cycle assessment for general practice—the most rigorous form of assessment will apply. For example, if Practice A (accredited) relocates and merges into Practice B (not accredited), Practice B must undertake a full routine assessment to achieve accreditation.
During the initial assessment
General practices relocating to new physical premises[1]
- require an initial on-site assessment to review compliance with the indicators as listed in the link below.
Accrediting agencies may seek approval from the Commission to conduct a hybrid assessment in exceptional circumstances, as stipulated in Conducting hybrid assessments under the National General Practice Accreditation (NGPA) Scheme.
General practices relocating to a new address where no in-person clinical assessments take place (no physical premises)
- require an initial virtual assessment to review mandatory indicators relevant to the changes associated with the relocation, including but not limited to
- practice information
- business policies and processes
- information security
- health records, equipment and medication management.
After the initial assessment
The accrediting agency must provide an initial report to the general practice within five business days of the conclusion of the initial assessment. Following the initial assessment:
- where all relevant indicators are ‘met’, the general practice does not require a remediation period.
- where one or more indicators are ‘not met’, the general practice requires a remediation period.
The remediation period
The remediation period allows a general practice to implement changes to demonstrate all requirements of the specified indicators have been met. The length of the remediation period the general practice may require depends on its performance but cannot exceed 20 business days.
The final assessment
A final assessment is conducted when the general practice has submitted all additional evidence required or at the end of the remediation period, whichever occurs earlier.
At the final assessment, the accrediting agency will determine if the indicators rated 'not met' at initial assessment have been remediated.
Accrediting agencies then have 20 business days to provide the general practice with a final report and determine the outcome of the relocation assessment.
Outcome of the relocation assessment
Accreditation is retained if the general practice meets all relevant indicators. In this case, a new accreditation certificate reflecting the latest practice details will be issued to the general practice. The accreditation expiry date will remain unchanged unless the general practice has undertaken a routine assessment for a new accreditation cycle.
Accreditation is withdrawn if:
- one or more of the relevant indicators are rated ‘not met’ at final assessment
- the relocation assessment is not conducted within the required timeframes.
A relocation assessment process flow chart is linked below.
Relocation assessment process flow chart for the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme
Appeal process
General practices have 20 business days from receiving the final report to submit an appeal. Appeals should be made to the accrediting agency in the first instance.
Following the completion of this appeal, general practices may appeal to the Commission within 20 business days of receiving the outcome of the appeal to the accrediting agency.
The Commission will only consider appeals where there is evidence that the relevant accrediting agency did not comply with Commission-specified policies, processes and/or directions relating to the assessment conducted, as detailed in Advisory GP23/02: Request for extensions and appeals.
If the Commission does not determine the general practice’s accreditation should be reinstated, there is no further avenue of appeal.
Costs
All costs of the relocation assessment are the responsibility of the general practice being assessed.
- [1] Physical premises is defined as a building or rigid structure, including a bus or van, managed by the general practice where clinical assessments of patients take place.