Plus there’s news from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and a big gong for some Melbourne researchers. Tassie gets a mention as well.
After almost 20 years at McKinsey & Company – nearly six of them as senior partner for Asia health and public sector practice leader – Damien Bruce will take over as national CEO for Calvary Health Care from 1 September.
Mr Bruce will replace the retiring Martin Bowles.
“I leave McKinsey with fond memories and look forward to working with the Calvary team to continue their proud tradition of providing quality health and aged care to Australian communities,” said Mr Bruce on LinkedIn.
Jim Birch, the chair of Calvary, welcomed the appointment.
“Damien’s extensive experience and capabilities transforming global health and aged care organisations make him an outstanding appointment to strategically lead Calvary’s future,” he said.
“Damien will continue to guide the implementation of Calvary’s Great Connected Care strategy, building on the exceptional leadership of Martin Bowles over the past eight years.
“Martin’s inspiring leadership has guided Calvary through a period of significant change and challenge.
“His vision and unwavering commitment have been instrumental in transforming Calvary into a modern, responsive healthcare provider that meets the evolving needs of the communities we serve. His legacy lays a strong foundation for the future.”
Mr Bruce has a long history supporting not-for-profits, including serving on the board of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Victoria) since 2013. He has been deputy chair of the Victorian branch of the RFDS since 2014.
Big jobs up for grabs at ACQSC
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is looking for a complaints commissioner.
The CC is responsible for leading and overseeing the commission’s complaints resolution function as set out in the Aged Care Act 2024, including the commission’s expanding intake process, the operational processes associated with opening, progressing and finalising complaints, and the integration of these processes with other functions in the commission.
Additional responsibilities include leading and coordinating the commission’s regulation of the Serious Incident Response Scheme and the Code of Conduct for aged care providers, workers and governing persons.
The complaints commissioner will also be responsible for leading and coordinating with the sector to improve the consumer experience of care by supporting, influencing and driving improvements in provider performance, specifically in the areas of complaints handling and the effective implementation of SIRS and Code of Conduct obligations.
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There’s a big communication component to the job, including leading and strengthening communication with and education of consumers and their representatives about their rights, and supporting them to raise issues and concerns directly with their aged care workers and/or provider for timely resolution without fear of reprisal.
Importantly, the complaints commissioner will also have responsibility for communicating, engaging with and educating providers regarding their regulatory obligations on these matters.
Although the CC will be part of the commission’s leadership team, they will report directly to the minister, “to enable independence, transparency and accountability of complaints handling by the Commission”.
Applications close at 11.30pm on Tuesday 6 May.
The ACQSC is also recruiting for an executive director of data, analytics and intelligence, reporting to the deputy commissioner for sector capability and regulatory strategy.
The data, analytics and intelligence group manages and analyses data from the aged care sector and regulatory activities to understand risks and performance “for the purposes of prioritising and informing preventative and responsive risk treatments and regulatory decision making”.
The ED will lead the development of tailored content to provide the community, government and sector with insights on sector performance, including content that providers can use to benchmark their own performance.
Applications close at 11:30pm on Tuesday 13 May.
For more information about both positions, contact Lionel Riley on 02 6126 4500 or ACQSC@beaumonthandbeaumont.com.au.
Award for researchers
Melbourne-based Magellan Stem Cell researchers have won the Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open Clinical Research Publication of the Year Award for the excellence of their original research.
The results of Magellan’s phase I/IIa trials of Magellan’s off-the-shelf osteoarthritis donor treatment MAG200 made the win a “unanimous decision”, said the editor of OCO, Professor Henning Madry.
Magellan’s CMO, Associate Professor Julien Freitag, said the award followed more than a decade of intense research by the Magellan team.
“I congratulate every team member for their dedication and involvement in the study.
“I am exceptionally proud of what we have been able to achieve and this award is recognition of everyone’s dedication and commitment.
“Magellan’s proprietary donor stem cell therapy represents an exciting advancement in the active management of osteoarthritis which is a recognised condition of unmet clinical need.
“Magellan’s research suggests that our proprietary stem cell therapy may significantly reduce the global socioeconomic burden of osteoarthritis with potential to delay and/or prevent the need for total joint replacement surgery.
“I look forward to commencing the next stage of our research as we progress towards Magellan’s phase III trial,” Associate Professor Freitag said.
Following publication of the results of the phase I/II trials, the Australian government announced a $7 million grant through the Medical Research Future Fund for the upcoming phase III trial.
Tasmania’s first disability commissioner
Catherine Whitington has been named Tasmania’s first disability commissioner.
Ms Whitington is a disabled woman with lived experience of cerebral palsy. She has been with the Office for the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner of South Australia since 2018 and has served as acting commissioner for the past year.
She holds a PhD in law from the University of Southern Queensland, a master of human rights from Curtin University and a bachelor of psychology from the University of New England.