October 2011 bentley park resident newsletter
Across My Desk CEO’s Report Welcome to October, with the cold and chill of winter now behind us, and the ugg boots packed away for another year I trust that you are now looking forward to welcoming a bit of warmth and sunshine back into your life. I know I am.
Apart from being AFL finals month …. September is also Strategic Planning Month. September is the month when the organisational hierarchy undertakes its Strategic Planning and puts aside some quality time to reflect and consider how we might be able to conduct our business better so that we can improve the services that we provide to our residents. This is a very important part of the organisation’s annual cycle and it is vitally important that the future planning is well thought out and structured. This year’s planning day was held on the 23rd of September, and was a very full day with lots of information to consider, and lots of exciting and challenging developments ahead on the horizon. We also were very fortunate to have available excellent feedback from our recently completed staff and resident surveys, which provided extremely valuable input towards the forward planning projections for the Board and Executive Management to take into account.
planning process provides a “blue print” plan for the direction that our organisation will take over the ensuing years, and it sets the tone for our key focus areas. The five key focus areas which the Board and Executive Management will be focussing the organisations efforts upon are: 1. Ensuring that our debt is managed down to acceptable levels within the next two years. 2. Ensuring that our current infrastructure will be suitable to meet the needs of contemporary Aged Care and Independently Living standards. 3. Ensuring that our methods of Service Delivery and the Services to our residents meet the needs of a discerning and changing ageing population base. 4. Ensuring that the organisation is well positioned to optimise the benefits of the Productivity Commission reform recommendations. 5. Ensuring that our workforce is appropriately skilled, equipped and empowered to meet the changing requirements and increased demands that will emerge. Underpinning these five key focus areas there are a raft of objectives and action plans to be undertaken, and when complied succinctly, will form the basis of the Strategic Plan. There is still quite a bit of work to be done to bring together all of these ideas and thoughts, and this work is being done at the present moment, with a view to having a draft Strategic Plan for the next five years ready for the October Board meeting. I will, however, be speaking at this month’s Residents Meeting, where I will be able to provide for you some forward insight into the Strategic Plan outcomes.
The Planning Day focuses on the key mission, vision and strategic objectives that SwanCare Group aspire to achieve over the next five to ten year period. This
Security Number If the Resident Support Services number is unavailable residents are reminded the mobile contact number for Security is:
0413 388 650
Significant Award to one of our Board-members Professor Robin Watts, from Curtin University and also a SwanCare Group Board member was awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the recent 2011 Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards. This is a most prestigious and well regarded award that recognises individual contributions and achievements for nurses and midwives acknowledging their distinguished service to the profession over their career span. Prof Robin Watts joined the SwanCare Group Board in March 2011 and we are extremely proud of her achievement. Congratulations and well done Robin.
Productivity Commission Reform One of the major discussion points at our Strategic Planning day was the major reforms that are being proposed by the Productivity Commission’s review into Aged Care. Entitled, “Caring for Older Australians“ the report sets about proposing a unique opportunity for fundamental change and reform to our sector. I was recently privileged to hear a presentation from the Minister for Ageing, Mr Mark Butler. Mr Butler is an Aged Care Minister that truly understands our sector, having worked in it himself for many years prior to entering the world of politics. Mr Butler, like all of us, knows that to survive and be sustainable our sector requires some serious reform and government driven change. This review provides that unique opportunity, but Mr Butler was quick to admit that the Government, with so many competing interests at the moment, has not given a tick to the reform agenda, however, he was equally as quick to point out, they haven’t ruled any of the recommendations out either. Continued Page 3
Bentley Park Events Office Stratton Luncheon Concert - October 7 Auditorium Concert - October 9
Inside this issue > SwanCare Group Charity Golf Day - pg 3 Bentley Park Events Office - pg 4 Bentley Park News - pg 5 John Curtin Weekend - pg 8 Community Noticeboard - pg 12