Governance in Aged Care: Governing Through Change
Pat Sparrow, CEO, COTA invites you to attend the Governance in Aged Care Conference
Positioning your organisation to successfully lead & govern through the complexities of change
Legislated changes from 1 December 2023 have strengthened provider governance responsibilities concerning the governing body, and have placed clear accountability on boards for the quality and safety of aged care.
Whilst aged care governing bodies don’t directly participate in service delivery, they have a critical responsibility to be well-informed of their requirements under the revised Aged Care Quality Standards. It is essential that they are able to work effectively with executives, staff and participants and have the structures in place to govern with the rights of the participant at the centre of care.
Bringing together experts, industry leaders and key stakeholders, The Council on The Ageing (COTA) Australia and The Hatchery’s Governance in Aged Care: Governing Through Change conference will address the complexities of governing through reform. Across two days, this conference will explore the new responsibilities of governing bodies and empower aged care leaders to implement robust governance practices and stay ahead of change.
Speakers
Melina Morrison
Chief Executive Officer
Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM)
Stephen Becsi OAM
Chief Executive Officer, Apollo Care
& Chairman of the Board, Charingfield Aged Care Community & Bundaleer Care Operations Ltd
Liesel Wett
Chair, Goodwin Aged Care & Chief Executive Officer, Australian Pathology
& Non-Executive Director, Australian Institute of Company Directors
David Brown
Professor, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC)
University of Technology Sydney
Louise Greene
Chair of the Clinical Governance Committee, Advantage Aged Care Group
and Chair of the Quality, Risk and Care Committee, Luson Aged Care, Director, Verde Consulting
Dr Melanie Tan
Independent Clinical Governance & Medico-legal Consultant
Dr Melanie Tan Consulting
Anna Millicer
Founder and Consumer and Quality Advisory Body Facilitator
Get Smart Aged Care Consultancy
Donna Dark
Principal Consultant and Owner
Lighthouse Advisory Services
Melina Morrison
Chief Executive Officer
Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM)
Stephen Becsi OAM
Chief Executive Officer, Apollo Care
& Chairman of the Board, Charingfield Aged Care Community & Bundaleer Care Operations Ltd
Liesel Wett
Chair, Goodwin Aged Care & Chief Executive Officer, Australian Pathology
& Non-Executive Director, Australian Institute of Company Directors
David Brown
Professor, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC)
University of Technology Sydney
Louise Greene
Chair of the Clinical Governance Committee, Advantage Aged Care Group
and Chair of the Quality, Risk and Care Committee, Luson Aged Care, Director, Verde Consulting
Dr Melanie Tan
Independent Clinical Governance & Medico-legal Consultant
Dr Melanie Tan Consulting
Anna Millicer
Founder and Consumer and Quality Advisory Body Facilitator
Get Smart Aged Care Consultancy
Donna Dark
Principal Consultant and Owner
Lighthouse Advisory Services
Why attend
Learn how to improve your governance structures & enhance leadership skills to drive the cultural change required to ensure quality in aged care
Unpack how you can govern with authenticity & impact, ensuring the participant voice is embedded at the centre of care
Be informed on how to embed participant trust and confidence in your service & the expectations of older Australians accessing aged care services
Explore alternative & innovative approaches to organisational governance & how you can govern differently through reform
What to expect
- Gain up-to-date insights from the Complaints Commissioner on the Quality and Safety Commission’s work to build a culture of open disclosure in aged care
- Hear directly from experts, governance leaders and unique out-of-sector perspectives on how to govern effectively through change
- Walk away with clarity on your legal and regulatory requirements under the updated Aged Care Quality Standards
- An excellent opportunity to hear directly from and network with key leaders, participants and provides in the aged care sector
Who will attend
Chairs, Board Members, Chief Executives and General Managers from Residential Aged Care & Home & Community Care Providers, with roles & responsibilities for:
- Governance
- Operations
- Quality & Care
- Clinical
- Risk & Compliance
Agenda
Welcome to Country
Opening remarks from the MC
The role of governing bodies & executives in achieving a strong culture of care
- Defining organisational culture and leading from the top down
- Building a culture of continuous improvement across all levels of the organisation
- Centering quality of care and positive participant outcomes at the forefront of decision-making
Claerwen Little
National Director
UnitingCare Australia
Claerwen Little
Claerwen Little is the National Director, UnitingCare Australia, the national body of the Uniting Church’s community services network, one of the largest networks of providers in the country. Claerwen is a passionate and committed professional with over 38 years experience in the not for profit sector. She has held a number of senior executive roles in service delivery, advocacy and innovation across a range of social service areas. Claerwen has spent her career seeking solutions to our most challenging social issues, finding positive outcomes for individuals, families and communities. Claerwen holds a Masters of Policy (Social Policy), is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Graduate of the Stanford Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders.
Rachel Argaman
Chief Executive Officer
Opal HealthCare
Rachel Argaman
Rachel joined Opal HealthCare in 2018 after a 20-year career in hotels, including as CEO of TFE Hotels, whose brands include Adina Apartment Hotels, Rendezvous, Vibe, and Collection Hotels. In 2022 Rachel was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)for service to the tourism and hospitality industry.
With over 25 years’ international experience at executive management level in the hospitality and now healthcare sectors, Rachel has a passion for creating organisations that are customer-centric and innovative. This is backed by a driving belief that the success of businesses depends on the quality of the people they employ.
Rachel’s success to date has been recognized by various industry and business awards. These include Australian Hotelier of the Year, Telstra National Corporate Business Woman of the Year, and the prestigious Fellow of the International Centre for Excellence Award. Rachel is a former chair of OzHarvest and the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School Advisory Board.
Rachel is a member of Chief Executive Women, a non-executive director of Seven Group Holdings, and was appointed to the National Aged Care Advisory Council in 2021.
