Revised Certificate and Procedural Accreditation Standards and Processes

Background

The Accreditation Standards and Processes for Training Sites offering the Certificate of Women’s Health (CWH), Associate Training Program (Procedural) (PTP) and Associate Training Program (Advanced Procedural) (APTP) have been updated.

In collaboration with the Conjoint Committee for Associate Procedural Training (CCAPT), the Certificate and Procedural Accreditation Standards and Processes have been redesigned to align with the Australian Medical Council (AMC) Model Accreditation Standards and Processes. For further background on the project and AMC/National Health Practitioner Ombudsman (NHPO) reports, please read this article.

Key points

Responsibility for the accreditation of Certificate and Procedural training sites will now sit under the RANZCOG Accreditation team (with approval remaining via the CCAPT), taking advantage of the ability to collect and share information across training programs.

From October 2026, reaccreditation activities will commence on a five-year cycle, with a gradual roll out to all existing training sites between 2026-2031. As detailed in the Process and Guidelines, training sites are also subject to ongoing monitoring.

The Model Standards are designed to be outcomes based, and therefore able to be used to assess multiple programs. A corresponding Evidence Guide has been developed to support sites in interpreting the standards, understanding their obligations, and knowing what evidence they can submit to show they are meeting the standards.

Reaccreditation

Prior to any accreditation activity, the training site will be contacted by the RANZCOG Accreditation team, who will distribute the relevant paperwork for completion. For those sites which also provide FRANZCOG training, reaccreditation activities will be combined wherever possible in order to reduce the administrative burden.

Relevant documents

All new and existing accredited Certificate and Procedural Training Sites must meet the Standards and Criteria and are subject to the Processes and Guidelines.

The Evidence Guide is designed to support sites by outlining how they can provide evidence for accreditation activities. While the suggested evidence list is not exhaustive, it provides examples of pre-existing resources that may demonstrate alignment with each criterion. Sites are welcome to submit relevant resources not detailed in this guide.

No action is required by training sites to initiate reaccreditation activity, however, queries about the process can be directed at any time to accreditation@ranzcog.edu.au

Communications

A version of this letter has been sent directly to the following stakeholders, either by email or Integrate notification:

Heads of Department (or equivalent)

Chief Executive Officer

Local jurisdiction contacts (in alignment with the AMC communications protocol)

PTP/APTP Training Supervisors

ITP Coordinators (for information)

Regional Committee and TAC Chairs (for information)