Unlock the power of Medication Advisory Committees (MACs) to drive safer, smarter aged care!

Join NWMPHN and Monash University for this dynamic and interactive webinar designed for health care professionals passionate about improving medication safety and resident care in residential aged care homes (RACHs).

This webinar will explore how Medication Advisory Committees (MACs) can use a systems approach to promote medication safety and improve outcomes for all residents. It will discuss strategies to support multidisciplinary MAC meeting attendance, use trends in data to drive quality improvement with new quality indicators and explore how onsite aged care pharmacists can play a key role in contributing to MACs.

Medication Advisory Committees (MACs) are essential to ensuring the safe, effective, and quality use of medicines – but what makes a great MAC, and how can you establish or revitalise one in your RACH?

In this practical and inspiring session you’ll discover:

• How to build and strengthen a multidisciplinary MAC that truly drives change.
• Proven strategies to engage key team members – including aged care onsite pharmacists (ACOPs) – for meaningful collaboration.
• How to leverage real-world data and the latest Maximising Embedded Pharmacists in Aged Care Medication Advisory Committees (MEGA-MAC) indicators to identify trends, monitor quality, and spark medication-related improvements.
• Insights from leading-edge research as part of the nationally funded MEGA-MAC project (MRFF 2022).
• Expect real-world case studies, tools you can take away and use immediately, and the chance to ask questions and share your own experiences.

Whether you're starting from scratch or ready to take your MAC to the next level, this webinar will equip you with the confidence, knowledge, and inspiration to make it happen.

Speakers

Dr Amanda Cross is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Emerging Leader Research Fellow at the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Monash University. She is a recognised leader in medication safety research for older populations, particularly those at risk of or living with dementia. Dr Cross has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications, including 20 as first author, and her work is regularly profiled in professional and public media for its impact on improving aged care practices.

As a chief investigator on three major Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) projects, Dr Cross is advancing innovative models of knowledge translation — including the use of knowledge brokers to implement clinical guidelines in residential aged care. Her research aims to bridge the gap between evidence and practice to promote safer, person-centred medication use.

In addition to her academic achievements, Dr Cross maintains an active role as a credentialled medication review pharmacist, driving improvements in medication management on the ground. She serves as a national Board Director for the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) and, in 2024, she was elevated to the status of Fellow of the PSA in recognition of her contributions to the pharmacy profession.

Dr Atish Manek is an experienced and compassionate general practitioner (GP) with over 15 years of medical practice in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, including more than a decade as a GP in the south east of England. A graduate of King’s College London in 2005, he has undertaken broad-based clinical training across general medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, and urology. He holds both the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) qualification and a diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr Manek is a senior lecturer at Monash University’s Department of General Practice, serves as the educational lead for an aged care provider, and is a chief investigator on the MEGA-MAC project.

Ms Brooke Blakeley is a lecturer at Monash University’s Centre for Medicines Use and Safety in Melbourne. She is a registered pharmacist with a strong commitment to improving care for older adults, people living with dementia and people with a lived experience of mental illness. 

Brooke was part of the team that developed the new NHMRC-approved Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Psychotropic Medication in People Living with Dementia and in Residential Aged Care. 

She is currently the project manager for the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) MEGA-MAC project, a national clinical trial that aims to use knowledge brokers supported by a national quality improvement collaborative to implement the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing new Guiding Principles for Medication Management in Residential Aged Care Facilities. 

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Explain the structure and function of Medication Advisory Committees (MACs)
• Identify key strategies to establish and enhance MACs
• Describe the role of quality indicators to drive quality improvement initiatives led by MACs
• Explain how onsite aged care pharmacists can actively contribute to MACs