Aged Care On-site Pharmacist (ACOP)

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety identified medication management and safety in residential aged care homes as an essential area for improvement. This measure responds to the final report recommendations.

Residential Aged Care Homes can approach a participating Community Pharmacy of their choice to engage an onsite Pharmacist on their behalf. There is no location or proximity restriction. This is to support existing working relationships between a Residential Aged Care Homes and their community pharmacy. Residential Aged Care Homes can also work with a business that employs on-site pharmacists.

• Identifying eligible pharmacists that can connect with residential aged care homes wanting to participate.
• Raising awareness of the measure with Residential Aged Care Homes.

PHNs cannot employee Aged Care On-Site Pharmacists. Please contact us if you are seeking support or more information.

The funding is for one on-site pharmacist per 250 beds in a residential aged care home.

Funding is organised into 50-bed increments, equivalent to an on-site pharmacist working one day per week. This enables on-site pharmacists to have a regular presence on site, even in smaller residential aged care homes. Funding does not cover:

• medicine or medical device supply or delivery – for example, from a pharmacy to the residential aged care home
• medicine re-packaging – for example, into Dose Administration Aids
• set up of pharmacies in residential aged care homes.

Residential aged care homes that take up an on-site pharmacist cannot also receive Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) and Residential Medication Management Review (RMMR) Program services from visiting pharmacists. Where an on-site pharmacist is not engaged, there will continue to be funding for visiting pharmacist support under the QUM and RMMR Pharmacy Programs.

Since 1 July 2024, participating community pharmacies have been able to claim funds for on-site pharmacists’ salaries through the Pharmacy Programs Administrator.

Since 1 July 2024, participating residential aged care homes have been able to engage on-site pharmacists directly, with claiming through the Pharmacy Programs Administrator available from 1 October 2024.

RACHs

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.

Participating residential aged care homes must either:

• have an electronic National Residential Medication Chart (eNRMC) in place or
• commit to introducing an eNRMC within the next 12 months.

Residential aged care homes that provide only respite care are not eligible.

Community Pharmacies

Any approved Section 90 community pharmacy can participate.

Pharmacists

To participate, on-site pharmacists must either:

• have completed an Australian Pharmacy Council (APC)-accredited aged care on-site pharmacist training program
• have an existing Medication Management Review credential and commit to completing by 30 June 2026 either:
  • an APC-accredited aged care on-site pharmacist training program, or
  • an APC-accredited aged care on-site pharmacist recognition of prior learning process.

From 1 July 2026 all pharmacists participating in the measure must have completed an APC-accredited aged care on-site pharmacist training program.

The  Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) has developed accreditation standards and an accreditation system. This provides oversight and quality assurance of training programs for aged care on-site pharmacists.

Education providers can apply to have their aged care on-site pharmacist training programs accredited against the APC’s standards. See a list of accredited training programs.

Visit the Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing webpage - Aged care on-site pharmacist.

You can also visit:

• the APC accreditation standards
• the APC approval of accreditation standards
• the Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist Measure – Pharmacist and Residential Aged Care Home Guide
• the Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist Measure information flyer

Other queries can be directed to our PHN via info@ddwmphn.com.au