Administration of Medication Policy

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Policy is to provide guidelines and responsibilities for the administering of client and participant medication by workers of DCIRS Community Care (“DCIRS”). This Policy will commence from 11 September 2025. It replaces all other administration of medication policies of DCIRS (whether written or not).

2. APPLICATION

This Policy applies to any person administering medication in a DCIRS workplace, including, but not limited to, employees and contractors of DCIRS collectively referred to as “workers”. The Policy includes work that is undertaken away from the usual workplace, such as client/supplier/participant contact points as well as work-related functions. Medication and treatments are only prescribed by approved health practitioners of the client or participant. Workers of DCIRS will only administer medication to individuals according to the identified medication plan. Workers will never prescribe or recommend medications, with the exception being an appropriately qualified health professional employed by DCIRS under their qualification (e.g. Registered Nurse).

3. DEFINITIONS

Medication – includes prescription, non-prescription, and complementary and alternative medicines.

4. POLICY

4.1 Guiding principles

Workers must seek to understand the risks and benefits associated with the use of medications. DCIRS follows the guiding principles of medication management for Aged and Disability Services, which are person-centric. These principles include:

• Ensuring that medication is administered according to an individual’s support / aged care plan with consideration for that individual’s needs, strengths, interests, goals, formal and information support networks.

• Maintaining the principles of decision making and informed consent. Where an individual does not have the capacity to consent to receiving medication or treatment, a legally appointed guardian or Person Responsible must provide or withhold consent on the individual’s behalf.

• Individuals with capacity have the right to refuse or withdraw consent to the administration of medication.

• Actively encouraging and supporting individuals to self-manage their own medications as far as possible and according to their capacity. Where appropriate, this may include building capacity to safely self-manage some or all of their medications.

• Decisions relating to the selection and administration of medication should minimise, to the smallest possible extent, the restriction of the individual’s freedom of decision and action.

• Promoting a Quality Use of Medicines approach to medication management, which for the purposes of this policy, includes using prescribed medicines safely and effectively, documenting the reason for their administration, and implementing timely and appropriate medication reviews.

• Managing medication according to documented policies and procedures, including secure storage for controlled drugs.

• Evaluating the management of medication within DCIRS’s workplace, which involves:

  • Reflecting on current practice;

  • Risk identification and the identification of suitable solutions;

  • Initiating interventions; and

  • Evaluating the outcome of interventions to improve practice.

4.2 Responsibilities

DCIRS will

• Develop and maintain policies and procedures to support the administration of medications according to the Disability and Community Services (DCS) Management of Medications Framework.

• Prepare an Individual Plan for clients/participants with details of their medication management and including consent arrangements such as:

  • Who is the Person Responsible?;

  • Individual preferences with regard to medication management and administration;

  • Any assessments and arrangements made with regard to self-administration; and

  • The strategies in place to increase the individual’s capacity for self-administration.

• Support its workers to deliver individual medication plans according to identified requirements.

• Ensure that only trained and competent workers are involved in administering medication.

• Provide supervision to ensure competent performance of workers carrying out medication duties. This may be in person or via other workplace communication techniques and will consider the competency of the worker under supervision and the need to review and assess an individual’s medication plan, condition, or progress.

• Maintain a register of worker qualifications and current competency.

• Provide training and professional development in practices and procedures required to perform medication duties (e.g. first aid).

Managers are responsible for:

• Providing workers administering medication with the necessary support, resources, and supervision.

• The oversight of risk assessment and review activities and the implementation of suitable modifications and solutions.

• Providing assistance to workers with matters related to individual capacity, initiating a formal assessment by a medical practitioner, where required.

• Assigning appropriately qualified workers to shifts where medication administration is needed.

• Overseeing medication administration processes to ensure worker practices meet the DCS’s Management of Medications Framework and are carried out in the best interests of clients and participants.

• Ensuring that refresher training is carried out on time to maintain currency of qualifications, and that only trained and competent workers undertake medication duties.

All workers will:

• Maintain competency and currency in the provision of their duties under this policy.

• Undertake the required training and professional development on medication administration to competently perform their duties.

• Never administer medications without the appropriate training and competency, or outside of their delegation of authority.

• Adhere to workplace health and safety policies, including being responsible for their own health and safety as well as that of clients and participants.

• Ensure that day-to-day practices for the administering of medication comply with DCIRS’s policy and procedure, and the requirements of their training and qualifications.

• Adhere to the principles of consent, ensuring that where an individual is unable to provide consent, consent must be obtained from a Personal Responsible or other legally authorised person.

• Initiate a competency assessment via their manager where there is uncertainty about an individual’s ability to safely manage and administer their medication.

• Consult with individuals about their medication plan and involve other relevant parties as necessary.

• Develop and maintain knowledge of the Medication Management Framework.

• Support individuals and administer medication according to directions provided by the treating health professional, and on the packaging or label provided by the pharmacist.

• Reflect on their own skills, experience, knowledge and limitations and inform their manager immediately if they do not understand or feel competent in performing medication tasks.

• Submit to supervision by DCIRS.

• Use a team approach to an individual’s health care and medication plan to ensure the best outcomes for clients and participants.

• Never administer S8 medications other than those specified by the Poisons Regulations (2008) as a ‘specified narcotic substance’.

