Join us as an
AGPAL Surveyor

Applications now open!

Join us as an
AGPAL Surveyor

Applications now open!

AGPAL Surveyors assess general practices against the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards for general practices (5th edition) for AGPAL, and are instrumental in improving the quality and safety of primary healthcare throughout Australia. AGPAL Surveyors work directly with our clients and are the ‘face of the company’.

AGPAL GP Surveyors and Co-Surveyors work together. They form a Surveyor Team of professionals who carry out assessments of general practices against the Standards.

A GP Surveyor is a fully qualified and practicing GP, while a Co-Surveyor is an appropriately qualified practice manager, nurse, allied health professional, or Aboriginal health worker or health practitioner with relevant experience in general practice.

When carrying out an assessment, a GP Surveyor focuses on assessing the clinical aspects of general practice, while the Co-Surveyor looks at governance and the operational facets.

Surveyors in Focus

Surveying since 1997 – Daphne Kneale, AGPAL Co-Surveyor

What I enjoy about being an AGPAL Co-Surveyor is being part of the team, to share knowledge I have gained over the years as a practice manager.

Image of AGPAL Surveyors at a remote Northern Territory clinic in 2018 for an on-site accrediation survey

A ‘Pair of Surveyors’ accreditation adventure

An accreditation adventure with on-site assessments at remote health services located in Titjikala, Yuendumu and Alpurrurulam NT communities.

Image of AGPAL GP Surveyor, A/Prof Harry Jacobs

600+ on-site assessments and counting – A/Prof Harry Jacobs, AGPAL GP Surveyor

Associate Professor Harry Jacobs is an AGPAL GP Surveyor who has completed over 600 on-site assessments since taking on the role in 1999.

Surveying since 1997 – Daphne Kneale, AGPAL Co-Surveyor

What I enjoy about being an AGPAL Co-Surveyor is being part of the team, to share knowledge I have gained over the years as a practice manager.

A ‘Pair of Surveyors’ accreditation adventure

An accreditation adventure with on-site assessments at remote health services located in Titjikala, Yuendumu and Alpurrurulam NT communities.

Surveying since 1997 – Daphne Kneale, AGPAL Co-Surveyor

What I enjoy about being an AGPAL Co-Surveyor is being part of the team, to share knowledge I have gained over the years as a practice manager.

Assessing a general practice

The three main phases of a surveyor’s work are:

The pre-assessment reading
The on-site assessment, and
The post-assessment reporting.

Pre-assessment reading includes the client’s self-assessment of their practice against the Standards and relevant legislation.

During the on-site assessment, surveyors gather evidence of the practice’s level of compliance against the Standards by completing the required observations and interview activities. The Survey Team may identify how to best support the practice with quality improvements by making recommendations to close potential or actual gaps in service, or discussing additional opportunities.

This input is intended to drive continuous improvement in areas that are relevant and important to the practice; thus, contributing to continuous improvement in safety and quality of the primary healthcare sector.

The minimum on-site assessment time is four hours, but it can be more based on the practice’s size and staff numbers.

The third and final phase of an assessment is completed when surveyors report their findings and recommendations to AGPAL.

Reports are quality checked to ensure objectivity and validity of findings. The final report is the principle source of evidence used by our Decision Makers to determine the awarding of accreditation or corrective actions required.

The entire assessment process is facilitated by AGPAL’s proprietary software, AccreditationPro. From the time a client submits their self-assessment to when AGPAL awards them accreditation, AccreditationPro is our supporting technological tool.

AccreditationPro enables our surveyors to be certain that all requirements of the Standards have been consistently and comprehensively assessed. AGPAL Surveyors are confident their ratings and recommendations are accurate, objective and valuable.

Surveying with AGPAL

Commitment required

AGPAL Surveyors are required to each year undertake a minimum of five assessments and complete at least one mandatory training session. Apart from what is practicable, there is no maximum limit on the number of assessments surveyors can carry out each year.

Each Survey Team has an AGPAL Survey Coordinator who plans the on-site assessment activities to optimise the time of everyone involved. This role is usually undertaken by the Co-Surveyor; however, the GP Surveyor is also welcome to do so.