Liesel Wett
Chair, Goodwin Aged Care & Chief Executive Officer, Australian Pathology
& Non-Executive Director, Australian Institute of Company Directors
Liesel Wett
Janet Muir
Chief Executive Officer
RSL LifeCare
Janet Muir
Improving board composition: A step towards better governance
- Cultivating a diverse, skills-based board to champion the purpose of the organisation and client quality of life
- Identifying the literacy and skills required of board members to govern with impact
- Changing trends and requirements in board composition and governance under changes to the Aged Care Quality Standards
Phil Butler
Not-for-Profit Sector Leader
Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)
Phil Butler
Phil Butler is the Not For Profit Sector Leader for the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) based in Canberra. Phil has worked closely with Boards, CEO’s and Directors of organisations in Public and Not for Profit sectors.
Since 2011, he has led the Not for Profit Project for AICD. This project is designed to support organisations in the NFP sector to achieve their respective missions through ongoing improvements in governance and to build greater awareness of the contribution of NFP directors and support their ongoing professional development. Examples of this work include the Good Governance Principles and Guidance for NFP Organisations and the annual NFP Governance and Performance Study.
Phil is a Graduate of the Company Directors Course and a member of CPA Australia, and has completed the AICD’s Mastering the Boardroom Program. He has been on a range of boards of NFP and Government organisations and most recently was a Director of Alzheimer’s Australia ACT.
Morning break
Ageism in board considerations
- Unpacking the types of ageism and how ageism might impact your governance and decision making
- Ensuring the design and implementation of your governance is free of ageism and age discrimination
Pat Sparrow
Chief Executive Officer
COTA Australia
Pat Sparrow
Patricia leads the peak body for older Australians, taking a constructive approach to building an inclusive and bright future for older people. Her goal is to eliminate ageism, which should be as socially unacceptable as sexism and racism.
Committed to building a more inclusive Australia that appreciates and welcomes the contribution of older people, Patricia’s career spans community, disability, and aged care, health, and advocacy roles. She has experience from the perspective of not-for-profit, public service, advocacy, Ministerial office, and most importantly, as a support to her own ageing family members.
Patricia centres her work on the value of older people. Everyone deserves the benefit of older people we love in our lives. She has worked consistently to improve the choice and control older people have in their own lives, working to reform aged care to fund the individual’s care, rather than the provider. She sees real aged care reform, housing, the full recognition of First Nations peoples, and workplace ageism as the next big challenges.
Interactive session
Engage in this dynamic exchange of ideas and collaborative problem-solving with your peers, exploring key sector challenges and innovations in aged care governance.
Lunch break
What do participants expect from organisational governance?
In this session, you will hear directly from aged care participants on what they expect from aged care providers. Understand how you can meaningfully engage with participants and ensure their voice is not only heard but acted on in your organisational governance.
Beverly Baker
Chair
Older Women’s Network NSW
Beverly Baker
Beverly has served as the President of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations (NSW) advocating for parents with students in public schools. She has been instrumental in the establishment and running of a number of charities, notably the FSHD Global Research Foundation. Bev is a committed feminist. She is the current CEO of the Aboriginal Education Council. Beverly brings her energy and enthusiasm to assisting older women retain their dignity and relevance in a society that too easily marginalises them.
Gwenda Darling
Participant Representative
Gwenda Darling
Gwenda joined has been an active advocate for senior Australians for some years. A proud Aboriginal woman, a mother, grandmother and great grandmother who lives in rural NSW. A member of the Council of Elders, National Older Persons Reference Group, Dementia Australia advocate and ADNeT steering committee consumer member. A recipient of a Home Care package herself for many years, which she now self manages, she has seen many changes since 2014 when she started on a CHSP package. Gwenda advocates, as a volunteer, and provides advice and assists others in rural communities in navigating aged care services. Gwenda providing support and advocacy within all areas of the aged care system.
Resetting risk & governance in aged care
- Linking governance and risk management to safe, quality care
- Embedding a person-centred approach to risk management that balances duty of care with the right of an older person to take risk
- The importance of continuous quality management and strengthening risk management processes
Bruce Bailey
Managing Director
Pride Living Group
Bruce Bailey
Bruce’s focus and commitment is in working with aged care providers and retirement living operators to find practical and commercial solutions that assist them to build sustainable operating models in the context of their mission, vision and values in a complex environment.
He works with boards and senior management teams to build strong governance and strategic frameworks and business models. Bruce assists private and for mission organisations achieve key outcomes whether growing, selling or merging their operations.
His experience as a NED in a large and complex organisation provides unique insight into the governance challenges and practices facing organisations.
Governance: What’s data got to do with it?
- The role of data in exercising good governance and quality of care
- Using data visualisation to communicate improvement opportunities and enable timely response
- Promoting collective ownership and a positive quality culture through inclusive reporting functions at all organisational levels
A/Professor Lahn Straney
Chief Scientific Officer
MOA Benchmarking
A/Professor Lahn Straney
Associate Professor Lahn Straney is an Epidemiologist and the Chief Scientific Officer at MOA. He has extensive expertise in developing methods for measuring the quality of care, with over 15 years of experience in the care sector. Lahn holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Queensland and completed his postdoctoral research in biostatistics at the University of Washington. He currently holds adjunct appointments as an Associate Professor at Monash University and as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Leeds. Lahn has co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications, contributing significantly to the fields of epidemiology and healthcare quality improvement.
Afternoon break
Co-opetition & collaboration between providers as a pathway to a sustainable aged care sector
- Creating and sustaining partnerships in the sector and making the most of collaborative advantage
- How partnerships and alliances between competing organisations can lead to systematic innovation in the aged care sector
David Brown
Professor, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC)
University of Technology Sydney
David Brown
Professor David Brown is from the Business School at the University of Technology Sydney. His research and teaching is primarily focused on determinants of performance, and design of systems for management and control. David’s research spans multiple sectors including aged care, agriculture, energy, banking, professional service firms, real estate investment trusts, public inquiries, universities, and public research organisations. He researches topics such as cognition and decision making, innovation and open strategy, and environmental sustainability.
