OPINION
STRONGER VOICE FOR AGED CARE PROVIDERS MARKS A NEW BEGINNING
Dr Graeme Blackman AO FTSE FAICD Chairman, Aged & Community Care Providers Association Chairman, Leading Age Services Australia
ACCPA IS THE RESET THE INDUSTRY NEEDS TO ADVOCATE FOR REAL CHANGE
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t’s extraordinary to look at how far we’ve come. A year ago, it would have been hard to imagine that 12 months later we have replaced Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) and Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA) with a new, stronger and unified aged care peak body—Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA). A year ago, LASA and ACSA through the Australian Aged Care Collaboration (AACC) were in the throes of advocating for the Federal Government to get its act together on the failing rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program and on supply of PPE and infection controls in residential aged are homes. This was almost six months before the Omicron variant took hold and cut a swathe through the aged care workforce. At the same time we were working through the details of the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. We were seeking to work in a true partnership to realise the intent of the Commissioners’ recommendations and to ensure a better system for older Australians and staff, and high quality aged care services. The 99 per cent ‘yes’ vote on 29 April 2022 of LASA and ACSA Members to unite is a watershed for our sector. It is a testimony to the success of LASA and the AACC over the past few years. The vote was also a positive endorsement of a recommendation by the Royal Commission for greater collaboration and a united voice among aged care sector representative organisations. ACCPA will formally come into being on 1 July 2022 and we are now undergoing a transition to integrate functions of LASA and ACSA in the lead up to our inaugural ACCPA National Conference. The processes underway include the search for a CEO for ACCPA.
The new 15-member ACCPA Board met for the first time in early May and I was honoured to be elected Chair, with Cherylee Treloar, CEO of Footprints Community in Queensland, elected Deputy Chair. The new Board will play a pivotal role in ensuring the new organisation provides the governance and leadership that the community expects, and our industry needs, for a sustainable aged care future. The ACCPA Board will provide leadership towards achieving a more unified industry by presenting a single, strong voice which advocates on behalf of all aged care providers. Major priorities for the Board in the near term range from setting up the Board’s good governance structures and processes to focusing ACCPA on strategic initiatives that will provide sector leadership. You will hear more about the operational initiatives as the Board and Executive work through the establishment and implementation of its strategic goals. It has been a long and challenging road to realise a single association for all providers of aged care services in Australia. I want to acknowledge the efforts of the Chair of the Transformation Steering Committee, Claerwen Little, who is also National Director of UnitingCare Australia, and the committee members. As ACCPA takes shape, we will continue to recognise the rich history of LASA and the contribution it has made to our industry. In particular, I want to acknowledge the efforts of LASA CEO Sean Rooney who decided not to contest the ACCPA CEO position and will lead the Transformation Management Office for ACCPA to ensure there is a smooth transition in the establishment of ACCPA.
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