A survey of about 1200 GPs, including nearly 300 practice owners, found the newest accreditation standards are perceived as unnecessary and burdensome.
Eight out of 10 GPs say the RACGP’s sixth edition standards are “too onerous”, according to a poll conducted by CPD provider Healthed.
The 181-page sixth edition of Standards for general practices contained 31 fewer mandatory criteria overall, for a total of 86, but upgraded several aspirational items to mandatory status from the previous edition.
While 81% agreed accreditation was important for maintaining minimum standards in GP clinics, a similar proportion (82%) said there were too many unnecessary and burdensome requirements.
Although more divided, 61% of respondents found current accreditation processes obstructive to good practice. This was higher among practice owners, with 75% in agreement.
Dr Louise Acland, chair of the RACGP expert committee, said the new standards, released in August, represented “continuity amid change”, with a new focus on artificial intelligence and environmental sustainability.
But the sustainability standards, which included measures such as installing rainwater tanks, cutting single-use items, purchasing carbon offsets, improving building insulation, considering a switch to 100% renewable energy, and installing low-water-use toilets, drew criticism.
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Just over a third of GP practice owners were unfamiliar with the new environmental sustainability requirements.
Among those familiar, 73% said the new sustainability requirements on staffing and financial demands moderately or substantially affected their ability to provide the best possible patient care.
“Additional staffing time, administration and financial expenditure can place pressure on already limited practice resources. Environmental initiatives are worthwhile when they are practical and cost-effective, but they should not divert significant resources from patient care,” one GP said.
In a comment piece for TMR, Newcastle GP and practice owner Dr Max Mollenkopf questioned the necessity of giving bike racks, EV chargers and power audits equal weight to preserving sensitive health data and keeping vaccines at a safe temperature.
It’s a criticism GPs in Healthed’s survey also raised.
“There are conflicting demands – e.g. have a climate-responsible person, and use disposable instruments if you can’t afford the new sterilisers,” one GP wrote.
“We are a small practice with a few GP contractors who already resent paying the clinic a proportion of their fees, so how does the clinic cover the extra costs of these ridiculous, not evidence-based and unnecessary requirements,” wrote another.
Other respondents said the requirements were a “step too far for multi-tasking GPs”, or were better focused on monitoring hospital waste.
While RACGP president Dr Michael Wright said the standards were intended to be “outcomes-focused” rather than prescriptive, rigid processes, 79% of Healthed’s respondents disagreed, saying the process lacked flexibility.