David is co-founder and co-director of the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC), a six faculty pan university network of researchers, focused on enabling social, economic, and environmental care and support for ageing Australians. Nested within UARC is the Australian Aged Care Sector biannual report, the Star Ratings Dashboard, and programs of research including multidimensional models of aged care systems, and determinants of organisational and sector performance.
Pursuing excellence in aged care beyond clinical compliance
- Understanding clinical governance as the delivery of care beyond standards and compliance
- Reframing the ‘clinical’ in clinical governance
- Improving clinical governance frameworks to support optimal patient outcomes, particularly where clinical care is not provided
Dr Melanie Tan
Independent Clinical Governance & Medico-legal Consultant
Dr Melanie Tan Consulting
Dr Melanie Tan
Dr Melanie Tan is an independent Clinical Governance and Medico-legal Consultant. With experiences as a medical practitioner (acute care), lawyer (aged care, health and medical negligence), and co-carer at home, Melanie offers a unique yet common-sense approach to contemporary clinical governance. As a CHIA, Melanie also understands how technology impacts clinical governance, and how clinical governance supports health technology. Melanie assists organisations across all sectors to deliver the best care and support that possibly can (simultaneously mitigating medico-legal risks). In doing so, she helps identify, define and resolve complex issues at the intersection of law, medicine, care and governance, taking an independent and objective view.
Closing remarks
Opening remarks from the MC
Improving complaints handling & building a culture of open disclosure & improved care
- Effective complaints handling and its role in upholding the principles of fairness and transparency
- Identifying what is required of providers for successful complaints resolution
- How the Commission is working to strengthen complaint handling processes for continuous improvement
Louise Macleod
Aged Care Complaints Commissioner
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
Louise Macleod
Louise joined the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission in May 2023. Her extensive experience includes policy development, program management and service delivery in:
- administrative law reform
- investigations
- enforcement
- compliance monitoring
- trauma-informed dispute resolution
- restorative justice.
Louise has held senior positions in the Office of the National Data Commissioner and the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
During her time with the Ombudsman, Louise led the Defence Abuse Response program.
Louise worked with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to support the review of the Parliamentary Workplace: Responding to Serious Incidents.
Earlier in her career, Louise was the ACT District Registrar for the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Louise started public service as an Australian Army officer and was admitted to practise law in the ACT.
Apollo Care’s vision & strategy for good corporate governance
- Good corporate governance with consideration to the new Act, ASIC and the ACNC
- The necessities for preparing and onboarding directors to ensure they are equipped and compliant
Integrating the consumer voice in corporate governance
Stephen Becsi OAM
Chief Executive Officer, Apollo Care
& Chairman of the Board, Charingfield Aged Care Community & Bundaleer Care Operations Ltd
Stephen Becsi OAM
Lauren Barnett
Company Secretary
Company Secretary Australia
Lauren Barnett
Lauren is a Senior Company Secretary with Company Secretary Australia and the Principal Consultant and Director at Assure Corporate Governance providing bespoke outsourced Company Secretary services. Lauren specialises in corporate governance compliance working closely with the Board of Directors and Executive Management.
Obtained a Bachelor of Business with LaTrobe University and has extensive experience in Corporate Governance and Risk Management. Lauren has a particular focus on improving corporate governance practices and board performance and has served on several public and private sector company boards.
With over 15 years of experience in providing integral regulatory compliance and working across the Health Services and Medical sector, Human Services, Aged Care and Disability industries, Banking and Financial Services, Mining, Education and Information Technology industry, provides for a vast knowledge of a variety of sector legislations and bespoke client services.
Lauren is a Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Governance Institute of
Australia, and Women on Boards.
Morning break
The unique challenges of governing in a changing aged care sector
- Understanding what is required of aged care providers to navigate increasingly complex regulatory and operational challenges
- Enabling governing bodies to execute organisational transformation through responsive and adaptable governance structures
Megan Motto
Chief Executive Officer
Governance Institute of Australia
Megan Motto
Prior to her appointment as Chief Executive Officer at Governance Institute, Megan was the CEO of Consult Australia, the association for professional services firms within the built and natural environment. Megan is also currently a Director of Standards Australia and a National Director for the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).
Megan has a BA/BEd, an MA in Communications Management and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.
Shifting the strategic direction of your organisation & innovating for change
- Positioning your organisation for greater success through change, renewal, and transformational growth
- Informing good practice through incorporating innovation into your strategic goals and planning
- Navigating the challenges of transformational periods
Lucy O’Flaherty
Chief Executive Officer
Columbia Aged Care Services
Lucy O’Flaherty
With over 25+ years’ experience in change management and innovation Lucy is the CEO of Columbia Aged Care in NSW. Prior to this Lucy led the team at Glenview Community Services in Tasmania as CEO after creating Korongee, Australia’s first village specifically designed for people living with dementia through a $19M HESTA social impact investment.
Being awarded the Tasmanian Telstra Business Woman of the Year in 2019 and creating Korongee, Australia’s first purpose built village for people living with dementia, as well as the Child, Family and Disability Gateway service are three of Lucy’s greatest career achievements.
Career Highlights
- Tasmanian Telstra Business Woman of the Year 2019
- Tasmanian Telstra Business Women’s winner of the 2019 for purpose and Social enterprise category.
- Winner of the 2017 Australian Award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership
- Australian Institute of Management’s Not for Profit Leader of the Year 2016
- Led Glenview to being awarded Tasmanian Aged Care provider of the Year 2013 and again in 2019 >
- Awarded the NAB/TCCI Business Leader of the Year award – corporate in 2012
Qualifications
- MBA
- Graduate Diploma of Management
- Advanced Diploma of Social and Community Services (Management)
- Diploma of Social and Community Services
- Diploma of Solutions Oriented Counseling – Centre of Effective Therapy
Professional Associations (resigned in May 2021)
- National Board Member – Aged and Community Services
- Tasmanian Divisional Chair – Aged and Community Services
- Director – Aged Care Workforce Industry Council (ACWIC)
Imelda Lynch
Chairperson
ACH Group
Imelda Lynch
Imelda Lynch is an experienced administrator with more than 30 years of leadership across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.
