Mixed response to medication management proposal

A plan to make amendments to Tasmania’s Poisons Act has been met with a mixed reaction.

According to The Mercury, the proposed changes would allow volunteers and personal carers to administer certain restricted drugs, after undergoing training.

The CEO of Aged and Community Services Tasmania (ACST), Darren Matthewson, welcomed the proposed changes.

“The key to remember here is this is not open slather – carers must be trained and carry out their duties in accordance with organisation policies and procedures,” Mr Mathewson told The Mercury.

“Regardless of this, at a time when nurses are in short supply, freeing them up from the pill trolley to undertake more holistic care can only improve the provision of the best quality care in aged-care facilities.”

However the Australian Nurses Federation (ANF) holds concerns about the proposed changes.

The ANF’s Tasmanian Branch Secretary, Neroli Ellis met with the state’s director of public health and chief pharmacist yesterday, where she secured a one-week extension to the ten-day consultation period.

“It has the most wide-reaching implications for medication management of any of the state laws,” said Ms Ellis.

“We have concerns about patient and resident safety and at the moment we are not comfortable that there are appropriate strategies in place to mitigate the risk.”

Tony Smith from high care facility, The Gardens, shares the ANF’s concerns.

“I believe we have a duty of care to use nurses wherever we can and our policy would be to continue to do that, even if the amendment was passed,” he said.

“Our DON has spoken to a number of nurses at other facilities and they think the same way too.”