Physiotherapy Practice Accreditation

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The Australian Physiotherapy Association has a formal partnership agreement with Quality in Practice Pty. Ltd. (QIP), a subsidiary of Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited (AGPAL), to provide practice accreditation services for Australian physiotherapy practices for and on behalf of the APA.

Physiotherapy Practice Accreditation

Review of the Physiotherapy Practice Accreditation Program

Proposed Pathways to Accreditation

Pilot Accreditation Project

Outcomes of the Pilot

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Accreditation Standards – APA Standards for Physiotherapy Practices (8^th edition: 2011 Update)

Physiotherapy Practice Accreditation

Since 2005, the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) has had a formal partnership agreement with Quality in Practice Pty Ltd (QIP) to provide accreditation services for Australian Physiotherapy Practices for and on behalf of the APA. QIP is a subsidiary of Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited (AGPAL).

QIP is a leading independent provider of accreditation services to the primary health care industry in Australia, servicing diagnostic imaging, dentistry, retirement villages, physiotherapy, and other government regulated health services.

The APA Board of Directors is confident that a partnership with QIP will deliver an improved accreditation program for the physiotherapy industry.
Review of the Physiotherapy Practice Accreditation Program

Review of the Physiotherapy Practice Accreditation Program

In 2011, the APA and QIP completed a lengthy review of both the physiotherapy practice accreditation program and the APA Standards for Physiotherapy Practices (8th Edition, revised). The review was conducted in response to feedback about the original program, and developments in the external environment relating to accreditation, such as the release of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards and their likely impact on industry standards.

As a result, the Standards have been streamlined, condensing the number of Indicators down from 158 to 78. There have been no changes to the number of Standards (five) or Criteria (38). Amendments to the Standards have reduced the overall volume of explicit assessment requirements, reduced the duplication and prescription, strengthened measurability and enhanced the focus on outcomes. The revised Standards have also simplified both the self-assessment and surveyor assessment processes while maintaining a stronger focus on the intended outcomes of the Standards.

The APA Standards for Physiotherapy Practices (8th Edition: 2011 Update) were released in June 2011.

Proposed Pathways to Accreditation

The APA has approved two pathways towards accreditation against the APA Standards for Physiotherapy Practices (8th Edition: 2011 Update): Entry Level Accreditation or Full Accreditation.

Entry Level Accreditation

It is proposed that practices that choose to commence their accreditation journey via the entry level accreditation pathway must comply with all non-asterixed Indicators in the APA Standards. Practices will be required to provide documentary evidence to enable a desktop assessment to be undertaken by a peer surveyor to achieve accreditation against the entry level Standards.

Note: A peer surveyor is a Physiotherapist registered with the Australian Health Professionals Registration Authority (AHPRA).

Full Accreditation

It is proposed that practices that choose full accreditation must comply with all APA Standards, including those with an asterix. Assessment against the full suite of Standards will involve the entry level process, supplemented by an on-site assessment undertaken by a peer surveyor. It is anticipated that full accreditation will be available from 2013.

Pilot Accreditation Project

The APA engaged QIP to undertake a pilot of the proposed accreditation process. Practices whose accreditation was on-hold, pending the outcomes of the review, were invited to participate. The pilot is being conducted between January and March, with an evaluation report to be provided to the APA by June 2012.

For the purposes of the pilot, practices will achieve accreditation via the Entry Level pathway, which involves:
• the practice undertaking a self-assessment against the revised Standards (all non-asterixed Indicators) and providing documents to show how the practice meets the requirements of the Standards;
• a desktop audit of the practice's self-assessment conducted by a peer surveyor, supplemented by a telephone interview with the principal physiotherapist; and
• development of a practice quality improvement plan and regular reporting against the plan.

QIP's processes are transparent with all aspects of the accreditation process clearly articulated. Practices participating in the pilot are supported by a range of resources, including access to AccreditationPro, QIP's web-based self-assessment tool, resource materials, and a dedicated Accreditation Consultant.

Practices that successfully complete the pilot accreditation process will be accredited against the Entry Level Standards for a period of three years. Each practice will receive a certificate of accreditation, and their details will be published on QIP's website as an accredited physiotherapy practice.

Outcomes of the Pilot

QIP will conduct an evaluation of the pilot project during April and May, and present a report to the APA Board of Directors by June 2012.

It is anticipated that the Physiotherapy Practice Accreditation Program will be re-launched in the second half of 2012.

Further information
If you would like any further information about the physiotherapy practice accreditation pilot project, please contact QIP on 1300 888 329 or by email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The APA is the custodian of the Standards against which physiotherapy practices will be accredited.
The Standards are designed to help physiotherapy practices in the private sector deliver safe, high quality health care and embrace continuous quality improvement as good business practice