Leader in Clinical Best Practice Programs & Research
Royal Freemasons has provided much needed leadership within the Australian aged care sector in these areas. This contribution to the sector is enabled by Royal Freemasons commitment over several decades to the funding of a General Manager Medical Services position and the maintenance of a unique system of accredited medical panels. This capacity has also been reliant on the development of enhanced professional working relationships between nurses and doctors, as well as the additional benefit of having access to highly expert allied health personnel who are based within an organizational framework at the Day Therapy Centre at Coppin Community Hostel.
In 1996 Royal Freemasons became involved in major residential care research studies and in 1999 formally adopted a policy of fostering the development of innovative multidisciplinary best practice guidelines for the assessment and treatment of common health issues in the residential care setting. Since that time Royal Freemasons has successfully conducted a number of research and best practice projects in several important but relatively neglected areas of health care for residents. The results of these studies and projects have constituted an important contribution by Royal Freemasons to scientific knowledge and residential aged care health service development.
In 2006 Royal Freemasons General Manager Medical Services, Dr Sam Scherer was granted an honorary clinical appointment in the University of Melbourne as a Clinical Principal Fellow with the title of Clinical Associate Professor. To a significant degree this honor was recognition for the work he had undertaken at Royal Freemasons over the previous decade.
Over the last few years aged care research has become a priority issue for Governments and research institutions both nationally and internationally. Royal Freemasons is committed to continuing its contribution though membership of national consortia focusing particularly on the important care issues of pain management and dementia.
