Since 1 July 2021, amendments to the Quality of Care Principles 2014, have placed obligations on Residential Aged Care (RAC) providers to obtain and record consent prior to the use of any restrictive practises. This includes the use of antipsychotic medications.
The Australian Government’s Six Steps for Safe Prescribing of Antipsychotics and Benzodiazepines in Residential Aged Care outlines the prescriber’s responsibility to safely prescribe the medication and obtain consent.
“Failure to obtain a patient or their legally appointed person with medical power of attorney’s lawful consent before the administration of pharmacotherapy for BPSD may infringe on the patient’s legal rights. It is therefore important to clearly document the following in the patient’s medical record:
- consent
- discussion of risks and failure of non-pharmacological strategies
- who provided consent.”
It is important for GPs and RAC providers to work together in the non-pharmacological and pharmacological management of BPSD.
This extends to the medico-legal responsibilities of prescriber obtaining consent; the RAC keeping records of consent; and regular reviews of the treatment by the team and the resident or substitute decision maker.