Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist (ACOP)

Improving the health and wellbeing of our aging population is one of our key priority areas. Our aim is to support and coordinate services for older people living in the community and those living in Residential Aged Care Homes (RACH).

What is ACOP?

Aged care providers can now engage an on-site pharmacist to provide expert support and advice about residents’ medications and the quality use of medicines in aged care homes.

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, in particular recommendation 38.

ACOP also supports compliance with the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards under the new Aged Care Act, which comes into effect on 1 November 2025. The initiative specifically addresses Standard 3 (Clinical Care) and Standard 5 (Medication Safety), among other areas for improvement.

How does it work

Residential aged care homes can approach a participating community pharmacy of their choice to engage an on-site pharmacist on their behalf. 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.

Primary Health Networks are now able to assist residential aged care homes with engaging on-site pharmacists, if required.

What will an ACOP do?

Focus on person centred care and support informed medication related decision making
Collaborate with multidisciplinary health care teams, both internally and externally
Apply evidence-based practices to medication management to reduce medication related harm and optimise medicine use
Assist with medication management and communication during transitions of care
Undertake whole of facility quality use of medicines activities
Contribute to clinical governance and encourage a culture of continuous quality improvement to ensure safe and quality care for residents.

How we can help

The role of Primary Health Networks is to support and facilitate connections within our region to adopt this measure.

The Western Sydney Primary Health Network (WSPHN) is ready to:

identify eligible pharmacists that can connect with residential aged care homes wanting to participate
raise awareness of the initiative with residential aged care homes

Primary Health Networks will not be employing Aged Care On-Site Pharmacists.

Find out more on how ACOP is improving health outcomes for residents at Uniting Mullauna Blacktown, in our video below.

Funding

Since 1 July 2024, funding has been available for one on-site pharmacist per 250 beds in a residential aged care home.

Funding is organised 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.

Eligibility and requirements

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 2026 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 2026 all pharmacists participating in the measure must have completed an APC-accredited aged care on-site pharmacist training program.

For more information on requirements, follow the links below:

ACOP Website | Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

ACOP Info Flyer | Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

This information on this page is correct as of 15 October 2025.