How to organise a medication review for your parent (Australia)

Once you’ve decided a review is worth pursuing, the actual process is straightforward — the hard part is usually knowing where to start. Here’s the pathway from the family’s side, step by step.

Step 1: Decide it’s worth raising

You don’t need proof of a problem. A growing medicine list, a recent hospital stay, several prescribers, or a change you’ve noticed since a new medicine started are all reasonable, ordinary reasons to ask. If you want to check what you’ve noticed against common patterns first, our article on signs your parent may be on too many medicines is a useful starting point.

It also helps to gather a rough list beforehand, even an imperfect one: what your parent takes, roughly how often, and anything they’ve mentioned finding confusing or difficult about their routine. You don’t need to make it perfect — the pharmacist’s job during the actual visit is to build the accurate version with your parent, box by box.

Step 2: Raise it with your parent’s GP

A Home Medicines Review can only be referred by a doctor — usually your parent’s regular GP.² This is a normal, standard part of general practice, not an unusual request, and most GPs are familiar with it. You can raise it at any appointment, including one booked specifically to discuss it.

If you’re not sure how to phrase it, something like this is a reasonable place to start:

“I’ve noticed Dad’s been more unsteady since his tablets changed last month, and he’s now on quite a few different medicines from a few different doctors. Would you consider referring him for a Home Medicines Review, so a pharmacist can sit down and go through everything with him at home?”

You don’t need to have a diagnosis in mind or a specific outcome you’re after. You’re asking your parent’s own doctor to consider a standard, government-funded option — the decision about whether it’s appropriate stays with them.

Step 3: The referral itself

An eligible referrer can be a GP, specialist in pain medicine, specialist physician, specialist psychiatrist or specialist in palliative medicine.² Your family also has a say in where it goes: it can go to your parent’s usual community pharmacy, or to another provider, including an independent credentialed pharmacist.² If your parent already has a pharmacy they trust, that’s a perfectly reasonable choice — the point is simply that a referral needs to exist before a review can happen.

The usual GP path: HomeMed can explain the steps

Most families use the person’s regular GP. With the patient’s consent, HomeMed can explain what information the practice needs and follow up on an enquiry. The eligible medical practitioner remains responsible for deciding whether there is a clinical need and whether to refer.

Step 4: What happens after the referral

Once the referral is made, the pharmacist arranges the interview. The program allows up to 90 days from referral to the initial interview and requires the service provider to contact the referrer when it cannot occur within 14 days. HomeMed’s service aim is a 45–60 minute interview within two weeks, subject to MMR credential and service-provider approval, and availability.² Family may join when the patient wants them there.

After the interview, the pharmacist writes a report for the referrer and, when different, the regular GP. HomeMed’s service aim is to send it within three business days. Prescribing decisions remain with the relevant prescriber.²

If your parent doesn’t have a regular GP

A specified eligible specialist who is managing the patient may be able to refer even when the patient does not have a regular GP. Otherwise, establishing continuity with a GP may help with ongoing medicine management. The referrer makes the eligibility and clinical need decision.

How often can this happen?

Under current PPA program rules, a subsequent funded HMR may be conducted when more than 24 months have elapsed since the most recent initial face-to-face interview. It may occur earlier only when the referrer specifically deems it clinically necessary; it must not be triggered solely by an anniversary date.¹ If a hospital stay prompted your concern, our article on the riskiest weeks after a hospital stay covers what to prioritise in the first week home.

A funded HMR must be provided at no charge to the patient. A separate appointment with the referring doctor or specialist may have its usual fee unless bulk billed.¹ If you’d like a fuller picture of the program before you raise it, our Home Medicines Review page covers what the visit actually involves.

None of these steps need to happen alone or all at once. Raising it with the GP, confirming the referral, and preparing for the visit can be spread out over a couple of weeks if that suits your family better — the important part is starting the conversation, not getting every detail right on the first try.

If your family is in Melbourne’s north, the Craigieburn HMR pharmacist page has local detail on how this works near you, and HMR pharmacist Melbourne covers eligibility and cost in full.

References

1. healthdirect, Home medicines review: healthdirect.gov.au
2. Pharmacy Programs Administrator, Home Medicines Review: ppaonline.com.au