Quality Standards Resource Centre

This resource provides guidance on high-risk medicines, including safety alerts, notices, and best practices for safe prescribing, dispensing, and administration. It includes information on insulin and anticoagulant safety, monitoring tools, and best practice recommendations to improve medication safety and reduce harm from high-risk medications across healthcare settings. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resources provides information for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and other communities related to medicine use and management. It includes a collection of resources for health workers involved in prescribing and supplying medicines in these settings.

This report highlights medicine safety issues in aged care settings, detailing the prevalence of medicine-related problems, inappropriate prescribing, underuse of medicines, medicine regimen complexities, administration errors, and challenges during transitions of care. It provides opportunities for improvements and emphasises the need for safer medication practices, improved pharmacist involvement, and better regulatory frameworks to protect older people from medication harm.

This fact sheet outlines the requirements for enrolled nurses (ENs) in Australia regarding the administration of medicines. It details the education and qualifications needed to administer medications, the specific conditions under which ENs may administer intravenous medicines, and guidance on removing any limitations from their registration. The document also emphasises adherence to legislation, policies, and safe practices.

This resource provides information on the Home Medicines Review (HMR) program, designed to support the safe and effective use of medicines for patients at home. It outlines the process, eligibility criteria, program variations, claiming and payments, rural loading allowance, and guidance for pharmacists and healthcare providers involved in medication reviews

This fact sheet provides first aid instructions for choking in adults or children over one year. It details recognising choking symptoms and steps for emergency care and guidance to call emergency services if necessary.

This resource provides materials for health professionals supporting older people with diabetes. Resources cover diabetes symptoms and management, blood glucose monitoring, diabetes medication, healthy eating, and more, aiming to improve quality care.

This guide addresses polypharmacy in aged care, focusing on identifying inappropriate prescribing and reviewing all medications, including prescription, over-the-counter and complementary and alternative medicines. It includes recommendations for reducing medication use through deprescribing, ensuring medication safety, and regular review of renal and hepatic functions. Tools such as Beers Criteria and other screening frameworks are provided to support optimal medication management in older adults.

This guide focuses on deprescribing in aged care, aiming to reduce unnecessary or potentially harmful medications. It provides a framework for reviewing medication, assessing risks and benefits, developing tapering plans, and involving multidisciplinary teams. It provides recommendations including; patient-cantered communication, establishing written plans for medication withdrawal, and monitoring outcomes to improve quality of life.

This guide covers medication management in aged care, addressing the use of multiple medications, reviewing prescriptions, and the role of multidisciplinary teams. It outlines principles for safe medication practices, deprescribing, administering medication, managing adverse events, and conducting medication reviews. It also provides guidelines for storage, disposal, and modification of medications.

This resource outlines the role of Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) in medical nutrition therapy across various health conditions, including those common in aged care. It includes indications for referral to an APD and highlights benefits such as improved nutritional status, symptom management, and enhanced health outcomes. This resource may apply to healthcare contexts outside of aged care. Please consider the applicability of this resource to your care setting.

This resource outlines clinical governance and quality improvement systems to support safe medication management. It requires health service organisations to implement systems for procuring, prescribing, dispensing, and monitoring medicines. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource provides up-to-date advice on the types and amounts of food needed for health and wellbeing, based on the Australian dietary guidelines. It includes recommendations for balanced eating patterns, addressing chronic disease risk, and offers resources such as brochures, posters, and guides for different population groups, including children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This resource provides guidance on nutrition for people in palliative care. It highlights the importance of prioritising comfort and quality of life over nutritional intake. It discusses oral intake, artificial hydration, and medically assisted nutrition, emphasising communication with families and cultural considerations when managing nutrition and hydration at the end of life.

This resource focuses on culturally inclusive food and nutrition practices in aged care settings. It outlines the importance of considering cultural, religious, and personal food preferences when preparing meals. The guide suggests involving people in menu planning, conducting regular dietary assessments, and providing culturally appropriate meals and utensils. The resource also highlights the value of celebrating cultural events and ensuring meals meet both nutritional needs and cultural expectations.

This resource provides a module designed to help aged care chefs and cooks manage the nutritional needs and food preferences of culturally diverse populations. It focuses on supporting cultural traditions, involving people in menu planning, and enhancing engagement during meals. The module offers practical skills, recipes, and continuous access to resources, promoting inclusivity in aged care dining service.

This resource outlines the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medication chart's maximum duration in residential aged care. It explains the use of both paper-based and electronic National Residential Medication Charts (NRMC), highlighting their role in managing prescriptions, medication supply, and administration. The document provides guidance on compliance, chart expiry, and medication safety within aged care facilities. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource supports health practitioners in managing medicines through the use of medication charts in aged care facilities and hospitals. It provides guidelines for safe prescribing, administration, and communication. The resource includes both paper-based and electronic medication chart systems to reduce errors, improve patient safety, and streamline medication management processes in aged care settings. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource outlines the framework for electronic prescribing, offering an alternative to paper prescriptions for healthcare providers and consumers. It explains the benefits of electronic prescriptions, such as reducing errors, improving efficiency, and supporting medication safety. The resource also covers technical and legislative requirements for implementing electronic prescriptions in various healthcare settings. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This resource provides an overview of electronic prescriptions, which offer a digital alternative to paper prescriptions. It explains how electronic prescriptions can be issued by healthcare providers and stored on digital devices for convenience. The resource also details the benefits of the Active Script List (ASL) for managing multiple prescriptions, enhancing efficiency and medicine safety.