Statement following ABC 7.30 programme

The ABC 7.30 program last night carried a story that mentioned Opal Aged Care and our former CEO, who left the organisation almost three years ago.

In 2017, Opal Aged Care commissioned an independent review of its practices, to identify any areas of improvement in our operations and culture.

While the review found Opal’s services and practices were generally of a high standard, it also identified some areas that could be improved. As a result, a number of changes have been made. These improvements help explain why Opal now has a 93.02% customer satisfaction rating.

The improvements include:

• Establishing and appointing a Director of Clinical Services
• Establishing and appointing a Director of Customer Experience & Innovation
• Establishing and appointing a Head of Dementia Care
• Implementing a customer experience management system, that allows us to more effectively act on customer feedback
• Funding 250 scholarships for Opal team members in aged care related fields to improve their skills
• Establishing the Opal Graduate Nurse Program with 75 participants to date
• Introducing the Opal Safe system for improved Workplace Health and Safety incident management
• Implementing an electronic medication management system.
• Introducing technology that enhances quality of life for residents, including ePets for residents who are living with dementia, Virtual Reality experiences that support reminiscence, Augmented Reality for sensory stimulation
• Improving communication channels, including iPads in every care home and direct mail to residents via our website to support family connections.

Opal has a number of further improvements underway, including a family communication portal and the introduction of in-house wellness centres offering individual rehabilitation programs in 24 homes, and continues to develop and enhance its services.