Jim providing training on the new aged care standards and requirements.

Residential Aged Care Facility Northern Beaches.

It is with great pride that I announce that our Residential Aged Care Facility successfully achieved a Licence to Operate for a further 3 years. I received a call from one of the 5 NSW Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioners on the afternoon of Friday, 16 August 2019 to confirm this. I shared this great news moments later with our staff who were jubilant at hearing of our success.

‘Be reassured that our residents are in a very safe and high quality environment’

Jim Murray, facility Manager and I advised our residents and relatives during the year of the new 8 Aged Care Standards and 42 Requirements that were launched across Australia on 1 July 2019 as the measurement of compliance to operate a Residential Aged Care Facility. Our staff had been preparing for the transition from the previous 4 Standards and 44 Outcomes to the New Standards since November 2018 and received quality training during April and May 2019 which was attended by staff, management and some Board Directors.

On 16 July 2019, I opened the Reception door to meet 3 of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioners who arrived unannounced in relation to our re-application to the Commission to operate as a residential aged care facility. This is my 5th time since joining the Company in 2006 that I have engaged in this process.

Each year, the former Australian Government Aged Care Quality and Standards Agency (Agency) which has re-branded as the Australian Government Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (Commission) conducts 2 site audits, 1 announced and 1 unannounced which lasts 1 day in addition to the 3 yearly re-application process to seek approval to operate. I have been through about 25 of the 1 day site audits.

Residents and relatives were contacted by our management prior to July 2019 to provide contact details of the Commission should residents or relatives wish to contact the Commission and we contacted relatives again on 16 July 2019 to advise that the unannounced site audit was underway.

Usually, the re-application site audit lasts 2 days and involves 2 Assessors. This time, the 3 Assessors were with us for 3 days. They were at pains to tell us over this time on many occasions that they were learning about the New Standards too. They advised that they were appreciative to be doing so in such a welcoming and helpful environment as ours.

But let me tell you, this was the most gruelling of experiences for our management and staff. Everything was examined to cover the 8 Standards and 42 Requirements, all which had to be ‘met’ in order to pass the test, more about this below.

Mini, Ciarán , Jim, Belinda, Cathy, Kabita with our Certificate of Accreditation.

Be reassured that our residents are in a very safe and high quality environment at Allambie Heights Village Residential Aged Care Facility. Our Licence to Operate continues to September 2022. I advised our residents of this at their Residents Meeting on 22 August 2019 to rapturous applause. We received the Certificate of Accreditation on 18 September 2019.

I thank our residents for their involvement in this process and for speaking openly and honestly to the Assessors. Thanks to those relatives who made themselves available over the 3 days and others who phoned the Assessors. My appreciation to our Board Directors who broke away from their busy schedules to meet and to be interviewed by the Assessors and to our Contractors who were interviewed too when at the RACF over the 3 days.

‘I am privileged to be part of a very special team’

My overwhelming congratulations and thanks go to Jim Murray, our Facility Manager, his management team and staff and to my other Company management and staff who all contributed to this accreditation process. I am so very proud of each of them and I am privileged to be part of a very special team.

We set our benchmark for Standards and Values very high and that is why in August 2019, we achieved 100% occupancy at our RACF. It is, therefore, most appropriate that Jim and I took the team out for a celebratory meal on 23 August 2019 to say ‘thanks’ to the Team.

Ciaran Foley
Chief Executive Officer
CFoley@alhvillage.com.au