2011 Board & Executive Report
It is with pleasure that I present Doutta Galla’s annual report for 2011, a particularly strong year for our organisation.
Fiscal 2011 brought with it a period of continuing change in the aged care sector. The state and federal elections and Productivity Commission Caring for Older Australians Inquiry have strengthened hopes of aged care reform.
With the ultimate goal of improved services for residents and a more sustainable industry, Doutta Galla submitted its recommendations for a more flexible funding system to the Commission in the first quarter. In support of our submission, briefings were issued to all local MPs who represent the regions we work within, to ensure they are aware of the positive change required and our efforts in improving community outcomes.
The Inquiry was an important opportunity to raise awareness of funding discrimination against poorer and culturally diverse residents. As a key provider of aged care to the people of Melbourne’s west, an area characterised by high growth, low socio-economic levels and cultural diversity, Doutta Galla has stressed the highly varied needs of elderly people from non-English speaking backgrounds, and the costs involved in ensuring specialist staff training.
In its draft report, the Productivity Commission proposes an Australian Seniors Gateway Agency which would provide interpreter services and culturally appropriate diagnostic tools for assessment of care needs. Doutta Galla had advocated strongly for changes to the current restrictions on accommodation bonds in high care. We were pleased to see that the draft report acknowledged the limitations of the current funding structure.
As an industry, we want to achieve inclusivity and accessibility. We are calling on the government to carefully consider the changes proposed and their capacity to improve Australia’s aged care system. If government makes the necessary changes, the gap between Melbourne’s east and west may soon be closing.
While we anticipate the release of the Productivity Commission’s final report, the Gillard Government has announced programs aimed at improving some of the simpler issues facing Australia’s aged care sector. However, it is the important structural changes that will deliver real results, and we anticipate the government to make this a mid-term priority.
Doutta Galla has always maintained strong community connections and this year we joined the Grand Plan campaign, which raised attention to aged care in the lead up to the state and federal elections. We encouraged people to take part, register support and engage MPs in a call for greater funding and a more accessible aged care system.
While advocating for positive change, Doutta Galla invested significant time, energy and financial resources in stabilising staffing and improving care management systems at our facilities. The Board made this strategic decision in order to provide the confidence that risks are managed and a return to moderate profitability could be achieved. It is with great satisfaction that a focus on business resilience has seen the company emerge from the financial year stronger – both operationally and financially.
I wish to recognise the commitment and dedication shown by our Board of Directors, each of whom has worked to ensure Doutta Galla remains on the path to financial sustainability. It is inspiring to work with a group of people who are as passionate about achieving social equity as they are about building a robust organisation.
In addition, I wish to acknowledge the hard work of Chief Executive Officer, Mark Anderson, and his executive team who have been steadfast in their commitment to the company and it’s many stakeholders.
Finally, I would also like to express a huge thank you to all staff and volunteers. Doutta Galla provides a wonderful and supportive community for residents and families. The social capital created by the relationships within our facilities and in local neighbourhoods, although hard to measure, is absolutely vital to the Australian way of life.
Bruce Mildenhall
Chair
Download a copy of the 2011 Annual Report (the file is 3.4 MB in size).
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To view Annual Reports please press the links below:
- 2011 Full Version (3.4 MB) / 2011 Concise Version (1.7 MB)
- 2010 Full Version (1.7 MB) / 2010 Concise Version (3.6 MB)
- 2009 Full Version (1.6 MB) / 2009 Concise Version (1.8 MB)
- 2008 Full Version (1.8 MB) / 2008 Concise Version (2 MB)
- 2007 Full Version (900KB) / 2007 Concise Version (1.1MB)
- 2006 Full Version (2.7MB) / 2006 Concise Version (1.1MB)
- 2005 Full Version (2.6MB) / 2005 Concise Version (860K)