Accreditation practice pointer: providing different consultation types

GP1.1 A Our practice provides different consultation types to accommodate patients’ needs.

RACGP Standards for general practice.

Patients seek primary healthcare from general practice for many different reasons. Providing a range of different appointments enables general practice to accommodate all patients and their varying requirements: complex or preventative; long or short; recall or urgent, among others.  

General practice must provide a variety of consultation types and retain evidence of this to meet the Criterion. Practices can achieve this by: 

  • documenting and maintaining care plans, reviews, and health summaries in each patient’s health records

  • maintaining an appointment system (electronic or paper-based) showing a variety of appointment types, including

    • long

    • short

    • walk-in

    • recall

  • reserving times for urgent appointments on the day

  • displaying a sign in the patient waiting area explaining short, standard and long appointments

  • displaying a sign on the front of the clinic providing the contact details for urgent care that is available outside normal opening hours

  • offering technology-based consultations, eg telehealth consults.

Margot Schoonmaker