RDNS 2008 Annual Report - Royal District Nursing Service

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Of particular importance this past 12 months has been the development of our Customer Service Centre (CSC) which provides an improved and consistent response to the ever growing requests for RDNS’ services. The full implementation of the CSC, achieved during this year, is an important milestone in re-shaping our organisation for the future. The pathway leading to that achievement has, at times, not been an easy one for our staff or for our clients and referrers. We are grateful for the willingness shown by so many people both across and beyond RDNS to assist in ensuring that the quality of care and support provided to our clients in their homes and communities across Melbourne remained paramount. A mid-year customer satisfaction survey gave us confidence about these changes. With a high response rate, the survey results identified exceptional results overall, exceeding industry benchmarks and demonstrating great satisfaction with client care, dealings with our field staff and with staff at the Customer Service Centre. In New Zealand we have built strong relationships with service planners, service providers and many others associated with community-based care and by year’s end had appointed our first New Zealand manager, established an office in Wellington and were well advanced in the development of a strategic alliance with a local service provider. The Royal District Nursing Service Helen Macpherson Smith Institute of Community Health plays a central role in the pursuit of many of these new directions, ensuring a solid base for our delivery of clinical care and ensuring new levels of excellence in research and training across the community care sector. We are committed to further enhancing our relationships with universities and continue to develop collaborative initiatives and new opportunities. Our financial position remains strong and healthy and our financial management reporting and monitoring systems have been further developed and enhanced this year, ensuring that board directors receive timely and accurate information to fulfil their governance role. As is often remarked, it is the people at RDNS who make the organisation what it is – who make the difference – pursuing exceptional care for our clients and ensuring our systems operate efficiently and smoothly. We are privileged to work alongside such a wonderful group. But we also recognise the existence of growing workforce shortages, particularly in nursing. Our challenge is to continue to recognise and celebrate the diverse work of each and every individual, to provide the environment in which everyone at RDNS has the opportunity, desire, encouragement and support to contribute to our work, and to maintain our success in recruiting and retaining the best possible staff. An extensive number of our donors and supporters are specifically noted later in this report. Such supporters are many and varied, from large philanthropic and community organisations, to individuals who contribute a few dollars each year. We receive support from large and small businesses, and from individuals including our own staff. We want to draw attention to the important difference their support makes to what we can achieve. Whether it be funds to enable us to purchase expensive leg ulcer dressings for clients who would otherwise be unable to afford them; or tens of thousands of dollars to support a major research initiative; or support for a research master class, funds to assist us to purchase a car or provide food and nutrition for the homeless, donations to enable us to employ more nurses; or Christmas hampers for some of our needy clients, every donation to RDNS makes a difference, is truly appreciated and we sincerely thank you. After 17 years of strongly supporting RDNS, the directors of the RDNS Foundation this year decided to wind up the Foundation’s operations and hand its assets to RDNS. The directors of both companies see this decision as reflecting changing corporate structures and needs, and particularly as being in the best interests of RDNS clients. Within RDNS a Charitable Trust has been established to ensure that the underpinning philosophy of the Foundation – to protect the philanthropic capital built up during over 120 years of RDNS charitable operations – continues. We thank current and past directors of the Foundation for their careful stewardship of this responsibility over the years. From our respective leadership roles, we also similarly express our gratitude to our board directors and our staff, many of whom have been engaged with RDNS for many years. In our meetings with staff across the organisation we are so frequently aware of the strong sense of dedication, caring and compassion of our staff. Our directors devote many hours each month to RDNS’ work, and we acknowledge their significant contribution to making RDNS what it is today. As will be evident in reading this year’s report, we celebrate and showcase diversity: the diversity of our clients, our staff, the services we offer and the skills we apply, the diversity of those who support us in a multitude of ways, whether through referral of people to us for care, through contracting with us for services, or by donations or voluntary support. RDNS symbolises the very essence of our diverse society – its richness and its depth, its caring and its sense of community. Jillian Pappas Chairman Dan Romanis Chief Executive Officer 6 RDNS Annual Report 2008 Chairman’s and Chief Executive Officer’s report
operational report 1 strategic objective Our people At RDNS, all staff are highly regarded and have the desire, opportunity and encouragement to contribute to exceptional client care. The year saw us take an important step forward when a four-year, RDNS-specific Collective Agreement for all award-based staff was successfully negotiated with staff and relevant unions. This has provided us with an opportunity to recognise and reward the contribution of all our staff through the provision of conditions of employment that reflect the work that they undertake. The agreement allows, for the first time at RDNS, the employment of Division 2 Registered Nurses and a new structure for the employment of Community Care Aides (previously known as Health Aides). In addition, 20 graduate nurses were appointed to the RDNS Graduate Nurse Program. This welcome increase is indicative of the level of interest in community nursing. Existing staff were provided with skills and professional development through various education programs offered by the RDNS Helen Macpherson Smith Institute of Community Health, all of which contributed to the on-going cycle of improved clinical practice and better client care. As a measure of RDNS’ positive and rewarding conditions, 67 staff received Long Service Awards, recognising service to RDNS of 10, 15, 20, 25 and in two cases, 30 years. In response to the tightening of the healthcare workforce and the competitive market for staff, we streamlined our on-line recruitment process to ensure a faster turnaround of candidates. Information sessions for potential candidates were launched enabling them to learn more about RDNS. Further enhancements were also made to our graduate recruitment activities. RDNS managers also completed recruitment and performance management training. Media publicity focused on the achievements of RDNS nurses and the benefits of community nursing with good publicity achieved across all media. Local newspapers provided the strongest form of exposure, lending good endorsement to the importance of local community-based healthcare. Prominent involvement with industry and nursing expos continued to raise our profile and generated interest in job opportunities, new business and education and training. Operational report RDNS Annual Report 2008 7
Page 1 and 2: celebrating diversity
Page 3 and 4: Welcome to the royal district nursi
Page 5 and 6: 2008 at a glance Clients visited 32
Page 7: To say that the past year has been
Page 11 and 12: 3 strategic objective our growth an
Page 13 and 14: Operational report RDNS Annual Repo
Page 15 and 16: obert - client, RDNS Homeless Perso
Page 17 and 18: After a number of weeks in hospital
Page 19 and 20: janie - wound care For one so dimin
Page 21 and 22: Our nursing care: diversity in acti
Page 23 and 24: chris - RDNS mechanic They say that
Page 25 and 26: These days she is a settled and acc
Page 27 and 28: But Tanya beams about her mother’
Page 29 and 30: Daniel remembers the voyage clearly
Page 31 and 32: our executive team Dan Romanis Chie
Page 33 and 34: Mr Valentine Morgan Ms Rose Ngai Mr
Page 35 and 36: You can help We need your help to c
Page 37 and 38: Cultur al diversit y of client popu
Page 39 and 40: Jan Begg Desmond Benjamin Christoph
Page 41 and 42: Jillian Pappas Professor Leon Piter
Page 43 and 44: ERC 080786 Cover image: sincere tha

RDNS 2008 Annual Report - Royal District Nursing Service

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