As a highly experienced nurse clinician with a broad clinical and educational background, including Australian Institute of Company Directors Course Certificate of Completion, Master of Health Services Management and a Bachelor of Nursing, Imelda is well placed to understand the needs of the aged care sector.
Other Board positions include the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board, the Macular Disease Foundation Australia, Bellberry Limited and the Glenelg Golf Club. Previous Board Positions have included Brain Injury SA, Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Cardiac Society of Australia and NZ.
Imelda believes that ageing well is about maximising what people can do, which in turn is beneficial for their good health and wellbeing. On her appointment to the ACH Group Board in 2021 she said, “I consider myself fortunate to be part of an organisation that is driven by supporting good lives for older people.”
Lunch break
Co-operatives & mutuals as a way of managing your services
- Exploring the potential for the co-op model to innovate and reform the way aged care is governed and operated
- Using this unique model to hold providers accountable for outcomes so older people are cared for with dignity and respect
Melina Morrison
Chief Executive Officer
Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM)
Melina Morrison
Melina Morrison was appointed the inaugural CEO of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) in July 2013. The BCCM formed in 2013 following a national campaign Melina led in 2012, to raise awareness of the contribution of co-operative businesses in the Australian economy. From 2010-2013 Melina headed the national Steering Committee and Secretariat that oversaw Australia’s International Year of Co-operatives (IYC) campaign. She is a founding director of the cooperative businesses advocacy organisation, Social Business Australia, established in 2009 to increase recognition of the added value of member based business in the national economy. For the last ten years, Melina has headed media campaigns for peak coop bodies including the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). Melina wrote and produced the flagship ICA Digest (2006- 2012) and was on the international media team for the ICA in 2012 as the world celebrated the International Year of Co-operatives. Furthermore, she developed the message platform for the ICA’s 10 year plan, Blueprint for a Cooperative Decade. She is also an associate of media firm, Sommerson Communications, which developed the strategy for the global digital case study site www.stories.coop. Melina is a graduate from the University of Tasmania.
Fostering a robust charity sector focused on principles of transparency & accountability
- Taking a proactive approach to compliance and collaborating with the sector to prevent the escalation of emerging problems
- Identifying common governance concerns and highlighting the importance of robust governance frameworks
- Implementing robust policies and procedures that foster effective governance practices for long-term success
Sue Woodward
Commissioner
Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
Sue Woodward
Sue Woodward AM commenced as Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) on December 12, 2022. Previously she was Chief Adviser for Not-for-profit Law with the charity Justice Connect.
Sue was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021 for “significant service to the not-for-profit sector, fundraising and the law.”
Sue played an instrumental role in the formation of the ACNC, serving as the inaugural Director of Policy and Education during the early years of the Commission.
She has been involved with a number of leadership bodies including: the Victorian Government Volunteer Strategy Taskforce, the Victorian Government’s Social Services Regulator Taskforce and the National Strategy for Volunteering Council.
In pursuit of a stronger, more resilient sector, Sue also contributed to the governance of organisations in the sector, most recently sitting on the boards of the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS), the Human Rights Law Centre and the Australian Communities Foundation, and previously SANE Australia.
As an academic at Melbourne Law School, she made a seminal contribution to reform of the regulation for the charity and not-for-profit sector with her 2004 research report: ‘A Better Framework: reforming the not-for-profit regulation’. Justice Connect’s Not-for-Profit Law service was established in 2008 based on her research recommendations.
Sue is also a staunch supporter of reducing unnecessary regulatory obligations on the sector. She has worked with an alliance of peak bodies and federal and state governments to make modernised and harmonised fundraising laws a priority.
Afternoon break
Establishing & operating a consumer advisory body
- Exploring the process of engaging Helping Hand consumers through an established consumer advisory body
- Ensuring membership is inclusive and reflective of the diversity of consumers, the voices, and shared experiences of residential and home care communities
- Reflecting on how consumer feedback and real-life experiences have informed the way our service is governed and operated
Chris Stewart
Chief Executive Officer
Helping Hand
Chris Stewart
Working backwards towards good governance
- Using the quality of the participant experience and care as a key indicator of good governance
- Understanding the participant experience and using feedback to inform organisational governance
- Connecting operational outcomes with organisational governance frameworks
- Establishing and operating a consumer advisory body to involve participants in the development and delivery of care and services
Dr Cathy Balding
Director
Qualityworks PL
Dr Cathy Balding
For the past decade, Cathy has focused on implementing quality and clinical governance as strategies for organisational success across all human service sectors. She’s committed to ‘making quality make sense’; and supporting boards and executives to govern and lead for great consumer experiences.
Cathy is the Director of Qualityworks PL and has worked in healthcare quality, executive, policy and accreditation roles for over three decades. She has been involved in developing state and federal quality and clinical governance frameworks, standards and measures; is a past acute healthcare accreditation assessor and current aged care board member. Cathy is the author of published research, online courses and books on effective clinical governance, and is co-presenter of the ‘No Harm Done’ podcast.
Louise Greene
Chair of the Clinical Governance Committee, Advantage Aged Care Group
and Chair of the Quality, Risk and Care Committee, Luson Aged Care, Director, Verde Consulting
Louise Greene
Louise has held executive positions in hospitals and aged care groups. Louise’s experience includes developing innovative approaches to service delivery and funding models, and the evaluation of service and program models.
In 2020 Louise was approached to help implement the Victorian Aged Care Taskforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Louise has expert skills in business analysis, strategic planning and improving business operations. Louise’s Information Management qualifications have enabled Ideal to develop a robust suite of analytic and forecasting tools for the senior’s service sector.
