MSWA Bulletin Magazine Spring 2022

FROM OUR CEO
MEMBER & CLIENT SERVICES
I am writing this after an early
We have been undertaking
/ Financial stewardship for
Welcome to the spring edition of
As with any system implementation,
We are still hoping to see some
morning walk with the dogs
roadshows with our teams around
a sustainable future.
our Bulletin. It is lovely to see the
we are currently working through
changes happening through
in this beautiful spring weather
WA, talking about what this means
We want to make sure MSWA
sun shining as we get away from
a bedding in period after going live
the NDIA and it is encouraging
and I can’t help feeling the hope
and what we need to be better at:
evolves and remains an
the rain and grey skies.
and we will keep you posted on
to hear Australian Paralympic
and excitement that spring brings
– the promise of new leaves, new
flowers and new adventures.
This is particularly poignant
as we emerge from the
COVID-19 pandemic.
At MSWA I think we are also
starting to feel a little like this. It’s
been a tough few years for all our
amazing staff and Clients, and it
feels like things are starting to ease
up a little – in time to celebrate
our fiftieth anniversary! We have
set our new strategy for the new
year, one that is anchored in our
purpose – to be the difference – to
empower people with neurological
conditions to live their best lives.
The key to this is to put our Clients,
and the community we exist to
support, at the centre of every
decision and action.
/ Providing people with
neurological conditions the
services they want and need.
This means better listening,
asking and maybe even an
improved service model.
/ Attracting and retaining the
best staff who are committed
to our purpose. Everyone is
struggling to find staff, and
harder still, to hold on to them.
We need to be really good at
this, and again truly listen to our
staff to understand what we
need to be better at.
/ A safety and quality culture
that is core to everything we do.
This means investing in a team
that is independent and works
with the business to embed
consistent best practices
around safety (for Clients and
staff) and quality services.
/ Partnerships and networks to
drive greater impact.
We need to acknowledge
that we can’t and shouldn’t
be experts in everything. To
provide better outcomes for our
MSWA community we must
form partnerships in research,
services and advocating to
government. We are very
lucky to be part of a national
network, the National Disability
Services (NDS) and other bodies
that allow us to collaborate for
change and better outcomes.
We need to build on this.
impactful organisation for our
community for the next 50
years. To do this, we must invest
and use our funds wisely and
efficiently. This includes setting
aside any fundraising surpluses
for future capital needs and to
fund services of greatest need
that aren’t currently covered by
government funding. We are in
good financial health and we
have the money to build our
future homes, Services Centres
and other developments, but
we need to make sure we can
keep doing this.
I look forward to working with the
amazing team across MSWA as to
how we achieve this, ensuring the
culture we create along the way is
centred on our purpose, with the
people we support at the heart of
all we do.
Lastly, I would like to say thank
you to everyone who continues
to support us and work with
us. You are MSWA, and you
make it possible to help now
and in the future.
Good luck, thank you and happy
spring!
MELANIE KIELY
CEO
Firstly, it is great to be able to see
some return to normal from the
COVID-19 pandemic. It feels good
to think that we may be past the
worst of it all, however we still
need to take precautions to keep
everyone safe. The article on
page 16 by Jamie Puls provides a
full update on how we are moving
forward with COVID-19.
We have had a busy few months as
we worked through our strategic
planning, presenting this work to
our teams across our sites through
our strategy roadshow. The
feedback has been very positive
and we are looking forward to our
next horizon. On that note, my
last update mentioned we had
commenced work to explore what
our Clients need and want from us
at MSWA. I am pleased to report
that this has progressed well, and
we have unearthed great insights
from our Clients, carers and staff
on how we can improve our service
delivery. We are collaboratively
working through the next steps
to develop a new service model,
supported by new systems and
processes. I will keep you updated
on this project as we progress
through the new year.
Regarding systems and processes,
we implemented our new
Client Management System
earlier this month. The new
system will support us to deliver
improved services and streamline
our processes.
our progress.
Over the past few months
Vanishree Chetti, Manager Clinical
and Residential Services, and I
have been visiting our residential
facilities. It has been great to get
around to meet our Clients in their
homes receiving support from
our teams. The passion from our
teams to provide the best care
clearly comes through. Another
important piece of work on our
radar is understanding what
we can improve across our
residential facilities.
We are looking forward to
increasing our services at our
Butler Services Centre. We now
have the team relocated to our
Butler Centre so we can increase
the service delivery to our Clients,
as we look at more options to
provide service to the broader
community north of Perth.
If you are interested in what
services are on offer at our
Butler Centre, please contact
08 9365 4888 or visit our website:
mswa.org.au/locations/butler
NDIS UPDATE
On page 8 you will find the
NDIS pricing update from Geoff
Hutchinson, as well as an update
on the NDIS corporate plan for
2022-2026 on page 10.
legend and disability advocate,
Kurt Fearnley AO, has been
appointed Chairman of the
NDIA. We eagerly anticipate
what comes next.
Finally, I would like to thank the
entire MSWA community for an
incredible 50 years. It is amazing
to reflect on how far this great
organisation has come over the
decades, a testament to each
person who has joined us along
the journey.
As always, your feedback is
important to us. If you have
anything you would like to
share, please contact us on
feedback@mswa.org.au.
Stay safe and enjoy the springtime.
NICOLA WASHINGTON
CHIEF CLIENT
OPERATIONS OFFICER
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