؛¬ذك²فتسئµ Health Research Institute
11 Kirinari Street
Bruce ACT 2617
+61 (02) 6206 8312
uchri@canberra.edu.au
The Department of Health and Aged Care has announced a $345.7 million investment to improve medication management and safety for aged care residents through the provision of on-site pharmacists and community pharmacy services. This is in response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
This new model of care integrates on-site pharmacists into residential aged care facilities as part of facilities care teams. On-site pharmacists work alongside facility staff and conduct activities to improve medication management. In addition, on-site pharmacists work to enhance collaboration and communication with residential aged care residents and family members, staff, GPs and other prescribers.
On-site pharmacists in residential aged care includes the following suite of projects.
2024 to 2026
Implementing and scaling up the on-site pharmacist model in residential aged care into regional, rural and remote RACFs through a co-design process that develops quality indicators for resident-focused and facility level outcomes. This will lead to a refinement of the model and identification of the facilitators and barriers that impact on implementation and sustainability of the model of care.
This project is funded by Medical Research Future Fund.
The OPTIMISER3 Australia team is recruiting pharmacists and residential aged care homes to take part in this project. Please contact the research team at racfstudy@canberra.edu.au or call us on (02) 6201 2930 if you or your facility are interested in becoming involved.
Phase 1 of the study is a randomised controlled trial.
Phase 2 that generated robust evidence on the effect of having on-site pharmacists in residential aged care facilities on a range of quality use of medicines indicators. This phase of the study was completed in September 2022 and ï¬پndings were be released in Feb 2023.
Phase 2 of the study which evaluates the implementation materials will conclude in May 2023.
Resources to support RACFs and pharmacists to implement the service and the study evaluation report can be found on the .
.
Goodwin
For Resources, videos and publications please visit the .
؛¬ذك²فتسئµ Health Research Institute
11 Kirinari Street
Bruce ACT 2617
+61 (02) 6206 8312
uchri@canberra.edu.au
؛¬ذك²فتسئµ acknowledges the Ngunnawal people, traditional custodians of the lands where Bruce campus is situated. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of Canberra and the region. We also acknowledge all other First Nations Peoples on whose lands we gather.