The quality standard specialist practices have been missing.
The Specialist Practice Quality Framework (SPQF) is a free, open-source quality standard for Australian specialist medical practices. It provides eight quality domains, 57 quality statements, and 369 indicators - designed for practices that have no equivalent of the RACGP Standards. Self-assessed, voluntary, and free to use.
Free. Open source. No registration required.
Last updated March 2026
Eight Quality Domains
Eight domains, 57 quality statements, and 369 indicators - together, they cover the full scope of running a safe, effective, and well-managed specialist medical practice.
Clinical Governance
We have clear accountability for the safety and quality of care in our practice.
Patient Safety
We identify and manage risks to patient safety before they cause harm.
Clinical Effectiveness
We provide evidence-based care and monitor our clinical outcomes.
Patient Experience
We treat every patient with dignity and respect, and we listen to their feedback.
Information Governance
We manage patient information securely and in accordance with our legal obligations.
Workforce
Our team has the qualifications, skills, and support to deliver safe, high-quality care.
Environment
Our physical and digital environment supports safe care and a positive experience.
Continuous Improvement
We actively seek to improve what we do and can demonstrate progress over time.
Why this framework exists
General practices have had the RACGP Standards and a well-established accreditation pathway for over 30 years. Specialist medical practices have nothing equivalent. There is no mandatory practice-level accreditation, no agreed quality benchmark, and no widely recognised framework for how a specialist practice should be run.
This framework changes that. It gives specialist medical practices a clear, practical benchmark for quality and safety - one designed specifically for the way specialist practices operate, not adapted from hospital standards or borrowed from general practice.
Learn more about the SPQFHow it works
Self-assess
Work through each domain. For each indicator, record whether your practice meets it, partially meets it, or has a gap.
Prioritise
Identify the highest-risk gaps and the quick wins. Build a realistic improvement plan with timelines and responsibilities.
Implement
Make the changes, update your policies, train your team, and collect the evidence.
Review
Revisit your self-assessment annually. Quality is not a destination - it is a cycle.
Frequently asked questions
The Specialist Practice Quality Framework (SPQF) is a free, open-source quality standard designed specifically for Australian specialist medical practices. It provides eight quality domains, 57 quality statements, and 369 indicators that cover the full scope of running a safe, effective, and well-managed specialist practice. It is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
The SPQF is written for practice managers and practice owners of specialist medical practices in Australia. That includes any practice where patients are seen by referral - whether it is a solo dermatologist, a multi-specialist surgical group, a cardiology practice, or a psychiatry clinic. It is not designed for hospitals, day hospitals, or general practices.
No. The SPQF is entirely voluntary. There is no legal requirement for specialist practices to hold practice-level accreditation in Australia. The SPQF is a self-assessment tool that helps practices measure and improve their quality against a structured benchmark, at their own pace.
The RACGP Standards for General Practices are designed for GP clinics and are tied to a formal accreditation process required for PIP and other incentive payments. The SPQF is designed specifically for specialist practices that see patients by referral. It is voluntary, self-assessed, free, and does not require an external surveyor.
The NSQHS Standards (National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards) are mandatory for hospitals and day procedure services. They are assessed by external accrediting bodies. The SPQF is voluntary, self-assessed, and calibrated for the scale and operations of specialist consulting practices rather than hospital environments.
No. The SPQF is a self-assessment framework. There is no external surveyor, no inspection visit, and no fee barrier. You work through the standards at your own pace, identify where you are strong and where you have gaps, and build an improvement plan.
Nothing. The SPQF is completely free. It is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC-BY 4.0). You can use, adapt, and share it for any purpose - including commercial use - at no cost. No registration is required.
Want the tools to implement the SPQF?
The SPQF tells you what good looks like. Clinically Ready gives you the tools to get there and stay there - policies, audit tools, registers, and improvement plans, built on the eight SPQF domains.
Learn about Clinically Ready