Key takeaways

  • General IT skills aren't enough: ask about your specific clinical software and accreditation experience.
  • Ask how backups are monitored and tested, and what evidence you'll receive.
  • Clarify response times, after-hours cover and what's included before you sign.

Standards update: the RACGP released the 6th edition of the Standards for general practices on 26 August 2026. Practices continue to be assessed against the 5th edition until transition arrangements are published, so references here are to the 5th edition. Many requirements carry over to the 6th edition, but they have been reorganised.

Experience with practices like yours

  1. Which practice software do you support day to day? Ask about your exact products, plus dictation and secure messaging tools.
  2. How many medical clients do you look after, and for how long? Ask for a practice you can call as a reference.
  3. Can you help us prepare for accreditation? They should be familiar with RACGP Criterion C6.4 and know what evidence surveyors look for.

Protecting patient data

  1. How are our backups done, monitored and tested? Look for an off-site copy, alerts on failure and recorded test restores.
  2. What happens if we're hit by ransomware? Ask for their containment and recovery steps, and how long recovery typically takes.
  3. How do you secure remote access? Doctors working from home should connect through a secured, multi-factor protected method.
  4. Will you help if we have a data breach? The Notifiable Data Breaches scheme gives you 30 days to assess a suspected breach, so you need an IT partner who can investigate quickly.

Service and support

  1. Do you provide onsite and remote support? Both matter: remote for speed, onsite for hardware and networks.
  2. What are your response times, and what's covered after hours?
  3. Who will we actually deal with? Continuity with technicians who know your practice saves time in every call.
  4. Can you look after our phones too? Reception phones are clinical infrastructure; one provider for IT and phones avoids finger-pointing.
  5. What's included, and what costs extra? Get hardware, software licences, projects and after-hours rates in writing.

Common questions

Why does a medical practice need specialist IT support?

Clinical software, patient privacy obligations and accreditation requirements add complexity that general IT providers may not handle. Specialist support reduces downtime and accreditation risk.

Should our IT provider also manage our phones?

It often helps. Phones, network and computers depend on each other, and a single provider can fix problems across all of them.

Reviewed by Graham Graieg and Dane, Triad Networking Services. Graham and Dane look after IT, phones and security for Triad's medical and business clients across South East Queensland. Meet the team.

Sources

  1. RACGP, Criterion C6.4 – Information security
  2. OAIC, Part 4: Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) Scheme
  3. EMPHN, RACGP releases Standards for general practices, 6th edition (8 September 2026)
  4. QPA, Preparing for the 6th edition (16 September 2026)

General information only, current as of 6 October 2026. It isn't legal or compliance advice for your specific situation.