Partners tackle medication misadventure
With a focus on embedding clinical pharmacists, a new partnership between Choice Aged Care and Churches of Christ Queensland will assist more than 8,000 community care clients.
Medication management is a key focus for home care providers as they prepare for the new 1 July Quality Standards, and to better support clients Churches of Christ Queensland has joined forces with professional services company Choice Aged Care in a first-of-its-kind deal.
As part of attempts to reduce medication-related risks, the two organisations will be extending CAC’s existing support for CofC’s residential aged care services to include the provider’s community care operations and provide clinical pharmacist expertise and nationally recognised training.
By embedding a CAC clinical pharmacist, the partnership will assist more than 8,000 CofC community care clients who are associated with a high-risk of medication misadventure.
Churches of Christ Queensland executive general manager of operations Donna Hart said the partnership reflected the company’s dedication to continued delivery of high-quality care as they navigated the strengthened quality standard’s incoming actions related to safe and quality use of medicines.
“Choice Aged Care’s medication support has been embedded in our residential communities for many years via the [Residential Medication Management Review and Quliaty Use of Medicines programs] and more recent Aged Care Onsite Pharmacist service. Engaging CAC’s support and expertise for our community care clients is an exciting and necessary progression of our clinical partnership.”
By targeting medication-related risks with structured pharmacist oversight and high-impact interventions, this collaboration hopes to reduce hospitalisations, enhance independence, and promote wellness for older Australians. CAC will also leverage its extensive network of specialist aged care clinical pharmacists and its registered training organisation to deliver:
- Home Medication Reviews (HMRs) in collaboration with the clients’ GPs and aligned to Action 5.3.2 of the strengthened quality standards
- medication advisory services
- medication safety audits
- routine oversight of prescribing patterns and drug use evaluation for CofC’s home care recipients
- access to Choice Aged Care Geriatrician’s bulk-billed telehealth geriatrician services
- provisions of pharmacist-led vaccination clinics for care staff
- access to in-pharmacy vaccinations for care recipients
- tailored skills-mix training programs to enhance CofC care workforce capabilities via the National Care Academy
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