Clarity of purpose and strong governance are foundational to safe, high‑quality general practice.

In the Standards for general practices (6th edition), F1 – Defining and planning for the practice brings these elements together through a clear focus on mission, vision, values, and structured planning. These expectations reflect contemporary governance practice and recognise the diversity of service models delivering GP‑led care across Australia.

Although F1 represents a new and more structured section within the Standards, the underlying activities – such as planning, articulating purpose, and managing risk – are not new to general practice. Many practices already undertake these processes in various forms. The sixth edition provides a clearer, more consistent framework that brings these familiar elements together, making expectations explicit and easier to demonstrate for accreditation.

A foundation built on mission, vision and values

For the first time, the Standards ask practices to formally document their mission, vision and values and ensure they are communicated to the practice team and consumers. These statements form the foundation for organisational culture, decision‑making and service planning.

The intention is practical: when purpose and values are visible and actively embedded, they help shape team culture, team communication, performance discussions and improvement efforts.

Strategic and operational planning: Turning purpose into action

F1 introduces structured expectations for both strategic and operational planning – elements that many practices already engage with informally.

• The strategic plan establishes the practice’s longer‑term direction, high‑level goals and priorities. It must be documented, reviewed every two years, and have assigned responsibilities.
• The operational plan outlines the concrete objectives and activities that guide daily operations and service delivery, also requiring structured review and monitoring.

By formalising these familiar processes, the Standards help practices connect their mission, vision and values to practical actions, measurable objectives and ongoing improvement.

Good governance for safer, more reliable care

Strong governance supports safe, accountable and well‑coordinated care. F1 sets out clear expectations for:

• defined roles and responsibilities
• oversight of quality, safety and performance
• documented governance arrangements, scaled to the practice size and context
• regular review of how governance systems are working in practice.

Practices must also maintain a structured approach to risk management, including a risk register, documented mitigation strategies and regular review. This ensures risks, whether clinical, operational or environmental, are identified early and responded to systematically.

To support ethical practice, F1 includes expectations for identifying, reviewing and resolving ethical issues. The process needs to be clear, known to the team and accessible.

Clear, current and accessible systems

Policies and procedures need to be current, accurate, accessible and version‑controlled, with review at least every two years. This helps ensure consistency across teams and locations, particularly for practices with multiple sites or mixed service models.

Applicable to every service model

These elements of the Standards apply equally across all service types. Fixed‑site clinics, mobile services, outreach programs and co‑located or hybrid models can all demonstrate how they meet these criteria by showing that their governance, planning and systems reflect their mission, context and model of care.

This reinforces that strong governance is essential not because of where care is delivered, but because of how it is delivered.

A familiar foundation, strengthened for the future

Although criteria at F1 bring new structure and clarity to the Standards, its components – purpose, planning, governance and risk management – are familiar elements of general practice management. The sixth edition simply brings them together in a cohesive, outcomes‑focused framework that strengthens leadership, supports teams and enhances continuous improvement.

By grounding practice operations in clear purpose, robust governance and thoughtful planning, these criteria help practices build confidence, consistency and resilience – essential foundations for delivering safe, high‑quality, person‑centred care across every setting.