Macksville Medical Centre receives national award of accreditation

Macksville Medical Centre, has again proven its commitment to quality and safety within its practice, by receiving a national award of accreditation this month.

Macksville Medical Centre, the oldest medical centre in town, has a great tradition of providing quality care. This accreditation is an important recognition from the Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited (AGPAL), the leading not-for-profit provider of general practice accreditation services within Australia.

AGPAL Chair, Dr Richard Choong, said accreditation shows that the practice makes a significant investment and commitment to quality on a day-to-day basis, across all levels of the practice team.

“Achieving accreditation is a major achievement for any practice and a clear demonstration that Macksville Medical Centre is striving to improve their level of care to both patients and the community,” he said.

“Practices seek accreditation because they want to do their best and view this as another step towards excellence in patient care.”

To achieve this accreditation, the Macksville Medical Centre worked tirelessly over a 12-month period to ensure the practice and its staff met and maintained the 44 criterion of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards for general practices. These standards provide a recognised national benchmark for general practices and services, and a template for quality care and risk management.

The AGPAL accreditation program supports general practices to provide a range of expectations for patients surrounding safety and care. The accreditation process involves an independent on-site assessment of the practice’s environment and their processes.

Areas of focus during the Macksville Medical Centre’s on-site assessment included: ensuring vaccine and cold chain management protocols were met, that the practice and its equipment were clean and sterile, staff were up-to-date with their training, and that the practice had business risk management and emergency plans available.

Dr Choong said accreditation is attainable only through cooperation and communication between staff members.

“Everyone at the practice plays a valuable role in working to meet the RACGP Standards. It gives staff a real sense of pride to work in an AGPAL accredited practice,” added Dr Choong.

“We want our community to know that their wellbeing is our top priority. We always aim the deliver the highest possible care to patients who visit Macksville Medical Centre, and as an AGPAL accredited practice, patients know they will continue to receive great quality and safe care,” said Casey Shorter, Practice Manager at Macksville Medical Centre.

Macksville Medical Centre, located at 36 Wallace Street Macksville, offers a range of services, including GP appointments and is a registered immunisation provider.  To find out more please contact the practice on 02 6568 1155, visit its website or email reception@macksvillemedical.com.au