What the College has announced that changes how a practice runs - and what to do about it. We add entries as they happen.
Last updated 11 September 2026 · maintained by DocHelp
Standards for general practices, 6th edition published
The RACGP released the 6th edition on 26 August 2026. It is free, 181 pages, and the full text is on the RACGP site as well as in the PDF. Four core standards (Foundations, Clinical governance, Patient participation, Continuous quality improvement) carry 92 criteria across 35 criteria sets, with Point of care testing as an optional fifth standard adding 18 more. Accreditation still runs on the 5th edition until the Commission publishes transition arrangements. What changes, and our view →
The mapping document, and what the RACGP says it is not
An eight page mapping of the 6th edition against the 5th is published alongside the Standards. Have it open when you re-key a policy manual from C, QI and GP codes to F, CG, PP and CQI. Do not build evidence from it. The RACGP calls it a familiarisation resource and says practices should not rely on it to determine accreditation requirements, and a criterion marked as retained can still carry revised sub-criteria.
Paper health records are no longer acceptable
CG1.A requires a digital clinical information system. Hybrid arrangements are allowed only where every system is digital, and each one holds a current health summary and a record of every interaction. Of everything in the new edition, this is the one most likely to catch a practice still running part of its records on paper.
AI is now a named criteria set, F11
F11 applies to practices that use AI tools. F11.A covers consent when care is delivered using AI, deidentification when tools process patient data, documented clinical oversight of outputs and named accountability. F11.B requires an assessment before you implement a tool and ongoing review after. The RACGP guidance on AI scribes sits underneath it and still stands: consent, privacy and data location, the clinician remaining responsible for the note, an AI policy and an updated privacy policy. What to have in place →
Interpretive guide for non-traditional practices updated
The RACGP updated its 5th edition interpretive guide for non-traditional general practices, covering how GP6.1A, B and C apply. Still the 5th edition, still the edition you are assessed against today.
Entries are added as announcements land. Each one is checked against the source and, where we add our own expectation, it is labelled as our view. Something we’ve missed? Tell us.
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