What the RACGP 6th edition means for cleaning in general practice

If you manage a medical centre, try tracing one cleaning task from the room schedule to the completion log. Can you tell who was responsible, which method they used and what happened if the task was missed? That simple check can expose gaps between the practice’s infection prevention policy and what happens on site.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has published the 6th edition of its Standards for general practices. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care says assessments under the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme still use the 5th edition, with transition arrangements to follow. Facilities managers can use the new guidance now to review cleaning arrangements while maintaining evidence for their next assessment. In a mixed healthcare facility, confirm which services fall under the general practice standards and which follow a different accreditation framework.

What the new edition means for cleaning

Criterion CG9 covers infection prevention and control (IPC). CG9.A calls for a current written policy tailored to the practice. Its guidance covers environmental cleaning in clinical and non-clinical areas, along with spills, waste and staff responsibilities. CG9.B assigns the IPC coordinator role to a clinical team member. For facilities managers, that gives the cleaning provider a clear point of contact when a routine task involves a clinical risk or needs escalation.

Under criterion CG10.A, practices need a cleaning policy aligned with the RACGP’s Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines or another relevant Australian standard. Translate that policy into instructions for each room and surface. A waiting room, a treatment room and a staff kitchen have different patterns of use, and those differences should shape the frequency, products and methods in the schedule.

Pay particular attention to the handover between clinical staff and contractors. A contractor may clean consultation room floors after hours, while a practice team member handles an examination couch between patients under the practice’s protocol. The schedule should show who owns each task and who responds if a spill or suspected contamination occurs during opening hours.

Five cleaning records to keep

1. Approved policy and risk assessment. Keep the current version, approval date and review date. Identify clinical and non-clinical areas, frequently touched surfaces and tasks that need a different response when contamination is suspected. Record who can approve changes to cleaning methods and when the team should escalate a concern.

2. Room-by-room cleaning schedule. List the area or surface, frequency, method, product, equipment and responsible role. Include both planned work and tasks triggered by use or an incident. Keep the schedule consistent with the contract so cleaners and practice staff see the same division of responsibilities.

3. Completion logs and exception records. Record what was done, when and by whom. If a room was locked or a task was missed, record the reason, who was notified and when the work was completed. For an incident that affects room availability, document the response and who authorised the room to return to use, where required.

4. Product, equipment and training records. Keep a product register with approved uses, dilution where relevant, manufacturer instructions and safety data sheet locations. Record staff induction and refresher training on site procedures, equipment, personal protective equipment and escalation. Match products to the surface and task, including where the risk assessment calls for disinfection.

5. Audit findings and corrective actions. Record the area checked, the method, what the reviewer found and who owns the follow-up. If a check finds the same surface is repeatedly missed, investigate access, timing or unclear instructions. Document the change, then repeat the check to see whether it worked.

For teams managing more than one site, use the same record format across practices and keep the schedules local. A central register can show which site has reviewed its policy, where training is due and which audit actions remain open. The local schedule still needs to reflect each site’s hours, room use and access arrangements. Give relief staff access to the current version at the point of work so a change in roster does not turn into a missed task.

Test the records against a normal shift

Pick one consultation room and follow its cleaning schedule through a full day. Ask clinical staff and cleaners to identify their own tasks, observe a handover and compare what happened with the completion log. A between-patient task may have no clear owner, or a cleaner may be scheduled before the last consultation ends. Either finding gives you something specific to fix.

Keep the records somewhere the practice manager and IPC coordinator can access. Review the schedule when rooms, services or patient flow change, and agree with your accrediting agency which edition applies to the next assessment.

Read Namoli Healthcare’s full guide to RACGP cleaning and infection prevention evidence.