Accreditation has opened access to funding and incentives that will help Fernbank sustain its model of aged care, while formally recognising the quality of care it provides.

Its achievement is timely: the accreditation exemption available to eligible mobile and outreach practices registered with MyMedicare ends on 31 December 2026.

Fernbank, owned and operated by GP Dr Natasha Aylen, provides general practice care exclusively to residents of aged care homes across the Mornington Peninsula.

Dr Aylen is supported by Practice Nurse and Practice Manager, Claire Hewitson, who, as is often the case in a two-person team, wears many hats.

The road to accreditation

Fernbank has been providing care to aged care residents for over 18 years, but until recently, its model meant it could not undergo the same accreditation process as a traditional bricks-and-mortar general practice.

A change to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) definition of a general practice in 2024, created a pathway to accreditation for services without a fixed physical location, provided their care is comprehensive and continuous.

Initially, however, Dr Aylen wasn't convinced.

“Michele Frederiks [SEMPHN Provider Support Officer] let us know early on when the definition had changed, but it took us a while to get organised enough to start,” Dr Aylen said.

“I think we were concerned that we wouldn’t be able to achieve what we needed to in the year.”

The incentive to begin the process became stronger as the team understood what accreditation could unlock.

Accreditation can enable eligible practices to access the Practice Incentives Program (PIP), Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) and MyMedicare incentives, including the General Practice in Aged Care Incentive, which supports regular visits and care planning for permanent aged care residents.

“Working in aged care there’s a lot of unpaid work and a lot of after-hours work. That’s why a lot of GPs don’t want to do it. And that’s why these incentives help,” Dr Aylen said.

For Dr Aylen, greater financial sustainability also means being able to take time away from the practice when needed.

“We really pride ourselves on the fact that we provide a really thorough, above-and-beyond service, and we wanted to be recognised for that,” Dr Aylen said.

Accreditation requires practices to demonstrate that they meet the RACGP Standards for general practices through an assessment by an independent accreditation agency.

Navigating the non-bricks and mortar approach

For a non-traditional practice, however, working through Standards originally developed primarily around conventional general practice created some unusual challenges.

Fernbank doesn't have consulting rooms patients walk into each day. Instead, the practice provides care within independently operated aged care homes.

“Some of the challenges included interpreting what we needed to do as a non-traditional practice versus a traditional practice based on the templates provided, because they didn’t always match what a non-traditional practice would provide,” Claire said.

That meant Claire and Dr Aylen had to work through each requirement and determine how it related to Fernbank's model.

While the process involved significant work, it also prompted the team to review its operations, introduce regular audits and strengthen accountability. Dr Aylen said accreditation also gives residents and families greater reassurance and trust in Fernbank’s care.

Practical guidance at every step

SEMPHN’s Provider Support Officers help practices understand accreditation requirements, work through unfamiliar processes and connect with relevant programs. For Fernbank, Provider Support Officer Michele Frederiks provided this practical guidance throughout the journey, checking in regularly with Claire and Dr Aylen.

“At the start I was really reticent about doing accreditation and I kept putting it off,” Dr Aylen said.

“But Michele just kept gently letting us know that we could do it and that we had everything we needed.”

This support was particularly valuable when the team began navigating incentive programs available to accredited practices.

“She would check in with us regularly and provided a lot of support when I was stuck with things, especially around setting up and claiming the WIP and PIP,” Claire said.

For Dr Aylen, that support also helped validate Fernbank's less conventional model of general practice.

“She made us feel visible as a non-traditional practice,” she said.

With its first accreditation complete, Fernbank has mapped its ongoing requirements and evidence in a calendar to make the next cycle easier.

The team hopes the process will continue to become easier as accreditation evolves to better accommodate newer models of general practice.

For other non-traditional practices considering accreditation Dr Aylen's advice is simple:

“I reckon they should just have a go!”

She recommends interpreting the standards in the context of the practice, breaking the work into manageable parts and sharing responsibility across the team. Claire agreed that clearly assigning each task helped Fernbank manage the process, even with only two people.

For Fernbank, accreditation has not changed the model of care it provides. Instead, it has formally recognised it, while creating new opportunities to make that care sustainable for the people delivering it and the aged care residents who rely on them.

Considering accreditation?

If your non-traditional general practice is considering accreditation or has started the process and needs support, contact your Provider Support Officer or email providersupport@semphn.org.au. SEMPHN’s Provider Support Officers can help you work through questions and challenges and connect you with the right support.