Creating safe, high quality practice environments across diverse models of care

Creating safe, high quality practice environments across diverse models of care

A safe, well designed practice environment is fundamental to delivering high quality, person centred care.

In the Standards for general practices (6th edition), CG10 – Practice environment reinforces that the setting in which care is delivered must support patient safety, practitioner wellbeing, and efficient, effective clinical workflows – regardless of how or where that care is provided.

Today, general practice spans many models beyond the traditional bricks-and-mortar clinic: fixed premises, co‑located services, outreach programs, mobile health units, home‑visiting practices and hybrid models. The sixth edition Standards recognises this diversity and takes a flexible, outcomes‑focused approach, allowing practices to demonstrate how their environment supports safe and high‑quality care in the context in which they operate.

A broad, inclusive definition of a general practice

A central foundation of the sixth edition is its definition of a general practice for the purpose of accreditation. A practice is defined by the provision of GP‑led, comprehensive, person‑centred, whole‑person and continuous care, not by the ownership, size or type of building in which services occur.

This means that practices without permanent rooms – or those operating in non‑traditional spaces – can still meet the Standards when they demonstrate that:

  • care is GP‑led
  • services are comprehensive and continuous
  • environments are safe and appropriate for the care being delivered.

The definition ensures that accreditation remains accessible and relevant to contemporary practice models, including outreach clinics, multisite services, mobile units, and home‑visiting models. It affirms that quality and safety depend on how care is delivered, not where.

CG10: A focus on outcomes, not prescribed layouts

The 6th edition maintains an outcomes‑focused design across all Standards. CG10 reflects this by specifying what the environment needs to achieve, without prescribing how a practice must configure spaces or facilities.

What matters is that the practice environment can demonstrate:

  • privacy and confidentiality, supported by appropriate physical or procedural measures
  • infection prevention and control, including cleanable surfaces, safe waste systems and adequate facilities
  • accessibility, ensuring patients – including those with disability or mobility limitations – can engage with the service safely
  • safe use of equipment, including secure storage, appropriate layouts, and systems that prevent harm
  • a supportive and safe environment for the practice team, promoting wellbeing, safety and effective workflows.

This flexibility enables practices to tailor their environment to their context while achieving consistent safety and quality outcomes.

Supporting diverse models of care

Because access needs vary across communities, many practices innovate to meet patients where they are. The Standards recognise and support this diversity. A mobile clinic, for example, may demonstrate safe care environments through:

  • secure storage and transport of equipment
  • cleanable surfaces and waste management suited to mobile settings
  • reliable communication systems
  • clear processes for maintaining privacy in varied locations.

Similarly, outreach or integrated care settings can meet CG10 by showing that their shared, rented or temporary environments still uphold the same safety, infection control and accessibility outcomes expected in permanent premises.

This flexibility enables practices to design service models that respond to community need without compromising quality.

A practice environment that reflects contemporary general practice

The sixth edition recognises that a safe and effective practice environment is not static. It needs to adapt to:

  • evolving infection control expectations
  • digital health integration and equipment needs
  • climate‑related risks such as heat, air quality or disruptions
  • changes in workforce, collaborative care and team‑based models
  • diverse patient populations and accessibility requirements.

CG10 supports this by focusing on the essential outcomes that underpin safety across all contexts, placing trust in practices to design environments that work for their model while aligning with quality and safety principles.

The Standards also outline the equipment required for safe, effective care and the expectations for maintenance, calibration and accessibility (CG11). These criteria are outcomes‑focused and adaptable across service models, enabling practices without permanent rooms to demonstrate how essential equipment is safely stored, transported and used in their context.

Bringing the emphasis back to care

At its core, CG10 reinforces that the purpose of the practice environment is to enable great care: safe, coordinated, culturally respectful and person‑centred. By emphasising outcomes over prescriptive structures, the Standards ensure that:

  • practices retain flexibility to innovate
  • accreditation remains relevant across varied models
  • safety and quality are supported in every location where general practice occurs.

No matter the setting, the focus remains the same: creating an environment that supports the delivery of safe, high‑quality, continuous care.