Louise commenced her career as a Registered Nurse and holds a Masters of Business Administration, a Graduate Diploma in Information Management and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Nursing).
Anna Millicer
Founder and Consumer and Quality Advisory Body Facilitator
Get Smart Aged Care Consultancy
Anna Millicer
Anna has worked in community aged and disability care for 30 years and has championed Consumer Directed Care (CDC) through advocacy, research and best-practice service design. Following five years working at COTA Australia and a decade of research and project work to design, implement and evaluate CDC models in home care, Anna now supports providers to reimagine their service model with achievable, outcome-based actions.
Anna has specialised expertise in preparing providers for Quality Standards reviews as well as consumer engagement & communication strategies. As Founder of Home Care HQ consumer newsletter and Consultant with ACCPA, Anna collaborates with industry-leading organisations on a range of quality, training and service design projects.
Closing remarks & close of conference
Welcome to Country
Opening remarks from the MC
The role of governing bodies & executives in achieving a strong culture of care
- Defining organisational culture and leading from the top down
- Building a culture of continuous improvement across all levels of the organisation
- Centering quality of care and positive participant outcomes at the forefront of decision-making
Claerwen Little
National Director
UnitingCare Australia
Claerwen Little
Claerwen Little is the National Director, UnitingCare Australia, the national body of the Uniting Church’s community services network, one of the largest networks of providers in the country. Claerwen is a passionate and committed professional with over 38 years experience in the not for profit sector. She has held a number of senior executive roles in service delivery, advocacy and innovation across a range of social service areas. Claerwen has spent her career seeking solutions to our most challenging social issues, finding positive outcomes for individuals, families and communities. Claerwen holds a Masters of Policy (Social Policy), is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Graduate of the Stanford Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders.
Rachel Argaman
Chief Executive Officer
Opal HealthCare
Rachel Argaman
Rachel joined Opal HealthCare in 2018 after a 20-year career in hotels, including as CEO of TFE Hotels, whose brands include Adina Apartment Hotels, Rendezvous, Vibe, and Collection Hotels. In 2022 Rachel was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)for service to the tourism and hospitality industry.
With over 25 years’ international experience at executive management level in the hospitality and now healthcare sectors, Rachel has a passion for creating organisations that are customer-centric and innovative. This is backed by a driving belief that the success of businesses depends on the quality of the people they employ.
Rachel’s success to date has been recognized by various industry and business awards. These include Australian Hotelier of the Year, Telstra National Corporate Business Woman of the Year, and the prestigious Fellow of the International Centre for Excellence Award. Rachel is a former chair of OzHarvest and the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School Advisory Board.
Rachel is a member of Chief Executive Women, a non-executive director of Seven Group Holdings, and was appointed to the National Aged Care Advisory Council in 2021.
Liesel Wett
Chair, Goodwin Aged Care & Chief Executive Officer, Australian Pathology
& Non-Executive Director, Australian Institute of Company Directors
Liesel Wett
Janet Muir
Chief Executive Officer
RSL LifeCare
Janet Muir
Improving board composition: A step towards better governance
- Cultivating a diverse, skills-based board to champion the purpose of the organisation and client quality of life
- Identifying the literacy and skills required of board members to govern with impact
- Changing trends and requirements in board composition and governance under changes to the Aged Care Quality Standards
Phil Butler
Not-for-Profit Sector Leader
Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)
Phil Butler
Phil Butler is the Not For Profit Sector Leader for the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) based in Canberra. Phil has worked closely with Boards, CEO’s and Directors of organisations in Public and Not for Profit sectors.
Since 2011, he has led the Not for Profit Project for AICD. This project is designed to support organisations in the NFP sector to achieve their respective missions through ongoing improvements in governance and to build greater awareness of the contribution of NFP directors and support their ongoing professional development. Examples of this work include the Good Governance Principles and Guidance for NFP Organisations and the annual NFP Governance and Performance Study.
Phil is a Graduate of the Company Directors Course and a member of CPA Australia, and has completed the AICD’s Mastering the Boardroom Program. He has been on a range of boards of NFP and Government organisations and most recently was a Director of Alzheimer’s Australia ACT.
Morning break
Ageism in board considerations
- Unpacking the types of ageism and how ageism might impact your governance and decision making
- Ensuring the design and implementation of your governance is free of ageism and age discrimination
Pat Sparrow
Chief Executive Officer
COTA Australia
Pat Sparrow
Patricia leads the peak body for older Australians, taking a constructive approach to building an inclusive and bright future for older people. Her goal is to eliminate ageism, which should be as socially unacceptable as sexism and racism.
Committed to building a more inclusive Australia that appreciates and welcomes the contribution of older people, Patricia’s career spans community, disability, and aged care, health, and advocacy roles. She has experience from the perspective of not-for-profit, public service, advocacy, Ministerial office, and most importantly, as a support to her own ageing family members.
Patricia centres her work on the value of older people. Everyone deserves the benefit of older people we love in our lives. She has worked consistently to improve the choice and control older people have in their own lives, working to reform aged care to fund the individual’s care, rather than the provider. She sees real aged care reform, housing, the full recognition of First Nations peoples, and workplace ageism as the next big challenges.
Interactive session
Engage in this dynamic exchange of ideas and collaborative problem-solving with your peers, exploring key sector challenges and innovations in aged care governance.
Lunch break
What do participants expect from organisational governance?
In this session, you will hear directly from aged care participants on what they expect from aged care providers. Understand how you can meaningfully engage with participants and ensure their voice is not only heard but acted on in your organisational governance.
Beverly Baker
Chair
Older Women’s Network NSW
Beverly Baker
Beverly has served as the President of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations (NSW) advocating for parents with students in public schools. She has been instrumental in the establishment and running of a number of charities, notably the FSHD Global Research Foundation. Bev is a committed feminist. She is the current CEO of the Aboriginal Education Council. Beverly brings her energy and enthusiasm to assisting older women retain their dignity and relevance in a society that too easily marginalises them.
