THE Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) says it will continue to advocate for the government to invest in embedding clinical pharmacy services for aged care residents, as it welcomed the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care (see p1).
SHPA CEO Kristin Michaels suggested ratios of one pharmacist to 200 residents would allow the identification and management of medication-related issues before they lead to avoidable harm and admission to hospital.
"When present in the right place at the right time, pharmacists can identify deprescribing opportunities and foster high quality clinical handover as patients move between care settings, which is vital for wellbeing and quality of life," Michaels said.
SHPA hailed the Commission's recommendation to allow and fund pharmacists to conduct medication reviews on entry to residential care from 01 Jan 2022 and annually thereafter, noting that in 2018/19 just 30% of Australia's 243,000 aged care residents were able to access a RMMR service.
Michaels also welcomed the amendment of the eligibility criteria to include people in residential respite and transition care.
The SHPA CEO noted that several of the Royal Commission's recommendations had been part of SHPA's Standard of practice in geriatric medicine for pharmacy services (PD 20 Feb 2020).
"The evidence makes it clear that investment in embedding a dedicated Geriatric Medicine Pharmacist as part of minimum allied health care, supported by capped base-payments per resident and activity-based payments for the direct care provided, will be a strong step towards reduced medicines misuse and medication-related hospitalisations and injuries among older Australians," she said.
More reaction to the Royal Commission on page 1 and 3.
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