Goodwin becomes Australia’s first aged care to hire an on-site pharmacist

Following on from the positive results of a highly successful pilot trial, Goodwin has now become Australia’s first and only aged care to have on-board, a fulltime on-site pharmacist.

The company has chosen Richard Thorpe for the role, who had earlier served in the same capacity during the pilot trial. An accredited pharmacist, Richard has a wealth of experience, spanning over 25 years, with leading organisations across Australia and the UK. He will be working alongside our team of specialists to conduct medication reviews and provide clinical intervention, with a key focus on antimicrobial and antipsychotic stewardship, that will help ensure quality use of medicine (QUM) among residents.

Sue Levy, Chief Executive Officer, Goodwin Aged Care, said, “Goodwin’s research projects are self-funded with the purpose of making a positive difference in the lives of the people we serve. Richard’s engagement is yet another milestone in our ongoing efforts to provide best-in-class medication safety for our residents and clients. It demonstrates our commitment to researching innovative new models, but also ensuring that the positive findings are put into practice”.

Studies show that medication errors are commonly reported in 16-27% of aged care residents, which can potentially lead to adverse drug events and further health complications. Goodwin collaborated with the University of Canberra to fund pioneering researches that revealed that despite strong evidence of pharmacists ushering safe medication dispensation in aged care, there wasn’t a single aged care facility in Australia that had an on-site pharmacist. The six-month pharmacist trial that followed confirmed the evidence, thus paving the way for Goodwin to mark yet another industry first.