Gwenda Darling
Participant Representative
Gwenda Darling
Gwenda joined has been an active advocate for senior Australians for some years. A proud Aboriginal woman, a mother, grandmother and great grandmother who lives in rural NSW. A member of the Council of Elders, National Older Persons Reference Group, Dementia Australia advocate and ADNeT steering committee consumer member. A recipient of a Home Care package herself for many years, which she now self manages, she has seen many changes since 2014 when she started on a CHSP package. Gwenda advocates, as a volunteer, and provides advice and assists others in rural communities in navigating aged care services. Gwenda providing support and advocacy within all areas of the aged care system.
Resetting risk & governance in aged care
- Linking governance and risk management to safe, quality care
- Embedding a person-centred approach to risk management that balances duty of care with the right of an older person to take risk
- The importance of continuous quality management and strengthening risk management processes
Bruce Bailey
Managing Director
Pride Living Group
Bruce Bailey
Bruce’s focus and commitment is in working with aged care providers and retirement living operators to find practical and commercial solutions that assist them to build sustainable operating models in the context of their mission, vision and values in a complex environment.
He works with boards and senior management teams to build strong governance and strategic frameworks and business models. Bruce assists private and for mission organisations achieve key outcomes whether growing, selling or merging their operations.
His experience as a NED in a large and complex organisation provides unique insight into the governance challenges and practices facing organisations.
Governance: What’s data got to do with it?
- The role of data in exercising good governance and quality of care
- Using data visualisation to communicate improvement opportunities and enable timely response
- Promoting collective ownership and a positive quality culture through inclusive reporting functions at all organisational levels
A/Professor Lahn Straney
Chief Scientific Officer
MOA Benchmarking
A/Professor Lahn Straney
Associate Professor Lahn Straney is an Epidemiologist and the Chief Scientific Officer at MOA. He has extensive expertise in developing methods for measuring the quality of care, with over 15 years of experience in the care sector. Lahn holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Queensland and completed his postdoctoral research in biostatistics at the University of Washington. He currently holds adjunct appointments as an Associate Professor at Monash University and as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Leeds. Lahn has co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications, contributing significantly to the fields of epidemiology and healthcare quality improvement.
Afternoon break
Co-opetition & collaboration between providers as a pathway to a sustainable aged care sector
- Creating and sustaining partnerships in the sector and making the most of collaborative advantage
- How partnerships and alliances between competing organisations can lead to systematic innovation in the aged care sector
David Brown
Professor, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC)
University of Technology Sydney
David Brown
Professor David Brown is from the Business School at the University of Technology Sydney. His research and teaching is primarily focused on determinants of performance, and design of systems for management and control. David’s research spans multiple sectors including aged care, agriculture, energy, banking, professional service firms, real estate investment trusts, public inquiries, universities, and public research organisations. He researches topics such as cognition and decision making, innovation and open strategy, and environmental sustainability.
David is co-founder and co-director of the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC), a six faculty pan university network of researchers, focused on enabling social, economic, and environmental care and support for ageing Australians. Nested within UARC is the Australian Aged Care Sector biannual report, the Star Ratings Dashboard, and programs of research including multidimensional models of aged care systems, and determinants of organisational and sector performance.
Pursuing excellence in aged care beyond clinical compliance
- Understanding clinical governance as the delivery of care beyond standards and compliance
- Reframing the ‘clinical’ in clinical governance
- Improving clinical governance frameworks to support optimal patient outcomes, particularly where clinical care is not provided
Dr Melanie Tan
Independent Clinical Governance & Medico-legal Consultant
Dr Melanie Tan Consulting
Dr Melanie Tan
Dr Melanie Tan is an independent Clinical Governance and Medico-legal Consultant. With experiences as a medical practitioner (acute care), lawyer (aged care, health and medical negligence), and co-carer at home, Melanie offers a unique yet common-sense approach to contemporary clinical governance. As a CHIA, Melanie also understands how technology impacts clinical governance, and how clinical governance supports health technology. Melanie assists organisations across all sectors to deliver the best care and support that possibly can (simultaneously mitigating medico-legal risks). In doing so, she helps identify, define and resolve complex issues at the intersection of law, medicine, care and governance, taking an independent and objective view.
Closing remarks
Opening remarks from the MC
Improving complaints handling & building a culture of open disclosure & improved care
- Effective complaints handling and its role in upholding the principles of fairness and transparency
- Identifying what is required of providers for successful complaints resolution
- How the Commission is working to strengthen complaint handling processes for continuous improvement
Louise Macleod
Aged Care Complaints Commissioner
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
Louise Macleod
Louise joined the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission in May 2023. Her extensive experience includes policy development, program management and service delivery in:
- administrative law reform
- investigations
- enforcement
- compliance monitoring
- trauma-informed dispute resolution
- restorative justice.
Louise has held senior positions in the Office of the National Data Commissioner and the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
During her time with the Ombudsman, Louise led the Defence Abuse Response program.
Louise worked with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to support the review of the Parliamentary Workplace: Responding to Serious Incidents.
Earlier in her career, Louise was the ACT District Registrar for the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Louise started public service as an Australian Army officer and was admitted to practise law in the ACT.
Apollo Care’s vision & strategy for good corporate governance
- Good corporate governance with consideration to the new Act, ASIC and the ACNC
- The necessities for preparing and onboarding directors to ensure they are equipped and compliant
Integrating the consumer voice in corporate governance
Stephen Becsi OAM
Chief Executive Officer, Apollo Care
& Chairman of the Board, Charingfield Aged Care Community & Bundaleer Care Operations Ltd
Stephen Becsi OAM
Lauren Barnett
Company Secretary
Company Secretary Australia
Lauren Barnett
Lauren is a Senior Company Secretary with Company Secretary Australia and the Principal Consultant and Director at Assure Corporate Governance providing bespoke outsourced Company Secretary services. Lauren specialises in corporate governance compliance working closely with the Board of Directors and Executive Management.
