Safety and quality

The Enhanced Access Community Pharmacy Pilot (EACPP) safety and quality framework is guided by 6 components:

1. Governance and accountability - Establishes leadership, oversight, and responsibilities to support safe and quality care.
2. Partnering with consumers - Ensures consumers and carers are actively involved in decisions about their care and service improvement.
3. Clinical performance and effectiveness - Supports competent, evidence-based prescribing through pharmacist training and use of clinical practice guidelines.
4. Access, equity, and safe environment for care delivery - Promotes equitable access to services and safe, fit-for-purpose pharmacy environments.
5. Patient safety and quality systems - Uses monitoring, reporting, auditing, and risk management processes to maintain and improve care quality.
6. Collaboration and integration - Strengthens communication and coordination with other healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care.

Safety and quality mechanisms comprise proactive monitoring, surveillance, and active management which support the identification, monitoring, escalation, and continuous improvement of safety and quality across the EACPP. 

Evaluation

The EACPP will undergo continuous monitoring from implementation, with the Department of Health evaluating the pilot across 5 domains including consumer acceptability, clinical safety, workforce and service sustainability, regulation and governance, and health system integration.

The evaluation uses a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data from a range of sources and stakeholders to assess EACPP services. These stakeholders include pharmacists, pharmacy owners, patients, other healthcare practitioners, and training providers.