Annual Report 2005 - UnitingCare NSW.ACT

Director’s Report
Overview
I am pleased to have been appointed Director of
UnitingCare Ageing and I thank the Board for its
confidence in me. UnitingCare Ageing is entering an
exciting period of further enhancement of its residential
and community services across NSW and the ACT.
Both UnitingCare Ageing and the broader aged care
sector have undergone significant change in recent
years. Commonwealth Government policy, for example,
has resulted in significant structural change to the
industry with increased emphasis on community care
services and a much stronger emphasis on quality. We
welcome this focus on providing the highest level of care
to residents and clients. UnitingCare Ageing has also
created a new unified organisation to make our services
more efficient and to gain the benefits of leveraging off
being the largest single provider of aged and community
care services in NSW and the ACT.
Client expectations
Most older people and their families prefer community
care in their own homes. Not dissimilar to many aged
care providers, our approach has been largely to build
residential facilities and endeavour to satisfy client needs
through this model of care. Increasingly this is changing
and now 40 per cent of our services are in community
care. Debates around separating accommodation from
care means we need to look at more flexible ways of
delivering community care into a range of adaptable
housing settings.
Increasingly we will focus on outcomes of
health, well-being and lifestyle for our clients.
Their needs will be at the centre of all we do.
New organisational design
We have a new organisation designed around eight
Regions. Changes are being made to our head office
enabling it to have a more strategic presence in
supporting the UnitingCare Ageing Board in defining,
strategy, and setting and monitoring performance
targets across a range of areas.
One of our priorities is developing a more cohesive
UnitingCare Ageing, which is able to both initiate new
ideas and respond better to the needs of our stakeholders,
including the increasingly regulated environment in
which we operate. Competitive factors, also, are
influencing the positioning of UnitingCare Ageing.
Accordingly, we strive to bring together our business
functions and to generate information that fosters a
spirit of continuous improvement. We will build a
stronger strategic capacity through new common
management information systems and this will provide
accurate, timely and relevant data about our services
and trends in care.
Some challenges
Over the next 12 months some of my priorities will include
growing a greater sense of unity across UnitingCare Ageing
so that we all, in time, relate positively to a “UnitingCare
Ageing Way”. We will focus on a values-driven approach
to our management, which is shared by all staff through,
for example, a common set of values, mission and vision.
We will continue to provide excellent residential care
services whilst we further develop and increase our
involvement in community care services. In accordance
with the general community move away from institutional
care, we will offer innovative ways for older people to
remain in their own homes and to receive the community
care support they need.
This trend in caring for older people in their homes may
generate a policy debate as to who pays for this new
service model. UnitingCare Ageing will work with
government to move towards an adaptable housing
model, which is closer to peoples own homes and give
them more choice.
Capital Works
UnitingCare Ageing is committed to a major building
works program. Our current asset-base is extensive and
well located geographically, but in some areas it is in need
of renewal. UnitingCare Ageing has projected that more
than $1.2B in capital enhancements and replacements
may be required over the next ten years. A large part of
this is required to meet the Commonwealth Government’s
2008 Aged Care Certification processes. However, we also
need to implement this in a wider context of changing
community expectations. We are committed not only to
bringing our entire asset base up to the highest level, but
exceeding regulatory requirements.
In terms of financial sustainability a Strategic Property
Plan for NSW and the ACT is being developed. Each
Region has been given an opportunity to submit their
priorities and preferences for future capital works. We will
assess these requests for alignment with our strategy
and on the basis of need, sustainability and a resource
allocation policy that reflects the wider social justice
perspective of UnitingCare.
Quality
We will strive to develop a consistent way of measuring
quality, acknowledging the differences in the type and
measurement of our residential, community and self care
services. Our people – staff and volunteers – are crucial to
the ongoing work of UnitingCare Ageing. We will capitalise
on our size to develop a UnitingCare Ageing workforce
strategy and introduce innovative projects to attract
more staff including customised learning and development
projects. One of our aspirations is for UnitingCare Ageing
to become an employer of choice in the aged care sector.
Pastoral Care
Pastoral Care – a core feature of our Christian faith –
remains a foundation of our services. From our chaplains
through to staff and volunteers we will continue to
echo the Gospel messages of care and love for our
neighbours. Increasingly, we will focus on outcomes of
health, wellbeing and lifestyle for our clients. Their needs
will be at the centre of all we do.
Future
As mentioned in the Chairperson’s Report, the Board will
be releasing a discussion paper on our strategic directions
for UnitingCare Ageing in early October 2005. We seek
feedback from Regional Boards, staff and other people
involved with UnitingCare, as we lay down a strong
foundation for the expansion of UnitingCare Ageing
over the next decade.
Gillian McFee
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