FAQs

No. QSPP builds on the foundations of QCPP, but the emphasis shifts from having documents in place to showing how quality and safety systems are understood, used, monitored and improved. Many existing policies, procedures and records may remain relevant, but pharmacies should check them against the current User Assessment Guide.

QSPP accreditation recognises that a community pharmacy is compliant with AS85000:2024 and demonstrates a commitment to excellence and quality in patient care.

Check out our Program Overview for more information.

QSPP becomes the national accreditation program from 1 October 2026. The QSPP Program Rules apply to pharmacies with an application, assessment or Accreditation Expiry Date on or after that date.

Existing QCPP-registered pharmacies are not expected to register again solely because of the transition, and the pharmacy’s existing ID remains the same. Pharmacies should still complete any portal, MFA, declarations or acceptance steps communicated directly to them.

No. Start by identifying what your pharmacy already does well. Then use the User Assessment Guide and mapping resources to check what carries across, what needs updating and what is new. The strongest preparation is to make existing systems genuine, current and consistently used.

No. QSPP preparation should not become a document-creation exercise. Some matters appropriately require a policy or procedure, but other requirements may be demonstrated through records, observation, system outputs, staff explanations, meeting minutes, audits or examples of improvement.

QSPP assesses pharmacies across four domains:

• Clinical governance and leadership
• Safely delivering medicines and pharmacy services
• Partnering with consumers and the community
• Business governance and operations

For more information on the domains click here.

Your pharmacy is accredited based on the categories of services you provide. Under QSPP, accreditation is tied to clinical complexity and the higher your scope of practice, the stronger your governance and systems must be. This is unique to QSPP, as under QCPP pharmacies were generally assessed against each of the 14 specific services and generic service requirements.

The service categories are

• General Pharmacy Services
• Vaccination and Medicine Administration Services
• Full Scope of Practice Services
• Complex Compounding

They are outlined in detail in the User Assessment Guide.

If a pharmacy wishes to begin offering a service that sits in a service category that is different to its current accreditation, it must apply for an Expansion of Services Assessment through the Customer Portal.

An Expansion of Services Assessment is a remote assessment of relevant pharmacy policies and procedures associated with the additional service category/s. Each category assessed incurs an additional fee.

Pharmacies must comply with all State-based regulatory requirements in addition to QSPP requirements.

QSPP has been developed to align as closely as possible with State and Territory frameworks and contemporary regulatory expectations. While QSPP accreditation does not replace legislative obligations, it has been designed to complement and support compliance with relevant jurisdictional laws.

The practical change is the need to explain and provide evidence to demonstrate how systems operate, not merely show that a policy exists. QSPP is a three-year accreditation cycle, includes a mid-cycle remote assessment and strengthens expectations around clinical governance, patient engagement and continuous improvement.

Use the QSPP Knowledge Hub, Customer Portal and QSPP website. The User Assessment Guide is the key assessment preparation document. Always use the current published version and read it with the Program Rules, Terms and Conditions and your assessment notification.

No. User IDs and passwords must not be disclosed to another person. Pharmacy owners are responsible for authorised use and should report any suspected compromise or unauthorised access to QSPP immediately.