Aged care on-site pharmacist

About aged care on-site pharmacists

Since 1 July 2024, funding has been available for community pharmacies and aged care providers to employ on-site pharmacists in residential aged care homes. 

On-site pharmacists will regularly review medications to reduce medication related harm and optimise the use of medicines. 

They will also work with aged care staff to improve health outcomes of residents and build confidence with families and carers.

Participation is voluntary. 

Read the role description for the aged care on-site pharmacist.

Why it’s important

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. 

Goals

This measure aims to: 

• improve medication use and safety in the residential aged care home, including safe and appropriate use of high-risk medications 
• provide continuity in medication management, such as day-to-day review of medications and prompt issue resolution 
• provide easy access to pharmacist advice for residents and staff 
• integrate on-site pharmacists with the healthcare team, including local general practitioners, nurses and community pharmacy
• increase understanding of individual resident needs.

How it works

Since 1 July 2024, funding has been available for:

• community pharmacies to place on-site pharmacists in residential aged care homes
• residential aged care homes to engage an on-site pharmacist directly, where:
  • community pharmacies can’t or choose not to participate or
  • the residential aged care home and community pharmacy can’t come to a suitable agreement. 

Residential aged care homes can approach the community pharmacy of their choice to source an on-site pharmacist. 

There is no location or proximity restriction. This is to support existing working relationships between a residential aged care home and their community pharmacy.

Residential aged care homes can also work with a business that employs on-site pharmacists. 

We aim for Primary Health Networks to assist residential aged care homes with engaging on-site pharmacists, if required. We will provide more details on these arrangements soon. 

Funding

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

Funding is blocked 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 will not be able to receive Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) and Residential Medication Management Review (RMMR) Program services from visiting pharmacists at the same time. 

Where an on-site pharmacist is not engaged, there will continue to be funding for aged care residents and residential aged care homes to receive visiting pharmacist support under the QUM and RMMR Pharmacy Programs. 

Claiming

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.

From 1 October 2024: 

• residential aged care homes can claim funds for on-site pharmacists’ salaries through the Pharmacy Programs Administrator.
• reimbursement of funding is available for those residential aged care homes participating in the measure between 1 July 2024 to 30 September 2024. 

Eligibility

Residential aged care homes

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. 

Participating residential aged care homes must either:

• have an electronic National Residential Medication Chart (eNRMC) in place, or
• commit to introduce 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 pharmacies 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 2025 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 2025 all pharmacists participating in the measure must have completed an APC-accredited aged care on-site pharmacist training program.

Pharmacist training

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.

Pharmacist salary

We provide the employer up to $138,282 per year for a full-time equivalent aged care on-site pharmacist. This includes:

• 20 days paid annual leave
• up to 10 days paid personal leave
• paid public holidays
• superannuation.

The on-site pharmacist and the employer will negotiate the pharmacist’s salary. This might result in a salary that is higher or lower than the government funding provided. 

Where the on-site pharmacist’s salary is higher than the government funded amount, the employer funds the extra amount.

The on-site pharmacist funding provided to the employer must be utilised only for the pharmacist’s salary and on-costs and not other purposes.

Working arrangements

The on-site pharmacist must be in the residential aged care home for minimum blocks of half days (3.8 hours) at a time. The on-site pharmacist and residential aged care home must agree to a regular working schedule.

In residential aged care homes located in rural or remote areas (MMM 5 to 7), extended flexible working arrangements are possible. This includes the on-site pharmacist working over a condensed period. 

The on-site pharmacist must conduct their activities on site in the residential aged care home. If the facility-level Medication Advisory Committee holds virtual meetings, the on-site pharmacist can attend those virtually.

Consultation

We held consultations in 2022 with various stakeholders, including:

• aged care
• pharmacy
• nursing and medical 
• leading researchers of pharmacy services in aged care.

Read what we’ve heard from this previous consultation. 

Early in 2024, we held further consultations with stakeholders on implementing the measure.

Stakeholders expressed interest in:

• the role of the aged care on-site pharmacist
• training and credentialing
• payment and administration
• reporting, monitoring and compliance.

We thank them for their feedback, which has informed our overall approach.

Learn more

For more information, see: 

• the media release 
• the APC development of accreditation standards 
• the Australian Pharmacy Council approval of accreditation standards.