CEO Responds to Media Reports on Concerns Over Quality in Aged Care

20 January 2016

A response from our CEO, Janna Voloshin

In recent days there have been a number of articles and letters published in The Age in response to a report written by Tom Allard and published on 2 January 2016 headlined Aged care slides, profits soar. The article prompted negative media coverage in relation to aged care services, particularly residential aged care.

The negative commentary ranged from perceptions of terminology used in aged care, such as “facility” rather than “home”, the financial motivation of aged care providers, unqualified and insufficient staff, and the very general approach of accreditation and evaluation of services.

In response to that article and the subsequent comments, I received a letter from a relative of a resident in one of our aged care homes, who was very concerned about the negative media coverage. He wrote to say how upsetting and unfair some of this coverage is, as he has a completely different experience with his wife who is cared for in one of our homes. In his letter he says that he really appreciates the care we provide to his wife and asks me to write and reassure others whose loved ones are in our care, that the reports do not reflect the way Vasey RSL Care operates.

I have more then 20 years experience working in aged care, starting as a Personal Care Worker who could not speak fluent English and working my way up to a number of management roles in the private, public and not-for-profit sector, culminating in my appointment as CEO of Vasey RSL Care.

In all those years, regardless of changes that have happened in the industry, one main factor that was always strongly present in aged care was the dedication and passion of those people who look after the frail elderly. Yes, definitely, there were examples of poor performance and perhaps even negligence: however, these incidences were very small in number compared to the number of people who work in aged care. (I have not met a lot of people working in aged care who have chosen to work in this sector for financial reasons.)

For-Profit and Not-for-Profit

The issue of private (or for-profit) versus not-for-profit providers has been raised in these articles.

And whilst Vasey RSL Care is a not-for-profit organisation, I believe it is important to have a balance of both for-profit and not-for-profit aged care providers: this creates healthy competition and provides choice, and this drives both efficiency and innovation. I have seen a large number of both private and not-for-profit providers motivated by their commitment to deliver high quality care to their residents.

As CEO of Vasey RSL Care, I would like to reassure our internal and external stakeholders that our organisation is very clear on its mission of delivering excellence in aged care and serving the people who have served our country – and who deserve the best.

Vasey RSL Care is governed by a Board of Directors who are personally and professionally committed to this mission and to guiding our organisation towards achieving excellence. Our strategies and policies focus on quality principles, operating always from an evidence base and a commitment towards ever greater improvements.

What Our Residents Say

We have a talented team of managers and staff who are professional, caring and committed. This commitment is strongly demonstrated in evidence from our residents’ survey, conducted in September 2015: he key findings reported by residents in the survey include:

• 100% of our residents would recommend all Vasey RSL Care facilities to others
• 96% of residents reported being cared for in a highly respectful manner

These results show that our residents consider we are delivering on our promise of ‘Dignity – we foster respect for all’.

Independent Recognition

In the past three years, Vasey RSL Care has received five Better Practice Awards from the Australian Aged Care Quality Care Agency, in recognition of our leadership in a number of areas.

• 2015 Award for Clinical Care in Diabetes Management
• 2014 Award for Innovation in Staff Recruitment and Retention Strategies
• 2014 Award for a Lifestyle Program to enhance the everyday life of our residents
• 2013 Award for Innovation for the HELP Force Program
• 2013 Award for the Lifestyle Program’s ‘War & Peace Panel’
• 2013 Award for the Lifestyle Program’s ‘Artists in Residence’ Program

These awards reflect the high priority Vasey RSL Care puts on the health and wellbeing of residents, and on recruiting and retaining the best possible staff from the industry. In pursuing these objectives, we have invested significantly in staff development and training to emphasise the quality of personal care – a lot more than basic compliance.

In summary, I would like to say how proud and privileged I am to work in the Australian aged care sector, with committed people caring for a very special group of men and women from the ex-service community.

Janna Voloshin

CEO