Obtained a Bachelor of Business with LaTrobe University and has extensive experience in Corporate Governance and Risk Management. Lauren has a particular focus on improving corporate governance practices and board performance and has served on several public and private sector company boards.
With over 15 years of experience in providing integral regulatory compliance and working across the Health Services and Medical sector, Human Services, Aged Care and Disability industries, Banking and Financial Services, Mining, Education and Information Technology industry, provides for a vast knowledge of a variety of sector legislations and bespoke client services.
Lauren is a Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Governance Institute of
Australia, and Women on Boards.
Morning break
The unique challenges of governing in a changing aged care sector
- Understanding what is required of aged care providers to navigate increasingly complex regulatory and operational challenges
- Enabling governing bodies to execute organisational transformation through responsive and adaptable governance structures
Megan Motto
Chief Executive Officer
Governance Institute of Australia
Megan Motto
Prior to her appointment as Chief Executive Officer at Governance Institute, Megan was the CEO of Consult Australia, the association for professional services firms within the built and natural environment. Megan is also currently a Director of Standards Australia and a National Director for the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).
Megan has a BA/BEd, an MA in Communications Management and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.
Shifting the strategic direction of your organisation & innovating for change
- Positioning your organisation for greater success through change, renewal, and transformational growth
- Informing good practice through incorporating innovation into your strategic goals and planning
- Navigating the challenges of transformational periods
Lucy O’Flaherty
Chief Executive Officer
Columbia Aged Care Services
Lucy O’Flaherty
With over 25+ years’ experience in change management and innovation Lucy is the CEO of Columbia Aged Care in NSW. Prior to this Lucy led the team at Glenview Community Services in Tasmania as CEO after creating Korongee, Australia’s first village specifically designed for people living with dementia through a $19M HESTA social impact investment.
Being awarded the Tasmanian Telstra Business Woman of the Year in 2019 and creating Korongee, Australia’s first purpose built village for people living with dementia, as well as the Child, Family and Disability Gateway service are three of Lucy’s greatest career achievements.
Career Highlights
- Tasmanian Telstra Business Woman of the Year 2019
- Tasmanian Telstra Business Women’s winner of the 2019 for purpose and Social enterprise category.
- Winner of the 2017 Australian Award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership
- Australian Institute of Management’s Not for Profit Leader of the Year 2016
- Led Glenview to being awarded Tasmanian Aged Care provider of the Year 2013 and again in 2019 >
- Awarded the NAB/TCCI Business Leader of the Year award – corporate in 2012
Qualifications
- MBA
- Graduate Diploma of Management
- Advanced Diploma of Social and Community Services (Management)
- Diploma of Social and Community Services
- Diploma of Solutions Oriented Counseling – Centre of Effective Therapy
Professional Associations (resigned in May 2021)
- National Board Member – Aged and Community Services
- Tasmanian Divisional Chair – Aged and Community Services
- Director – Aged Care Workforce Industry Council (ACWIC)
Imelda Lynch
Chairperson
ACH Group
Imelda Lynch
Imelda Lynch is an experienced administrator with more than 30 years of leadership across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.
As a highly experienced nurse clinician with a broad clinical and educational background, including Australian Institute of Company Directors Course Certificate of Completion, Master of Health Services Management and a Bachelor of Nursing, Imelda is well placed to understand the needs of the aged care sector.
Other Board positions include the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board, the Macular Disease Foundation Australia, Bellberry Limited and the Glenelg Golf Club. Previous Board Positions have included Brain Injury SA, Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Cardiac Society of Australia and NZ.
Imelda believes that ageing well is about maximising what people can do, which in turn is beneficial for their good health and wellbeing. On her appointment to the ACH Group Board in 2021 she said, “I consider myself fortunate to be part of an organisation that is driven by supporting good lives for older people.”
Lunch break
Co-operatives & mutuals as a way of managing your services
- Exploring the potential for the co-op model to innovate and reform the way aged care is governed and operated
- Using this unique model to hold providers accountable for outcomes so older people are cared for with dignity and respect
Melina Morrison
Chief Executive Officer
Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM)
Melina Morrison
Melina Morrison was appointed the inaugural CEO of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) in July 2013. The BCCM formed in 2013 following a national campaign Melina led in 2012, to raise awareness of the contribution of co-operative businesses in the Australian economy. From 2010-2013 Melina headed the national Steering Committee and Secretariat that oversaw Australia’s International Year of Co-operatives (IYC) campaign. She is a founding director of the cooperative businesses advocacy organisation, Social Business Australia, established in 2009 to increase recognition of the added value of member based business in the national economy. For the last ten years, Melina has headed media campaigns for peak coop bodies including the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). Melina wrote and produced the flagship ICA Digest (2006- 2012) and was on the international media team for the ICA in 2012 as the world celebrated the International Year of Co-operatives. Furthermore, she developed the message platform for the ICA’s 10 year plan, Blueprint for a Cooperative Decade. She is also an associate of media firm, Sommerson Communications, which developed the strategy for the global digital case study site www.stories.coop. Melina is a graduate from the University of Tasmania.
Fostering a robust charity sector focused on principles of transparency & accountability
- Taking a proactive approach to compliance and collaborating with the sector to prevent the escalation of emerging problems
- Identifying common governance concerns and highlighting the importance of robust governance frameworks
- Implementing robust policies and procedures that foster effective governance practices for long-term success
Sue Woodward
Commissioner
Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
Sue Woodward
Sue Woodward AM commenced as Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) on December 12, 2022. Previously she was Chief Adviser for Not-for-profit Law with the charity Justice Connect.
Sue was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021 for “significant service to the not-for-profit sector, fundraising and the law.”
Sue played an instrumental role in the formation of the ACNC, serving as the inaugural Director of Policy and Education during the early years of the Commission.
