What happens at an OHSC inspection, and how to be ready

Inspections of private GP practices began in November 2025. Here’s what inspectors check, hour by hour, and what they’ll ask to see.

Updated 23 October 2026. Based on the OHSC’s published GP inspection tool, version 1.1.

2 inspectors
They show OHSC identification and ask for the practice manager.
About 4 hours
Most of a morning, from your documents to the emergency trolley.
2 non-negotiables
The emergency trolley, and oxygen that’s ready to use.
4 years
How long a certificate lasts if the practice complies.

The inspection, hour by hour

Here’s how a typical inspection runs, and what you’ll show at each step.

08:00

Two inspectors arrive

They show their OHSC identification, ask for the practice manager and start with your documents.

There’s no scramble. Your sign has been green for weeks, and each measure shows the records behind it.

08:40

The emergency trolley

They count all 23 items and read every expiry date. One expired ampoule of adrenaline is enough to fail.

Non-negotiable

Your team checks it every week on a phone. Last week’s expiry dates carry over, and anything expiring within 30 days is flagged.

The weekly trolley check on a phone: every item ticked, and each emergency medicine with its expiry date.

09:30

The fridge log

They ask for three months of temperatures, taken twice a day and all between 2 and 8 °C.

Every reading is there, with who took it and when. A reading outside 2 to 8 °C can’t be saved until someone notes what they did about it.

Recording the morning fridge reading on a phone: 4.6 °C, with the allowed range of 2 to 8 °C shown below it.

10:30

Your written procedures

They read each procedure. It must be signed, reviewed in the last five years and cover every topic the tool lists.

Each one is signed, in date and complete. PracticeVitals won’t let a procedure be signed off until it covers every topic.

The complaints procedure in PracticeVitals: met and valid until 20 September 2028, with all four topics the OHSC checks ticked off.

11:30

Complaints and patient files

They check every complaint was closed with an outcome. They also audit some patient files and ask staff how urgent patients are seen first.

Every closed complaint has its outcome attached. File audits use file numbers, not patient names.

The registers page: two complaints closed, each with how the complainant was told, and one still open.

12:00

The result

They leave with everything they asked for. A practice that complies gets a certificate valid for four years.

Tomorrow, the checks carry on as usual. You’re ready for the next one too.

What inspectors ask to see

Most of the inspection is records. You can’t go back and fill them in, so they have to build up day by day.

3 months
of fridge temperatures, morning and afternoon
3 months
of daily autoclave tests
12 months
of complaints, each closed with an outcome
In date
BLS certificates for every clinician

The two non-negotiables

Every GP practice is scored on both.

  • The emergency trolley or bagIt must be complete, with every medicine in date.
  • Oxygen, ready to useThat means a cylinder above its minimum level, or a working concentrator with backup power.

If either one fails, the practice fails, however well it does on everything else.

How to prepare, step by step

  1. Start three months beforeInspectors ask for three months of records. You can’t fill them in afterwards.
  2. Work out which measures applyDispensing, sterilising on site and keeping a vaccine fridge all change what’s checked.
  3. Get your procedures signedEach one must be signed, reviewed in the last five years and cover every topic in the tool.
  4. Check the trolley and oxygen weeklyReplace anything that has expired, or will before the next check.
  5. Keep the daily recordsTake the fridge temperature twice a day and test the autoclave daily. Close every complaint with an outcome.

PracticeVitals turns each of these into a daily or weekly job on your team’s phones. It also shows you what got missed.

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Common questions about OHSC inspections

Sources: the OHSC’s GP inspection tool, version 1.1, in two parts. Administration and practice management and clinical care and support (both PDF).

What is an OHSC inspection?

It’s a visit by the Office of Health Standards Compliance to check that a practice meets South Africa’s national health standards. Inspections of private GP practices began in November 2025. Two inspectors spend about four hours at the practice. If it complies, it gets a certificate valid for four years.

What are the OHSC non-negotiables for GP practices?

Every GP practice is scored on two. The emergency trolley or bag must be complete and in date. And the oxygen must be ready: a cylinder above its minimum level, or a working concentrator with backup power. If either fails, the practice fails, however well it does on everything else.

How do I prepare for an OHSC inspection?

Start at least three months before, because inspectors ask for three months of records. Work out which measures apply, and get your written procedures signed. Then check the trolley and oxygen every week, take the fridge temperature twice a day, and keep the complaints register up to date.

What happens if we fall short?

You’ll get a compliance notice with deadlines. If the problems aren’t fixed, the OHSC can fine the practice or withdraw its certificate.

Why does the certificate matter so much?

A certificate lasts four years, and the OHSC says you’ll need one to contract with the NHI Fund.

Is PracticeVitals part of the OHSC?

No, we’re independent. PracticeVitals is built from the OHSC’s published GP inspection tool, version 1.1, and we update it when the OHSC revises the tool.

Be ready before they arrive

Try PracticeVitals free for 30 days. Answer ten questions and your checklist is ready.

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