Criterion GP3.1 – Qualifications, education and training of healthcare practitioners

Why this is important

Having only healthcare practitioners who are suitably qualified reduces the risk of medical errors and means that your practice provides patients with safe, quality care.

All healthcare practitioners must:

• be suitably qualified and trained
• maintain the knowledge and skills that enable them to provide quality clinical care
• comply with the professional development requirements and code of conduct of the relevant professional organisation, regardless of whether they are a member of the organisation
• work within their scope of practice and competencies.

Meeting this Criterion

Registration, credentialing and CPD

Practitioners have the responsibility to maintain their relevant national registrations, have proof of their credentialing, and comply with their ongoing CPD requirements.

CPD and other training relevant to your position

Practitioners must consider what CPD and other training is relevant to their position and patient population. This may include development related to: • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness
• cross-cultural safety
• communicating with patients with communication needs (eg patients from culturally and linguistic diverse backgrounds or with a communication impairment)
• managing ethical dilemmas.

CPD and other training can be undertaken by completing external courses, in-house programs, or ‘on the job’ training at the practice.

General practice is a specialist discipline

Doctors in general practices need to be appropriately trained and qualified in the discipline of general practice and be either vocationally recognised, or have achieved Fellowship of the RACGP (FRACGP).

The RACGP defines a GP as a registered medical practitioner who:

• is qualified and competent for general practice in Australia
• has the skills and experience to provide patient-centred, continuing, comprehensive, coordinated primary care to individuals, families and communities
• maintains professional competence for general practice by undertaking CPD.

Registrars and doctors on a pathway to Fellowship must be supported, mentored and supervised by a recognised GP.

Where vocationally recognised GPs and doctors on a pathway to Fellowship are unavailable

Although it may not be possible to recruit vocationally recognised GPs in some areas, practice doctors who are not recognised GPs need to be appropriately trained and qualified to meet the needs of the local community.

In these circumstances, one or more of the qualified GPs in your practice must supervise, mentor and support the other practice doctors. Adequate professional and personal support for doctors providing general practice services is critical.

CPR training

All healthcare practitioners must be trained in CPR so they can respond appropriately in the event of an emergency. CPR training must comply with Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) guidelines and include the operation of an automated external defibrillator (AED) according to manufacturers' instructions.

CPR training can be conducted by an accredited training provider or by clinical team members who are appropriately qualified. These clinical team members must have a current CPR instructor’s certificate that complies with ARC guidelines on instructor competencies.

The ARC requires that CPR trainees physically demonstrate their skills at the completion of the course. CPR training that is completed solely online does not meet this requirement. For clinical team members, CPR training must be undertaken within the RACGP Continuing Professional Development (CPD) triennium, or in accordance with CPR recommendations set by their professional organisation, at least once every three years.

Practice equipment

Training requirements depend on the specific equipment at your practice, and the equipment’s relevance to the clinical team member’s role. The clinical team must be trained in how to use the practice’s equipment safely in order to avoid any adverse events. The practice’s GPs must assess whether specific training is required to use the practice’s equipment, such as the height-adjustable bed, and point-of-care testing equipment, and determine whether ongoing training is required. Appropriate training can be undertaken by completing external courses, in-house programs, or ‘on the job’ training at the practice.

Meeting each Indicator

GP3.1 A Members of our clinical team:

• have current national registration where applicable
• have accreditation/certification with their relevant professional association
• actively participate in continuing professional development (CPD) relevant to their position and in accordance with their legal and professional organisation’s requirements
• have undertaken training in CPR, in accordance with the recommendations of their professional organisation, or at least every three years.

You must:

You could:

• keep training logs that record training that practitioners have completed
• keep a calendar that lists opportunities for training and professional development
• conduct annual performance reviews that identify learning and development goals
• store documents that record training needs and completed training of each member of the practice team.

GP3.1 B GPs working in our practice are one or more of the following:

• A vocationally registered (VR) GP
• A medical practitioner on a pathway to general practice Fellowship
• A general practice registrar under appropriate supervision from a qualified VR GP
• Working under an approved workforce program

Where recruitment of recognised GPs or doctors on a pathway to Fellowship has been unsuccessful, our practice ensures doctors have the qualifications and training necessary to meet the needs of patients.

You must:

You could:

• keep copies of job advertisements that the practice has used to recruit GPs.

GP3.1 C Our clinical team is trained to use the practice’s equipment that they need to perform their role safely and effectively.

You must:

You could:

• keep training logs that record training that practitioners have completed, particularly in the use of specialist or emergency equipment
• keep a training and development calendar, showing when refresher training needs to be completed
• conduct annual performance reviews that identify learning and development goals
• store documents that record training needs and completed training of each member of the practice team
• educate clinical team members so they know how to use the practice equipment relevant to their role
• register any issues, near misses or adverse events related to the use of equipment in your practice’s incident or event register (as per Criterion QI3.1 – Managing clinical risks)
• record any discussions, actions and/or quality improvement taken in response to events related to the use of equipment in your incident or event register.