Accreditation practice pointer: our patients can access after-hours care

After hours update

GP1.3 B Our patients can access after-hours care

RACGP Standards for general practice

Emergency departments in rural and remote areas welcome all patients, which ultimately impacts on indicators related to after-hours care for some practices during their initial accreditation assessment. 

Ahead of the 2026 publication of the 6th edition standards, the RACGP has introduced an interim measure to clarify the requirements of criterion “GP 1.3 – Care outside of normal hours” within the RACGP Standards for general practices, 5th edition. RACGP now stipulates that general practice, which cannot provide after-hours care or obtain a formal agreement with an after-hours provider may now inform patients how to access care provided by clinicians who meet Australian health professional obligations when the practice is not open. 

General practice must include details of after-hours care received in the patients’ health record where these have been provided. 

Practices can also support the after-hours care of patients, where possible, by:

• maintaining a roster showing which practice team members are on-call for after-hours

• participating in a cooperative arrangement with another practice to deliver after-hours care

• having formal arrangements in place with other providers, such as a medical deputising service, to deliver after-hours care

• having an agreement with local healthcare providers that operate outside of your normal opening hours

• having an after-hours phone message that tells patients where they can access after-hours care

• directing patients to a list of after-hours providers, either on the practice website, social media, after-hours telephone message or posters around the practice.