New aged care peak unveils inaugural board

The newly formed Aged & Community Care Providers Association has announced its board structure.

In all, 15 board members have been appointed including Dr Graeme Blackman as chair and Cherylee Treloar as deputy chair. Both positions were determined at the board’s inaugural meeting held earlier this week.

“It’s an honour to be elected as ACCPA’s first-ever board chair,” Dr Blackman said. “The formation of ACCPA is the first step towards a more unified industry, with a single and strong voice able to represent all aged care providers.”

The ACCPA board will play “a pivotal role in ensuring the new organisation provides the governance and leadership that the community clearly expects, and our industry needs, for a sustainable aged care future,” added Dr Blackman, chancellor of the University of Divinity and president of the Victorian Council of Churches.

The ACCPA board comprises of 10 elected directors, three independent directors and two multistate directors. Board appointments range from one to three years.

Ms Treloar – CEO of the not-for-profit clinical services organisation Footprints Community in south-east Queensland – said a major focus for the new board would be the appointment of ACCPA’s first CEO, with an announcement expected in two months.

“Our new board is already working hard to find the right leader, one who is able to drive ACCPA through this new era with strong purpose, and a collaborative approach to working with consumers, communities and government,” she said. “I look forward to representing our sector through this change, and the creation of our new high-performing, trusted industry association.”

In addition to Dr Blackman and Ms Treloar, board members include:

• Daniel Aitchison, chief executive at Clayton Church Homes, South Australia
• Dr Saranne Cooke, deputy chancellor at Charles Sturt University
• Jackie Howard, CEO at Masonic Care, Tasmania
• Michelle Jenkins, CEO of Community Vision Australia, Western Australia
• Nick Loudon, CEO and director of Envigor, Queensland
• Lee Martin, CEO and director of care at Tanunda Lutheran Home, South Australia
• Linda Mellors, managing director and CEO at Regis Aged Care
• Robert Orie, CEO of Montefiore, New South Wales
• Sue Peden, former non-executive director of Leading Age Services Australia
• Kerri Rivett, chief executive of Royal Freemasons
• Mark Sewell, CEO at Warrigal, New South Wales
• Stephen Muggleton, Group CEO at Bolton Clarke
• Shane Yensch, executive director at Alinea, Western Australia.

Greater collaboration and unified leadership

Aiming to become operational by July, the formation of a new peak body representing Australia’s aged care providers was announced on 3 May following a call by the royal commission last year, which recommended greater industry collaboration and unified leadership.

As a result, a steering committee was formed to help drive change. Members of peak bodies Aged & Community Services Australia and LASA then voted in favour of creating the single industry association at a special general meeting on 29 April.

Major priorities for the new board range from setting the governance structure – including the establishment of sub-committees that enable national representation, diversity of experience and promotion of strategic priorities – to forming a board committee to oversee director appointments in the future.

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