Ballart Health Services is committed to the provision of equitable, safe, cost-effective and quality use of medications, and the reduction of preventable medication-related harm in hospitals and the wider community

Ballarat Health Services will:

• Provide sound governance for the safe  and quality use of medicines 

• Minimise the occurrence of medicine related incidents and the potential for patient harm from medicines

• Ensure Ballarat Health Services' clinicians are competent to safely prescribe, dispense store and administer appropriate medicines and to monitor medication use.

• Ensure consumers are informed about medicines and understand their individual medicine needs and risks.

1. Align with Ballarat Health Service Governance and Principles of care Statement of Principle

2. Clinical governance and quality improvement to support medication management

Organisation-wide systems are used to support and promote safety for procuring, supplying, storing, compounding, manufacturing, prescribing, dispensing, administering and monitoring the effects of medicines.

3. Documentation of patient information

A patients Best Possible Medication History (BPMH) is recorded when commencing an episode of care. The BPMH and information relating to medicine allergies and adverse drug reactions are available to clinicians.

4. Continuity of medication management

A patients medicines are reviewed, and information is provided to them about their medicine needs and risks. Where relevant and applicable a medicines list is provided to the patient and the receiving clinician when handing over care.

5. Medication management processes

Ballarat Health Services will procure medicines for use in a safe manner. Clinicians are supported to supply, store, compound, manufacture, prescribe, dispense, administer, monitor and safely dispose of medicines.

 Responsibilities

Chief Executive

• Assign responsibility to the Executive Sponsor responsible to ensure that current policy and procedures are in place to underpin organisational efforts to comply with Australian National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards - Medication Safety and the Australian Aged Care Quality Standards.

Executive Sponsor

• Ensure that current policy and procedures are in place to underpin organisational efforts to comply with NSQHS Medication Safety and the Australian Aged Care Quality Standards.

• Ensure compliance with this Policy is effected and monitored resulting in achieving and maintaining accreditation NSQHS Medication Safety Standard.

Clinical and operational directors and managers

• Ensure staff are trained in procedures and practice to enable compliance with the policy and related procedures.

• Ensure departmental and ward clinical governance processes and procedures are in place to identify non-compliance and take appropriate action.

Ballarat Health Services clinical staff

• All employees working within BHS who prescribe, dispense, administer, or store medicines (or who supervise any of these activities) have a responsibility to work within their expertise, scope of practice and legislative requirements.  Refer to Appendix 2 for a list of specific medications and the staff groups who are authorised to prescribe.

• All applicable BHS policies must be adhered to.  The employee must seek advice from a person with sufficient expertise and experience if unsure of any aspect of these responsibilities and before carrying out a task with which they are unfamiliar.

• Adhere to agreed practice guidelines and procedures related to the use of medicines (e.g. prescribing, dispensing, administering, storing).

• Comply with requirements for own training and professional practice.

Governance

• Governance of Ballarat Health Services Medication Safety is provided by the Medication Safety & Therapeutics Governance Committee (MSTC) and the Residential Aged Care Medication Advisory Committee (MAC) 

• The Medication Safety & Therapeutics Governance Committee is a multidisciplinary committees comprising of representatives from clinical services and the community.

• The Medication Safety & Therapeutics Governance Committee reports to the Patient Safety and Innovation Committee.

Legislation

• Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981,

• Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2006

• Poisons Standard 2012 - F2012L01200.

• Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Victoria) Act 2009

• Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing guiding principles for medication management in residential aged care facilities 2012