Medical centre cleaning requirements in NSW: what GP and allied health practices need
If you manage a GP clinic or an allied health practice in NSW, "what are our cleaning requirements?" has a less tidy answer than you might expect. There isn't one NSW law that sets cleaning frequencies for private practices. The expectations come from the standards your practice is accredited against, and the infection control guidelines behind them. Here's what they say, in plain English.
Which rules actually apply to your practice
- General practices are accredited against the RACGP Standards for general practices. The RACGP released the 6th edition on 26 August 2026, and it supersedes the 5th. Accreditation under the national scheme still uses the 5th edition for now, and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care says transition arrangements will be published.
- The cleaning detail sits in the RACGP's Infection prevention and control guidelines, which explain how a practice should plan and carry out its cleaning.
- Allied health and other office-based practices can use the national Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare, developed by the Commission and the NHMRC to help health services build their own local protocols. A third edition is in development.
- NSW Health's "Cleaning of the Healthcare Environment" policy (PD2023_018) is often quoted, but it's written for NSW public health organisations. It isn't binding on a private clinic, although it's a useful benchmark.
The core requirement: a written cleaning schedule
The RACGP guidelines say a practice must have a cleaning schedule that makes sure the practice is cleaned systematically and appropriately. The schedule sets out:
- who is responsible for cleaning
- which surfaces need cleaning
- how often
- the cleaning method
- the products and equipment to be used
On top of the scheduled cleaning, practices may also need to clean opportunistically during the day, such as wiping down a chair or examination table after a patient with influenza. That part is usually done by the practice team, so it's worth agreeing who does what between your staff and your cleaner.
How often: it depends on risk
Rather than one set of rules for every surface, the guidelines ask practices to base cleaning on risk: how often a surface is touched, which germs are likely to be present (which can change during an outbreak), and how vulnerable your patients and staff are. The RACGP's example schedule, which each practice adapts to its own risk assessment, includes:
- Consultation and examination room door handles: daily
- Toilet door handles: twice daily, and after use by a patient with a suspected relevant infection
- Bench tops, sinks, toilets and treatment room floors: daily
- Other floors: every second day
- Computer keyboards: twice daily and when visibly soiled
- Frequently touched surfaces such as light switches and hand rub pumps: twice daily during an outbreak
Detergent first, disinfectant where the risk calls for it
For most surfaces in the RACGP's example schedule, the usual cleaning agent is detergent and water. A disinfectant comes in when a local risk assessment calls for it, for example when a multidrug-resistant organism or another germ of concern is present. For spills, the guidelines refer to a TGA-listed hospital-grade disinfectant with claims against the relevant organism, or a chlorine-based product, chosen to suit the risk and the floor surface.
That's a useful check on any cleaning quote: a cleaner who wants to use a strong disinfectant on everything isn't necessarily giving you a higher standard. (We looked at why using stronger products than you need has its own downsides in our guide to cleaning sprays and lung health.)
Floors, mops and carpet
- Hard floors: vacuum with a HEPA-filter vacuum, then damp-mop, so dust is captured rather than spread into the air.
- Mops: cleaned and left to dry after use, not left sitting wet in a bucket.
- Carpet: the guidelines say carpet shouldn't be installed in treatment areas, which need smooth hard flooring. Where carpet exists, vacuum it with a HEPA filter and have it steam cleaned periodically, usually by a carpet cleaning contractor and out of hours.
- Upholstered chairs: the guidelines suggest replacing them with chairs that have smooth, non-porous surfaces that are easy to wipe.
What to ask a cleaner
- Will you clean to our cleaning schedule? If you don't have one yet, a good cleaner will help you put one together.
- Which products do you use, and where? Detergent for routine cleaning, and disinfectant where your risk assessment says so.
- How do you keep cloths and mops for bathrooms separate from clinical and waiting areas?
- Do your vacuums have HEPA filters?
- Can you clean outside patient hours?
- What happens if your cleaner finds a blood or body fluid spill? Agree who handles spills and how they're reported.
- Can you show a certificate of currency for your insurance, and arrange police checks for the people who'll attend?
How we approach it at Clean Spaces
We clean medical and allied health clinics outside patient hours, with close attention to high-touch surfaces. Every site gets a checklist built around how it's used, so if your practice has a cleaning schedule, we'll build our checklist around it. We bring our own equipment, use eco-friendly products, restock consumables on request, and police checks for the team members who attend can be arranged on request.
This guide is general information, not advice. For accreditation questions, check with your accrediting agency.
Want a cleaning plan for your clinic, scheduled outside patient hours?
Sources
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Infection prevention and control guidelines: Scheduled cleaning. Last revised 12 June 2026.
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. New Standards for general practices put the focus on patients. 26 August 2026.
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. RACGP Standards for general practices, 6th edition.
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (2019).
- NSW Health. Cleaning of the Healthcare Environment (PD2023_018). 3 August 2023.
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