The Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist Program supports safer, more appropriate and more person-centred medication use in residential aged care homes.
The Aged Care On-site Pharmacist (ACOP) Program enables eligible residential aged care homes to have regular access to an on-site pharmacist as part of their broader care team.
An Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist can work alongside nurses, GPs, community pharmacies and aged care staff to support medication safety, continuity of care and quality use of medicines.
The initiative was introduced on 1 July 2024 as a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
How an on-site pharmacist can support your facility?
Having regular access to an on-site pharmacist can help residential aged care homes:
- identify and respond to medication-related issues earlier
- improve medication safety, including safer use of high-risk and complex medicines
- support medication reconciliation and safer transitions of care
- provide practical medication advice to staff, residents and families
- contribute to Quality Use of Medicines activities, audits and Medicines Advisory Committee processes
- strengthen clinical governance and medication safety improvement activities
- support staff education, mentoring and confidence
- improve collaboration between pharmacists, GPs, nurses and aged care teams.
How is ACOP different from RMMR?
The Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist Program is different from the Residential Medication Management Review program.
Residential Medication Management Reviews provide important periodic medication reviews for individual residents.
The ACOP model provides regular on-site pharmacist presence within the residential aged care home. This allows the pharmacist to become part of the care team, provide timely medication advice, support staff, contribute to facility-wide medication governance and help identify medication-related issues earlier.
In practice, ACOP provides a more embedded and proactive model of support, while RMMR is a review-based model.
Homes that engage an on-site pharmacist may no longer receive external Quality Use of Medicines or RMMR services, while homes without an on-site pharmacist can continue to access these services as usual.
What are the eligibility requirements?
Residential aged care homes are eligible if they either:
- Receive residential care facility subsidy from the Australian Government in accordance with the Aged Care Act 1997
- Are an Australian Government-funded transition care facility
- Are a Multi-Purpose Service
- Are a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care facility.
How is the funding structured?
The funding for the ACOP program is dependent on the number of RACH beds.
- 1 - 50 RACH beds = 1 onsite day per week
- 51 - 100 RACH beds = 2 onsite days per week
- 101 - 150 RACH beds = 3 onsite days per week
- 151 - 200 RACH beds = 4 onsite days per week
- 201 - 250 RACH beds = 5 onsite days per week
How can SEMPHN help?
South East Melbourne PHN can support residential aged care homes to:
- Identify appropriately credentialed pharmacists in the catchment
- Support connection
- Provide guidance and support for program implementation.
Please note that SEMPH does not employ Aged Care On-Site Pharmacists.
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