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Please note RACGP offices will be closing 5pm Tuesday 23rd December until Friday 2 January 2026 for the holidays.


Competencies arranged by Role

Health advocate and leader


Progressive capability profile of the specialist general practitioner

Last revised: 11 Aug 2025

The specialist GP as a health advocate and leader


This role includes the work a specialist general practitioner does to support patients and communities, lead healthcare teams and manage the provision of care in safe sustainable practices and systems.

 

Milestone competencies

Capability

Theme

Entry

Foundation

Consolidation

Fellowship

Advocate for access to care

Advocate for individual patients

Identify barriers to healthcare for patients

Recognise potential approaches to addressing barriers to healthcare for patients

Facilitate access to care for individuals

Use innovative approaches to overcome obstacles to care for individuals

Addressing health inequality and inequity

Identify the determinants that contribute to poorer health outcomes in population groups

Identify culturally appropriate health services to support individuals from specific population groups to optimise health

Identify and address causes of systemic disadvantage that impact local community health and access to care

Identify strategies to improve health equality and equity in the local community

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Identify some factors contributing to the health inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Understand the key social, colonial, historical and systemic factors contributing the health inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Apply knowledge of health inequities to provide patient-centred, strengths based and culturally safe care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities. 

Identify opportunities for engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations and health leaders that are progressing health equity and support their efforts to inform policy development and health system reform

Systemic causes of inequity, including discrimination and racism

Recognise that there are systemic healthcare barriers that discriminate against specific population groups resulting in health inequity

Identify potential approaches to addressing systemic healthcare barriers

Identify advocacy opportunities to address systemic healthcare barriers that are relevant to the general practice context and participate when feasible and reasonable

Advocate for systemic changes to optimise health outcomes

Coordinate care and lead healthcare teams

Working within a multi-disciplinary team

Work respectfully and collaborate effectively with colleagues in healthcare teams

Identify patient care needs and coordinate care with relevant team members

Collaborate with health care teams to provide effective, efficient patient-centred care

Lead collaborative healthcare teams providing continuity, and efficient, effective care respectful of patient preferences

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Recognize and respect the unique knowledge and perspectives of identified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health experts including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners/ workers/ liaison officers, nurses, psychologists, specialists other culturally relevant allied health experts

Identify opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health experts to be part of the healthcare team

 Work collaboratively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health experts within the healthcare team.

Provide opportunities to elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health expertise to strengthen culturally informed and responsive care that improves health outcomes

Responsibly steward healthcare system utilisation

Rational use of Australian healthcare system

Understand the Australian healthcare system structure and the concept of resource limitations

Use the healthcare system in the context of general practice and rationally use resources

Utilise healthcare resources judiciously and maintain compliance with program guidelines

Utilise health system resources responsibly, effectively and efficiently

Promote practice quality, safety and viability

Technology

Understand that effective use of technology and eHealth systems can optimise patient care

Use eHealth systems appropriately in the delivery of patient care

Use eHealth systems and technology tools to support patient care taking into consideration their benefits and risks

Use developing technology and eHealth systems in practice to optimise patient care

Practice systems

Understand systems-based approaches to safe quality care

Utilise core practice systems in general practice to provide safe quality care

Effectively use the full range of practice systems in general practice to provide safe quality care

Contribute to identifying and implementing improvements in practice systems

Near misses and adverse events (including critical incidents)

Identify, report and debrief with a supervisor after near misses and adverse events (including critical incidents)

Identify and discuss with supervisor, near misses and adverse events (including critical incidents) in the general practice context

Analyse individual and system factors that contributed to near misses and adverse events (including critical incidents) and identify mitigating initiatives

Participate in or lead review of near misses and adverse events (including critical incidents) and support quality clinical governance in own practice

Quality improvement initiatives

Understand the principles of quality improvement

Understand how quality improvement principles can be applied in general practice

Participate in and generate new quality improvement initiatives

Identify and lead quality improvement initiatives

General practice as a business

Recognise key differences between the business elements of general practice and hospitals

Recognise the value of clinical services provided and how that contributes to the practice as a business

Understand the general practice environment and the essentials of business that influence practice viability

Understand the basis of the management of a general practice as an ethical, legal and viable business

Safe workplaces

Identify issues that can arise in ensuring physical, mental and cultural safety of the work environment as it applies to staff as well as patients

Participate in ensuring the general practice work environment is physically, mentally and culturally safe and supported

Address issues that are impacting on the physical, mental and cultural safety of the general practice work environment

Actively promote a work environment that is physically, mentally and culturally safe and supportive, which facilitates clinical safety

 
 
 

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