Accreditation - Practice Support

WentWest provides support to general practice through resources, education and practice visits on accreditation. Complete the following fax sheet and please fax back to us on (02) 9622 3448 indicating the service(s) you would like to receive: Accreditation services available to practices.

Benefits of Having Your Practice Accredited:

• Increased practice efficiency, reduced risk and the assurance that your practice is up-to-date with current trends and best practices;
• Improves staff morale through increased management efficiencies;
• Provides access to the Commonwealth’s Practice Incentives Program (PIP) and 20 RACGP category 2 CPD points;
• Improves patient services in terms of communication, patient management, preventative health and medical records;
• Improves safety for workers, patients and visitors;
• Development and/or upgrade of Practice policies and procedures;
• Best practice guidelines on clinical and practice management including reducing clinical risk .

How WentWest Supports Your Practice:

• Advice and support on meeting the RACGP standards;
• Template manuals for policies and procedures, computer security guidelines, triage processes, recall and reminder system implementation amongst other resources;
• In-practice training sessions for GPs and practice staff;
• Reception and administration staff in-practice training sessions;
• Data CD containing the essentials to ensure all areas of the practice are covered before accreditation;
• Interview rehearsals and simulation visits; and
• Confidential assessment and advice prior to registering for accreditation.

The 4th Edition RACGP Standards have been released Step 1: Download your own copy of the  RACGP 4th Edition Standards by going to: http://www.racgp.org.au/standards/fourthedition/pdf Step 2: Take a look at a summary of the differences between the 3rd and 4th Edition Standards by downloading it at: http://www.racgp.org.au/standards/fourthedition/whatsdifferent Step 3: Download the new version of the RACGP Computer Security Guidelines by going to: http://www.racgp.org.au/ehealth/csg Step 4: If your accreditation period ends in12 months or less, contact WentWest now for assistance by emailing:  support@wentwest.com.au

Infection Control

Infection control has a number of aspects. These concern the sterility of clinical equipment, the occupational health and safety of staff, and managing the risk of cross infection in the practice environment.

Infection control processes should be documented within a practice. Infection control written policies need to include:

• Sharps injury management policy;
• Blood and body fluid spills management;
• Hand hygiene;
• A regular cleaning schedule describing the frequency of cleaning, products and procedures in clinical and non-clinical areas of the practice;
• The provision of sterile instruments whether by the use of disposables, or by on-site or off-site sterilisation of re-useable instruments;
• Procedures for all aspects of the sterilisation process if instruments are sterilised on-site or for those instruments sterilised off-site, procedures covering both their sterilisation and transport. There should be procedures for validating or obtaining evidence of validation for all on and off-site aspects of sterilisation;
• Procedures for waste management including the safe storage and disposal of clinical waste (including sharps);
• The appropriate use of standard and additional precautions; and
• Prevention of disease in the workplace by serology and immunisation.

For assistance with any of these policies, contact us at support@wentwest.com.au or (02) 8811 7100. To read more about Infection Control best practice, go to: http://www.racgp.org.au/infectioncontrol

Links and Resources:

• Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited
• 4th Ed. RACGP Standards Workshop Slides
• General Practice Accreditation
• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards
• General Practice Computing Group
• Computer Security Requirements
• Accreditation Tips Manual
• Blood and Body Substance Spills Protocol
• Assessing the need for a Steriliser
• Flu Poster
• Correct use of PPE
• Sterilising Steps 1-6
• Height Adjustable Beds Amendment to the Standards
• Induction checklist for reprocessing reusable equipment
• Sinks for Processing Instruments - webv
• Infection Control Book for Office Based Practice 2009

More Information:

To find out more about accreditation, contact your WentWest Area Services Coordinator on (02) 8811 7100or email: support@wentwest.com.au.

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