Staff profile: Jason Reed, Director of Care Services

When did you commence working at MND Queensland and what attracted you to work with us?

I started in February. I’ve been working in the disability industry for the last nine years across different roles and I’d noticed that lots of service providers support all kinds of disabilities and provide all kinds of supports. The difference that attracted me to MND Queensland is that we have one focus, MND! I believe there is a big difference between being good at everything and great at one thing. Our focused support to the MND community really gives the team the opportunity to provide specialised support like no other provider can and the opportunity to be a part of such an organisation is a true gift.

Can you please tell our readers a little about your role as Director of Care Services at MND Queensland?

My role is a challenging but rewarding one. My team consists of three departments – Support Coordinators/MND Advisors, Allied Health and Equipment. Our Allied Health multidisciplinary team consists of Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and an Allied Health Aassistant. With all these different aspects and people within my team every day presents new challenges but the benefit from working as part of a team with so much varying experience is that we can all support each other. The team really understands there isn’t just one answer to a problem, and we are here as a team to support each other.

What do you enjoy about working at MND Queensland?

MND Queensland is really a special place to work. The environment that has been created within the team here is such a pleasure to be a part of everyday. It’s obvious that this is not just a job to any of our team, everyone works here because they genuinely are invested in the MND community and hope to create positive impact every day.

Did you know much about MND before you started working with us and what are the biggest things you’ve learnt about MND since working here?

Honestly no I didn’t know too much, just general knowledge, so it’s been a steep learning curve for me. But I think that’s the gift of working at MND Queensland, there is so much knowledge within the organisation that I’ve been able to learn so much just from conversations with staff and getting to go and meet some of our clients. I’ve also made a point of attending as many of our online educational sessions as well as our support groups which really gives me an insight into how people with MND are living everyday and how we support them. Of course, just like every other staff member I have completed MND awareness training in my first week, so I had developed foundational knowledge before interacting with our clients.

What do you think are some of the strengths of MND Queensland’s service delivery model?

Our services have grown dramatically over the last few years. Can you tell us about what plans are in the pipeline to expand service delivery?

Right now, I’m excited to say we are advertising for two new positions. They are both MND Advisor/Support Coordinator positions in Northern Queensland. For myself, I really understand how challenging it is to live in regional communities and that things aren’t always available the way they might be in a city, so employing staff in key locations across the State is something we will continue to work on to help improve our service. I’m also very excited to see our Allied Health team expanding since I have started. We now have a new OT based on the Gold Coast as well as a further two OTs starting soon which is exciting. The continuing need and growth of our team really shows how vitally important our services are to the MND community. This is just the beginning so watch this space!

You’ve just overseen an NDIS audit process. Can you tell us how that went and what were the key learnings?

This was our mid-term audit, and it was at first quite daunting task within my first two months of starting here. But I’m quite glad to say that the systems and processes already in place meant it was the most relaxed audit preparation I have been a part of, the team really does an amazing job every day and this meant the audit went very smoothly and I am very pleased to report that we received no noncompliance and we really passed with flying colours. To me this is just more evidence that we are truly providing a best practice service every day.

What do you get up to in your spare time? Do you have any pastimes or hobbies?

I’m a proud country boy I grew up in Glen Innes, New South Wales (don’t hold that against me) and moved to the Gold Coast mid-2022. Right now, my hobbies consist of being a dad, I have three kids and a wife, so they take up most of my free time. Luckily our whole family enjoys travelling in our caravan, so whenever the opportunity presents itself we pack up the car and caravan and head off on a new adventure. I grew up playing soccer and hope to put the boots back on again one day, but I really enjoy watching any sport.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I’d just like to say thank you to everyone in the MND community. Everyone has really accepted me and I am really enjoying working with such a committed group of people.