Accreditation practice pointer: our clinical team can exercise autonomy when making decisions

C5.2 A Our clinical team can exercise autonomy, to the full scope of their practice, skills and knowledge, when making decisions that affect clinical care.

RACGP Standards for general practice

Primary care clinicians must be allowed to consult their patients with autonomy, within the scope of their practice. This means general practice must allow practitioners autonomy in relation to:

• overall clinical care of their patients

• referrals to other health professionals

• requesting investigations

• duration and scheduling of appointments.

All clinicians must comply with the professional and ethical obligations required by law, their relevant professional organisation, and the practice. Information about relevant codes of conduct is available at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Regular and ongoing professional development helps to maintain a practitioner’s clinical knowledge, skills and competence.