CEO’s message It has been a difficult time for the aged care industry with an impending Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and recent media reports documenting some confronting and unacceptable failures in the care of older Australians. Uniting AgeWell welcomes the Royal Commission as an opportunity to review the strengths and areas for improvement in our vital sector, and make changes that will ensure the wellbeing and quality of life for older people is protected. Uniting AgeWell is dedicated to providing our customers with the quality of care they rightly expect and deserve. I regularly visit our residences, AgeWell Centres and community offices and witness first-hand the high-quality care our dedicated and passionate staff deliver each and every day. In meeting and talking with our customers about their experiences, I have found the overwhelming majority of people are really happy with the care and support they receive. At times like this, it is disappointing the positive stories of aged care – the strong bonds formed between staff, residents and their families, the compassion shown by the vast majority of people working in the industry, and the person-centred care many providers strive to deliver – are not always shared. Throughout the months ahead, we will be working hard to share with the community some of these positive aged care stories and I encourage you all to share your own. And if you ever have any concerns about our care and services, please don’t hesitate to bring them to our attention. We remain focussed 2 on the quality of life and experience of our customers to ensure they continue to receive the highest standard of care and support possible. I am proud to share in this edition of DoveTale, our new Customer Promise, Customer Charter, which demonstrates how our services, our staff and our way of working will help older people to live well with choice and peace of mind. The Charter sits alongside our Community Engagement and Participation Framework and Plan developed by the AgeWell Community Advisory Committee, which outlines how we will partner with customers, families, carers and the community in decision-making at all levels of the organisation and the actions we will take to make this happen. You can find out more about the Plan on our website. And I am very pleased to advise that highly regarded home care services provider Guardian Network became part of Uniting AgeWell in October. With a shared commitment to providing quality, person-centred home care and support services, the acquisition of Guardian Network will strengthen our presence in aged care and enable us to provide services to a new group of clients as we work to meet the demand of an expanding home care market. As 2018 draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a joyous and peaceful Christmas and prosperous New Year. Andrew Kinnersly CEO
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