No body-protected area yet? What goes in a transition plan (New Zealand)

Since RNZCGP rewrote Foundation Standard indicator 11.6 in October 2025, a practice using mains-powered equipment on patients outside a certified body-protected area has two ways forward: start installing one, or write a transition plan to get there. The college’s FAQs (July 2026) set out what the plan needs.

• An acknowledgement that a body-protected area is needed, and advice from a registered electrician or registered electrical inspector.
• The work, the timeframes, the budget and the interim risk controls, with the higher-risk rooms first.
• Approval by the practice’s leadership or clinical governance.
• A review at least every six to twelve months, and sooner if the risks, costs, tenancy or electrical advice change. There is no fixed time limit, but the practice has to show real progress.
• In leased premises, early contact with the building owner, with the discussions and agreed actions recorded. Barriers outside the practice’s control go in the plan.

Evidence to keep while transitioning: electrical reports, risk assessments, the plan itself, hazard register entries, governance minutes, records of the 6-monthly RCD button tests, and quotes or work orders for the upgrade. A practice moving to a building where body-protected areas can be built needs a plan with timelines and risk controls until the move.