AGPAL’s clients

Our clients are general practices, after hours and medical deputising services in all Australian states and territories. We offer specialised accreditation for Aboriginal medical services, rural and remote organisations, corporate groups, peak bodies and PHNs, and offer the option of multi-accreditation against additional standards and frameworks.

With 5000+ (and counting) clients, AGPAL Surveyors are valued for being the technical and professional experts in all assessment-related matters.

Benefits of being an AGPAL Surveyor

AGPAL Surveyors join our contract workforce and are remunerated per assessment. There is no requirement for AGPAL Surveyors to ‘give up’ their current working commitments. Your surveyor commitments fit in with your professional and personal life. You can do as much as you wish or the minimum requirement.

Working with AGPAL offers flexibility and myriad opportunities for professional and personal development.

Become a trusted source of quality improvement, while developing professionally and gaining insight into the diversity of general practices across Australia.
The autonomy of being an AGPAL Surveyor is a welcome change to delivering primary healthcare.
Learn from others and add value to your own practice by implementing innovative ideas, systems and processes.
Support and mentor peers in the process of continuous quality improvement and be acknowledged as an expert in the field.
Become a specialist in showing practices how to transform improvement opportunities into sustainable positive change.
Because of AGPAL’s software and quality checking process, surveyors are valued by peers as experts who can help them understand and put in place continuous quality improvements.

Pathway to becoming an AGPAL Surveyor

The initial AGPAL Surveyor training, outlined below, covers the full scope of the RACGP Standards, as well as report writing, and how to use and make the most of AGPAL’s software, AccreditationPro. As your surveyor experience deepens, we provide further annual training to support and enhance your assessment skills and offer professional networking opportunities to help you build relationships and exchange knowledge with your peers.

Apply

Potential Surveyors complete the application form (below)

eLearning

Trainee Surveyors complete self-paced e-Learning

observe

Trainee Surveyors attend an observation assessment

Mentoring

Trainee Surveyors participate in a mentored assessment

Eligibility

AGPAL GP Surveyor Eligibility Criteria

An AGPAL GP Surveyor fulfils all the following criteria:

Is vocationally registered under the Health Insurance (Vocational Registration of General Practitioners) Regulations 1989 (Cth)
Hold Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) or Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM)
Satisfy their college’s requirements for their continuing professional development program
Have at least five years full-time, or equivalent part-time, experience as a vocationally registered general practitioner
Be working an average of at least two sessions a week in face-to-face patient contact in an accredited general practice over the last two years, OR
Have worked an average of at least two sessions a week in face-to-face patient contact in an accredited general practice within the last two years
Possess and maintain a current Working with Children and Working with Vulnerable Persons Checks as required by state or territory departments/regulators in states where surveyor services are provided
Be in possession of a Positive Notice (satisfactory completion of National Police Check) that has been issued within the last three years
Complete ongoing surveyor training as required by the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme to maintain their competence and knowledge of the Standards, and
Must, each year, undertake a minimum of five surveys and complete at least one mandatory training session.
Must, each year, provide updated documents, as required, to AGPAL.

AGPAL Co-Surveyor Eligibility Criteria

An AGPAL Co-Surveyor fulfils all the following criteria:

Can be an appropriately qualified, nurse, practice manager, allied health professional, or Aboriginal health worker or health practitioner
Must have at least five years full-time equivalent experience
Must be working an average of at least 16 hours a week in an accredited general practice, and have done so over the last two years, OR
Have worked an average of at least 16 hours a week in an accredited general practice within the last two years
Possess and maintain a current Working with Children and Working with Vulnerable Persons Checks as required by state or territory departments/regulators in states where surveyor services are provided
Be in possession of a Positive Notice (satisfactory completion of National Police Check) that has been issued within the last three years
Complete ongoing surveyor training as required by the Scheme to maintain their competence and knowledge of the Standards, and
Must each year undertake a minimum of five surveys and complete at least one mandatory training session.
Must, each year, provide updated documents, as required, to AGPAL.