People & Culture team wins national Aged Care award

The Southern Cross Care NSW & ACT (SCC) People & Culture team has been honoured with a national award for their innovative programs and solutions to attract and retain staff.

Presented at Dockside Darling Harbour, the Future of Ageing Awards saw an unprecedented number of nominees, highlighting the sector’s commitment to innovation and excellence.

SCC stood out for its exceptional commitment to creating a supportive, inclusive, and innovative work environment through its staff incentive programs, professional development opportunities, wellbeing platform, and recognition and rewards program.

Monique Reynolds, SCC NSW & ACT Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our 2,300 diverse workforce and volunteers are essential to our purpose, to enable older people to live life to the full, which is why, in our new strategic plan, we have made our workforce pillar our first pillar.”

In September 2022, SCC broadened its recruitment efforts on a global scale, addressing sector- wide staff shortages by sourcing talent from abroad. This year alone, SCC has successfully welcomed 832 new team members, a journey marked by innovation and the pursuit of continuous improvement.

This prestigious recognition from the Future of Ageing Awards was well received across SCC.

Connie Fitzpatrick, Talent Acquisition Manager said, “This recognition inspires us to keep pushing the boundaries and striving for excellence in aged care.”

A comment also echoed by Kathryne Purvis, Senior Learning and Organisation Development Manager who said: “Our core business is caring for our residents and clients, but we can’t do that without caring for our people. I am so grateful that our leaders had faith in us and put in place the suggestions and recommendations that led to this success.”

Jacki Quirke, SCC’s Engagement and Purposeful Living Manager, was also recognised, receiving a Highly Commended Award in the Leader of the Year category, while the Deniliquin Residential Care team were finalists in the Community Engagement category.

Our approach is to continue to evolve our Engagement Model, to ensure that it delivers personalised quality care, meaningful support services, and accommodation to over 4,000 people through our Residential Care, Home Care, and Retirement Village services.

SCC would also like to congratulate all winners for their outstanding contributions in supporting older people to live their best lives.

Pictured: The Southern Cross Care NSW & ACT People & Culture team (from left to right): Amanda Zakhary, Kathryne Purvis and Connie Fitzpatrick with the 2021 award winner James Stack from Obvious Choice.

(Source: SCC NSW ACT)