Safety & quality

Pharmaceutical reforms

To improve medication management and quality use of medicines for patients moving between the hospital and community, the South Australian and Australian governments have been working together to implement pharmaceutical reforms.

The key objectives of the reforms are:

to provide patients with up to one months supply of medications on discharge, and when attending a public hospital as an outpatient
to allow public hospitals to access the same pharmaceutical scheme that operates in the community, and thereby reducing patient confusion about medications
to restore equity between public and private hospital patients by allowing access to a group of chemotherapy medications for use by day-admitted patients and outpatients
to improve communication between the hospital, patients and primary health care professionals by implementing the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council’s (APAC) guiding principles to achieve continuity in medication management
to promote a smooth transition between hospital and community by allowing sufficient time for patient information sent from hospitals to reach primary health care professionals before patients attend for their first post-hospital visit.

The South Australian Pharmaceutical Reforms Advisory Committee (SAPRAC) has statewide responsibility for the reforms.

The following hospitals are participating in these pharmaceutical reforms in South Australia: