Quality Standards Resource Centre

This resource outlines key actions to improve medication safety during transitions of care, focusing on reducing medication discrepancies and patient harm. It emphasises structured reconciliation, workforce training, patient engagement, and enhanced information systems.

This resource was developed internationally and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

This resource provides guidance on safe medication management in polypharmacy, focusing on patient-centred approaches, team collaboration, and systematic reviews for people with long-term conditions. It includes tools and case studies to support health professionals.

This resource was developed internationally and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

This tool helps patients, caregivers, and health professionals manage medication safety by focusing on 5 critical moments to reduce harm: starting, taking, adding, reviewing, and stopping medications. It aims to empower patients in safe medication practices through engagement and collaboration with health professionals.

This resource was developed internationally and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

This resource offers evidence-based standardised care processes for aged care providers, covering high-risk clinical areas such as falls, pain, incontinence, and dehydration. It provides structured guidelines to support best practices, ensuring consistent and safe care for older people in residential settings.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

This resource provides information sheets for residents, families, and carers to support decision-making in residential aged care. Covering topics such as pain management, falls, and medicines, it promotes health literacy, enabling consumers to engage in discussions and report care issues effectively.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

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 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 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 resource outlines best practices for documenting patient information related to medication history and adverse drug reactions. It provides guidance on obtaining the best possible medication history (BPMH), reconciling medications at care transitions, and recording known allergies. The resource helps aged care providers ensure accurate medication management, reduce errors, and prevent harm from adverse drug events. 

This resource may apply to healthcare contexts outside of aged care. Please consider the applicability of this resource to your care setting.

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 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 resource provides guidance on recognising, assessing, and managing abuse of older people in various settings, including residential aged care. It covers types of abuse (financial, emotional, physical, sexual, neglect), risk factors, barriers to disclosure, and steps for prevention. The document also includes recommendations for safety planning, intervention strategies, and resources for support across Australian states and territories.

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 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 page provides information on the intent of the Residential Medication Management Review and Quality Use of Medicines (RMMR) Program. It outlines its purpose, participation requirements, claiming and payment processes, frequently asked questions, program rules, and extra available downloads.

This discussion paper explores strategies to improve medication management in aged care, including reducing inappropriate prescriptions and promoting non-pharmacological interventions. It reviews current interventions' effectiveness, highlights the use of psychotropic medications, and identifies areas for improving practices through multifaceted and multidisciplinary approaches for better resident outcomes and healthcare quality. 

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 actions for health service organisations to review and improve comprehensive care delivery, focusing on aligning care with patients' needs and care plans. It emphasises regular assessment, multidisciplinary collaboration, and quality improvement to maintain responsive, person-centred care across services. 

This resource provides information about Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs), including what they are, how to develop a RAP for your organisation, and who has one. RAPs support organisations to strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation.

In this short video, we provide an overview of the benefits of effective incident management in residential aged care settings under the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS), which commenced on 1 April 2021.