April 4, 2024
On February 29th, Apunipima Cape York Health Council achieved accreditation under the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) 5th Edition for its standalone Primary Health Care (PHC) Centre in Napranum. The accreditation, focused on clinically safe standards, brought with it a notable achievement—no major non-conformities, with only minor adjustments needed.
“No major non-conformities is fantastic. Our Charkil-Om PHC team should be incredibly proud of this major achievement. This is clear recognition of the great work being done on the ground in Napranum,” said Apunipima Quality & Compliance Manager, Spencer Browne.
Quality Practice Accreditation by RACGP is considered the highest standard in Primary Health Care and passing is always an organisation-wide team effort.
“The auditors were incredible impressed with the service we offer. We have robust systems, passionate staff and they all demonstrated fantastic team spirit. All areas of the organisation have an impact on RACGP’s success, from clinical staff right through to the cleaners, and Cairns-based teams as well like travel and infrastructure,” Mr Browne said.
There are lots of positive flow on effects that the accreditation has for Apunipima at various levels, and this accreditation comes after Mossman Gorge, Aurukun and Kowanyama all received it in 2023.
“RACGP is a necessity for funding contracts and ensures that we are able to maintain and grow the services we offer in remote communities,” Mr Browne said.
Napranum PHC Centre Manager, Debra Jia said that accreditation doesn’t happen without the complete support of all PHC staff, including both community-based and FIFO workers.
“To pass accreditation especially to such a high standard, requires the commitment of all staff to a high level of compliance. I’m so proud of the Napranum team,” Mrs Jia said.
Mrs Jia added that on top of being important for the organisation it’s also important for the community of Napranum.
“At a local level, this shows that clinically, we’re doing a good job which deepens the community’s trust in the organisation, and it lets other stakeholders know that we’re a professional outfit with the community’s best interests at heart.”
