Medication administration in Victorian residential aged care - November 2025 survey

A. Collection Notice

The Department of Health (the Department) values and is committed to protecting your privacy. The Department is conducting this Medication administration in residential aged care September 2025 survey (the survey) to support legislative reforms to the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 (Vic), and amendments to the associated Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2017. The information you provide in the survey will be used to inform recommendations to the Victorian Government regarding implementing legislative changes to medication administration in residential aged care.

  1. The Department will collect, handle and store information you provide in the survey in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), Public Records Act 1973 (Vic), Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), and other applicable legislation.

  2. Your participation in this survey is voluntary. Subject to paragraph 3,your participation is anonymous.  When completing sections B and C, please do not include any identifying, personal, or health information about you or any third parties when completing this survey. For example, please do not include names of staff, residents, homes or providers to which the information relates, and please do not include any health or medical information relating to an individual.

  3. Section D allows respondents to provide organisation and contact details – this is not compulsory. Please note that if you provide contact details, your survey responses will be identifiable to your home and your organisation or your email address.

  4. Information provided in the survey will be synthesised for the purpose of informing change management supports and Regulations associated with the legislative changes to medication administration through the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981. Responses from the survey, including the optional organisational name and home if provided, may be shared with other Victorian Government departments and officers only for the purpose outlined above.

  5. Information provided in this survey will be used and stored only as needed for the purposes of the survey, in accordance with the Department’s obligations under applicable legislation.

  6. The information will be securely stored on SnapForms, with the data centres of Amazon Web Services’ located in Australia.

For more information on the Department’s privacy collection, please refer to the Department’s privacy policy or visit their website.

If you have any concerns regarding privacy, you can contact the Department via Vic_AgedCare@health.vic.gov.au

Please select 'I agree' to acknowledge that you have read and understand this Collection Notice and agree to proceed with the survey.

B. Information about your residential aged care home

This survey is intended to be completed by directors and managers at Victorian residential aged care homes. The survey is anonymous and voluntary.

You can save and come back to this survey at any point during the consultation period (ending 17 November 2025).

C. Information about current medication administration practices

This survey is intended to be completed after reading the consultation brief - Improving medication administration in residential aged care (approximately 10 minutes to read).

The consultation brief provides context for these questions and definitions, including the definition of medication administration activities. The consultation brief can be accessed here.

Thank you in advance for your contribution.

1. Excluding imprest medicines, which staff currently complete the following administration activities for prescribed and dispensed Schedules 4, 8 and 9 medications in the morning (7am to 12pm) (approximate percentage)?

For example, on an average morning, across all residents who receive prescribed and dispensed Schedules 4, 8 and 9 medications, RNs administer medication 70% of the time, ENs administer 20% of the time and PCWs administer 10% of the time.

1A. Retrieval of medications

1B. Quality check of medications

1C. Physical administration of medications

2. Excluding imprest medicines, what staff currently complete the following administration activities for prescribed and dispensed Schedules 4, 8 and 9 medications in the afternoon (12pm to 7pm) (approximate percentage)?

2A. Retrieval of medications

2B. Quality check of medications

2C. Physical administration of medications

3. Excluding imprest medicines, which staff currently complete the following administration activities for prescribed and dispensed Schedules 4, 8 and 9 medications in the evening/overnight(7pm to 7am) (approximate percentage)?

3A. Retrieval of medications

3B. Quality check of medications

3C. Physical administration of medications

4. What changes to workforce or models of care (if any) will your home need to make to comply for 1 July 2026.

(Up to 1,000 characters)

5. What is your approximate direct care workforce profile? (FTE)

6. Of your direct care ENs, what percentage or number, if any, have a notation against their board registration which indicates they ”do not hold a board qualification in medication administration of medicines”?

(Up to 300 characters)

7. Does your organisation employ graduate nursing positions?

(Up to 1,000 characters)

8. A Diploma of Nursing is available under the Victorian Government’s free TAFE initiative, which will increase the pipeline for additional enrolled nurses for government and non-government health and care sectors.

(Up to 1,000 characters)
(Up to 1,000 characters)
(Up to 1,000 characters)
(Up to 1,000 characters)

9. Has your organisation had nurses participate in the Commonwealth Government’s Aged Care Transition to Practice Program in the past 12 months?

10. Noting Victorian Government supports mentioned in the consultation brief, and Commonwealth led initiatives such as the Aged Care Transition to Practice Program, what support of guidance would assist your service to meet the new requirement as of 1 July 2026?

(Up to 1,000 characters)

D. Thank you and optional contact details

Thank you for your contribution towards this legislative reform.

The department will continue to communicate with Victorian residential aged care homes regarding this reform.

If you would like to be contacted by the department to discuss further – please leave your details below. Please note, survey results will not be used for enforcement action.

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