She has been involved with a number of leadership bodies including: the Victorian Government Volunteer Strategy Taskforce, the Victorian Government’s Social Services Regulator Taskforce and the National Strategy for Volunteering Council.
In pursuit of a stronger, more resilient sector, Sue also contributed to the governance of organisations in the sector, most recently sitting on the boards of the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS), the Human Rights Law Centre and the Australian Communities Foundation, and previously SANE Australia.
As an academic at Melbourne Law School, she made a seminal contribution to reform of the regulation for the charity and not-for-profit sector with her 2004 research report: ‘A Better Framework: reforming the not-for-profit regulation’. Justice Connect’s Not-for-Profit Law service was established in 2008 based on her research recommendations.
Sue is also a staunch supporter of reducing unnecessary regulatory obligations on the sector. She has worked with an alliance of peak bodies and federal and state governments to make modernised and harmonised fundraising laws a priority.
Afternoon break
Establishing & operating a consumer advisory body
- Exploring the process of engaging Helping Hand consumers through an established consumer advisory body
- Ensuring membership is inclusive and reflective of the diversity of consumers, the voices, and shared experiences of residential and home care communities
- Reflecting on how consumer feedback and real-life experiences have informed the way our service is governed and operated
Chris Stewart
Chief Executive Officer
Helping Hand
Chris Stewart
Working backwards towards good governance
- Using the quality of the participant experience and care as a key indicator of good governance
- Understanding the participant experience and using feedback to inform organisational governance
- Connecting operational outcomes with organisational governance frameworks
- Establishing and operating a consumer advisory body to involve participants in the development and delivery of care and services
Dr Cathy Balding
Director
Qualityworks PL
Dr Cathy Balding
For the past decade, Cathy has focused on implementing quality and clinical governance as strategies for organisational success across all human service sectors. She’s committed to ‘making quality make sense’; and supporting boards and executives to govern and lead for great consumer experiences.
Cathy is the Director of Qualityworks PL and has worked in healthcare quality, executive, policy and accreditation roles for over three decades. She has been involved in developing state and federal quality and clinical governance frameworks, standards and measures; is a past acute healthcare accreditation assessor and current aged care board member. Cathy is the author of published research, online courses and books on effective clinical governance, and is co-presenter of the ‘No Harm Done’ podcast.
Louise Greene
Chair of the Clinical Governance Committee, Advantage Aged Care Group
and Chair of the Quality, Risk and Care Committee, Luson Aged Care, Director, Verde Consulting
Louise Greene
Louise has held executive positions in hospitals and aged care groups. Louise’s experience includes developing innovative approaches to service delivery and funding models, and the evaluation of service and program models.
In 2020 Louise was approached to help implement the Victorian Aged Care Taskforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Louise has expert skills in business analysis, strategic planning and improving business operations. Louise’s Information Management qualifications have enabled Ideal to develop a robust suite of analytic and forecasting tools for the senior’s service sector.
Louise commenced her career as a Registered Nurse and holds a Masters of Business Administration, a Graduate Diploma in Information Management and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Nursing).
Anna Millicer
Founder and Consumer and Quality Advisory Body Facilitator
Get Smart Aged Care Consultancy
Anna Millicer
Anna has worked in community aged and disability care for 30 years and has championed Consumer Directed Care (CDC) through advocacy, research and best-practice service design. Following five years working at COTA Australia and a decade of research and project work to design, implement and evaluate CDC models in home care, Anna now supports providers to reimagine their service model with achievable, outcome-based actions.
Anna has specialised expertise in preparing providers for Quality Standards reviews as well as consumer engagement & communication strategies. As Founder of Home Care HQ consumer newsletter and Consultant with ACCPA, Anna collaborates with industry-leading organisations on a range of quality, training and service design projects.
Closing remarks & close of conference
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How to strengthen organisational governance & culture to improve your care & service delivery
There is a critical need for providers to ensure their operations are underpinned by robust governance systems, supported by strong leadership which sets a culture of responsibility and continuous improvement across the entire organisation.
This workshop is a unique opportunity to unpack the evolving roles and responsibilities of the board and executives in organisational governance, explore approaches to transforming your organisational culture which translate concepts and theory into practice, and solutions for setting strategic priorities for your organisation to deliver high quality care and services.
What you will takeaway
- Unpack the critical roles & responsibilities of the board & executives in good organisational governance and the tensions this creates with new regulatory expectations for aged care governance
- Explore solutions & processes of transforming culture in your organisation & how you can adapt & scale these solutions to apply directly to your organisation structure according to its size and scope
- Discover practical strategies to drive collaboration between boards, executives, whole of organisation & other key stakeholders in governance
- Develop your organisation’s strategic & systematic approach to implementing changes under reform & changing standards
Donna Dark
Principal Consultant and Owner
Lighthouse Advisory Services
Donna Dark
Venue
Sydney Pullman Hyde Park
36 College Street, Darlinghurst
Gadigal Land | Sydney, NSW 2010
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Early bird savings until 10 May
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Early bird pricing
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Early bird savings until 7 June
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Early bird pricing
Save $400
Early bird savings until 5 July
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Early bird pricing
Save $200
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The event was well organised, speakers were experienced and articulate and the panel sessions were well delivered. Thank you for an informative couple of days”
Judi Barrett-Lennard
Industry Engagement Officer
An inspirational few days, with excellent words from the Commission and all keynote speakers. Thank you for the honest, transparent approach”
Elizabeth Platten
Executive Officer and Director of Nursing
A very informative and relevant event, which covered a wide range of topics with exceptionally knowledgeable and engaging presenters”
Lesley Nankivell
HomeServe Manager
Thank you for an excellent conference. Preparing for the New Aged Care Act had a great mix of views, expertise and sessions. It gave us so much food for thought and a much greater appreciation of the importance of understanding the legal implications while ensuring we are not boxed in so we can deliver the best person centred care going forward. It takes courage to lead in this sector and is not for the faint hearted. Very glad two of our Board members joined us.
Sara Blunt
CEO
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