General information
This guide is general information, not personal medical advice, and may change over time. Always check anything that affects you with your pharmacist or GP. In an emergency, call 000.
QCPP stands for Quality Care Pharmacy Program. It is a voluntary accreditation scheme run by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia that assesses how a pharmacy is run as a business: its premises, its processes, its staff training, and its quality assurance systems. About 90 per cent of community pharmacies in Australia are QCPP-accredited. The accreditation is not a clinical rating, and it does not assess individual pharmacist competence (that is AHPRA's job). For a wider view of how to choose a pharmacy, see our guide to finding a pharmacy in Australia.
Key facts
- About 90 per cent of community pharmacies in Australia are QCPP-accredited.
- QCPP is voluntary; the state pharmacy authority licence is the mandatory legal requirement.
- Accreditation runs on a three-year cycle with an annual self-assessment.
- QCPP covers the pharmacy as a business; AHPRA registers the individual pharmacist.
- The current QCPP register sits at qcpp.com and shows live accreditation status.
What QCPP is
The Quality Care Pharmacy Program was set up in 1998 as a voluntary national standard for community pharmacy. The Pharmacy Guild owns and administers it, and QCPP Pty Ltd is the company that runs the assessment program.
The standard itself sits alongside ISO 9001 quality management principles and incorporates the Professional Practice Standards of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. To be accredited, a pharmacy must demonstrate that it meets the standard across more than 100 individual criteria covering premises, processes, staff, and clinical governance.
The federal Community Pharmacy Agreement uses QCPP accreditation as a precondition for several funded services. Webster packs under the DAA Programme, Home Medicines Reviews, and MedsCheck consultations all require the pharmacy to be QCPP-accredited.
What QCPP accredits
QCPP focuses on the pharmacy as a business and as a premises. The major areas:
Premises. Layout, signage, refrigeration, secure storage of Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 medicines, separation of dispensing and retail areas, private counselling space, accessible counters, and waste management. The premises must be set up so that dispensing happens in an environment that protects the medicines and the patient.
Processes. Standard operating procedures for dispensing, for counselling, for managing prescriptions, for handling errors, and for storing medicines. Pharmacies need documented systems, not just verbal habits.
Staff training. Continuing professional development records for pharmacists, training records for assistants, and evidence of refresher training on critical procedures.
Quality assurance. A documented system for capturing dispensing incidents, reviewing them, and implementing changes to prevent recurrence. QCPP requires regular internal audits and an action plan when something goes wrong.
Customer service standards. Waiting times, counselling rates, privacy protections, and how complaints are handled.
The accreditation is awarded after a documented self-assessment followed by an on-site audit by a QCPP-accredited assessor. The audit looks at evidence (records, paperwork, observed practice) rather than self-reported answers.
How to spot a QCPP-accredited pharmacy
Three quick checks.
Look for the QCPP logo. Accredited pharmacies display a circular QCPP logo at the entrance, on the counter, or on their website. The Pharmacy Guild requires accredited pharmacies to use the current version of the logo.
Check the QCPP register. QCPP publishes a public register of currently accredited pharmacies at qcpp.com. You can search by pharmacy name, suburb, or postcode.
Ask the pharmacy. Pharmacies are happy to confirm their accreditation status. If a pharmacy hesitates or cannot find its certificate, that is a useful signal.
The QCPP logo on a website does not automatically prove current accreditation. The Pharmacy Guild occasionally finds expired logos still in use on lapsed sites. The register at qcpp.com is the source of truth.
What QCPP does not cover
QCPP is a business and premises standard, not a clinical one. A few things sit outside its scope:
Individual pharmacist competence. A pharmacist's clinical knowledge, professional conduct, and fitness to practise are regulated by the Pharmacy Board of Australia through AHPRA. Pharmacist registration, continuing professional development, and disciplinary action all run through AHPRA, not QCPP. A QCPP-accredited pharmacy can still employ a pharmacist whose registration is restricted; the registration question is separate.
Clinical outcomes. QCPP does not measure dispensing accuracy rates, error rates, or patient outcomes. It measures whether the systems that should prevent errors are in place. The two are related but not the same.
Pricing or value. Accreditation has nothing to do with how cheap or expensive the pharmacy is. PBS pricing is set federally; retail pricing is set by each pharmacy.
Service availability. A QCPP-accredited pharmacy can choose which optional services to offer. Accreditation does not require vaccinations, Webster packs, compounding, or extended hours.
For an individual pharmacist's registration status, search the AHPRA register directly at ahpra.gov.au.
| Feature | QCPP | AHPRA (Pharmacy Board) |
|---|---|---|
| What it accredits or registers | Pharmacy as a business and premises | Individual pharmacist as a practitioner |
| Mandatory? | No, voluntary | Yes, every practising pharmacist |
| Cycle | Three-year audit, annual self-assessment | Annual renewal |
| Public register | qcpp.com | ahpra.gov.au |
| Covers clinical competence? | No | Yes |
How often pharmacies are re-accredited
QCPP accreditation runs on a three-year cycle. Each pharmacy completes a documented self-assessment annually and a full external audit every three years to maintain accreditation.
Between audits, the Pharmacy Guild monitors compliance through random spot checks and complaint follow-up. A pharmacy that lapses on the standard can have its accreditation suspended or withdrawn. Suspension and withdrawal are uncommon but happen.
The three-year cycle also means a pharmacy's accreditation can lapse between cycles if the renewal is not completed. If you see a QCPP logo at a pharmacy but cannot find the pharmacy on the register, the accreditation may have lapsed; ask at the counter or check the register directly.
What to do if you have a complaint that involves accreditation
Complaints about pharmacy practice in Australia have several possible homes. The right one depends on what the complaint is about.
A clinical or professional issue with a pharmacist (dispensing error, breach of confidentiality, professional misconduct): notify the Pharmacy Board of Australia through AHPRA at ahpra.gov.au/Notifications. This is the regulator with the power to investigate individual practitioners.
A premises or systems issue (storage, hygiene, signage, refusal of accessibility): contact the state pharmacy authority that issues the pharmacy's premises licence. Each state has its own authority; details are linked from the Pharmacy Board page.
An issue with QCPP accreditation specifically (the pharmacy is displaying a QCPP logo despite not being accredited, or a QCPP standard is being breached): contact QCPP directly through qcpp.com.
A general consumer complaint (customer service, billing, product quality): start with the pharmacy itself, then the state consumer affairs office.
For complaints involving a serious risk to the public, contact AHPRA and the state pharmacy authority in parallel rather than waiting on either.
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Frequently asked questions
No. QCPP is voluntary. The legal requirement for a community pharmacy is a state pharmacy authority licence (which is mandatory) and PBS approval if the pharmacy dispenses PBS prescriptions. QCPP is an additional voluntary quality standard.