Health professionals employed or contracted by DCIRS are responsible for prescribing medication within their legal authority, delegation, and scope of practice. They are responsible to assist individuals in being involved in their own health care and to obtain the required consent. At all times, health professionals will use objective information, resources and services to make decisions and take actions for the suitable and appropriate administration of medication, if and when required.

4.3 Medication administration procedure

Before administering medication, workers should as far as possible understand:

• The reason an individual is taking each medication;

• How the medication is administered;

• Possible side effects of the medication and interactions with other medications;

• Familiarity with the location of all first aid equipment and how to use it; and

• Familiarity with first aid strategies and how to administer them.

Do not administer if:

• The 6 Rights of medication administration have not been met;

• Consent has not been obtained;

• A prescription-only medication has not been prescribed or recommended by a medical practitioner;

• The medication is not contained in the original packaging or a SDAA;

• The packaging is damaged or the SDAA has been opened;

• There is any reason to believe that the individual has had an adverse reaction to a previous dose;

• If an individual is unable to receive it, such as if they are asleep, unconscious, drowsy, vomiting, or having a seizure, unless a suitable dosing mechanism is provided for these circumstances;

• The medication has been spilt on the floor; and

• The worker is uncertain about their competency to administer the medication or is uncertain about the prescriber’s instructions.

All workers will follow the medication administration principles of:

• Preparation:

  • Concentration on the task at hand, hygiene, gathering required information and equipment, etc.;

  • Consideration of the individual’s preference; and

  • Check the storage condition and use-by date of the medication and verify on the Medication Administration Record that the previous dose was administered correctly.

• The 6 Rights of medication administration:

  • Right medication

  • Right person

  • Right dose

  • Right time, including frequency and duration of the prescribed order

  • Right route and administration method as prescribed

  • Right documentation

• Preparation of medications as required (e.g. crushing, dissolving, measuring, etc.).

• Preparation of the individual:

  • Communicate about the medication procedure; o Adjust posture / position/ clothing as required; and

  • Consider privacy and environment.

• Check for behavioural or physical changes that would indicate the individual is not able to receive the medication.

• Administer the medication strictly in accordance with the prescribed instructions, assisting the individual as required.

• Supervise and observe the individual taking the medication and confirm with them once ingested or completed.

• Return unused medication and equipment to secure storage and discard waste products hygienically.

• Record details of the medication administered.

• Monitor the individual for unusual or adverse reactions and report reactions to a supervisor or health professional immediately or as soon as practicable.

• Communicate with other staff at the end of a shift, check all medication documentation for completion and accuracy, and inform the shift change of any anomalies or reactions.

4.4 Training and competency

Workers must be trained, competent, and current in the following accredited units (or their equivalent) according to the Australian Qualification Framework standards:

• HLTAID011 Provide first aid

• HLTAAP001 Recognise healthy body systems

• HLTHPS006 Assist clients with medication

A worker with a higher qualification may also be assessed as competent if they are acting within the scope of their employment (for example, a Registered Nurse who is employed as a nurse at DCIRS). For the administration of medication under a Complex Health Care Plan, additional training that is relevant to more complex medication administration should be arranged. Workers must retain currency in their qualifications and/or registration to perform medication administration. If a qualification or registration lapses, the worker must cease to perform medication duties and inform DCIRS immediately.

4.5 Emergency management

In the event a medication has been wrongly administered, or a client or participant has wrongly medicated or overdosed, the responsible worker must call an ambulance by dialling 000. Once the person has received care, the worker must contact DCIRS’s Managing Director, Emily Mills. They must also promptly complete a formal incident report. The Managing Director is responsible for managing any reportable incidents according to NDIS Rules.

4.6 Risk reporting

DCIRS will follow its internal reporting processes for all workplace medication incidents, including near misses and other related risks. All workers must immediately inform their manager of medication risks and incidents, or in the event of an emergency, as soon as practicable. The worker must also complete an incident report. If a medication was almost administered wrongly, this is classified as a near miss and will warrant a review of practices to avoid a future accident or emergency.

4.7 Standards and legislation

Medications are managed in line with the National Standards for Disability Services and relevant Commonwealth and State Legislation including (but may not be limited to):

• Disability Act 2006 (VIC)

• Aged Care Act 2005 (Aged Care Act 1997 until 1 November 2025)

• Disability Services Regulations (2015)

• Disability Service Safeguards Act 2018

• Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 (VIC)

• Personal Information Protection Act (2004)

• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission

• NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators

• Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

• Aged Care Quality Standards

• Guiding Principles for Medication Management in Residential Aged Care Facilities

5. ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS

• Code of Conduct Policy

• Workplace Health and Safety Policy

• Medication Incident Reporting Procedure

• NDIS Safeguarding Policy

• Medication Administration Chart

• Medication Support Plan

• Reference document: Disability Services Medication Management Framework for Individuals’ and Disability Service Providers, DHHS, Tasmanian Government, May 2016.

6. VERSION AND REVIEW INFORMATION

DCIRS reserves the right to amend, replace, or terminate this policy from time to time.

Version 1.0: 30 September 2021 Version 2.0: 11 September 2025 Review date: 11 September 2027