Message from the CEO & Chair
Board of directors
Our Board of Directors bring a diverse range of skills, expertise and experience to GLCH, particularly in areas such as education, health, local government, business administration, information technology, journalism and law.
Each Board Director has strong connections to the local community and provide the organisation with strong governance and guidance.
The Board is made up of nine directors – six who are elected from GLCH’s membership, and three who are appointed based on their skills and experience.
Organisational Chart
The Executive team at Gippsland Lakes Complete Health comprises of the Chief Executive Officer and six Executive Managers who oversee staff and services across the following units:
- Aged & Disability Services
- Clinical & Nursing Services
- Family, Youth & Children's Services
- Support, Therapies, Education & Prevention
- Corporate Services
- Finance & Information Technology
Our year in numbers
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patients seen by our GP's via telehealth
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days (7,895 hrs) of support provided by our Bushfire Recovery Team
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hours/2,630 days of support provided by our Allied Health Team
Our nursing team administered
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PCR tests
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first dose covid vaccine
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second dose and boosters
Our team and community
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staff and 300+ volunteers
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new staff onboarded by HR Team
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new clients registered with GLCH in 2021-22
Seven staff members were part of our scholarship program studying in the areas of:
- Allied Health Assistance
- Business Operations
- Social Services
- Criminology (Forensic Disability)
- Parkinson’s Care
- Advanced Nursing Practice
- Manual Lymph Drainage and Combined Decongestive Therapy
Achievements
Innovative Cadetship Program
In partnership with Federation University in late 2021, we offered Cadetships in Occupational Therapy, resulting in the recruitment of three local students.
Grow Our Own
Launch of the program saw eight local students successfully gain traineeships in Allied Health, Community Health, Business, Children's Services, Clinical – Aboriginal Health Worker, and Aged and Disability Services. We look forward to our current trainees remaining with us in permanent roles and to offering a new traineeship intake for 2023.
Supporting Staff Health & Safety
Health and safety requirements throughout the organisation, including responding to changing COVID-19 safe settings and vaccination mandates, were met. The health and safety of our staff were also supported as a priority.
Going Off Grid
Solar panels and backup batteries were installed at our Lakes Entrance site. The new $500,000 installation, made possible by a State Government grant, provides us with off-grid capacity, guaranteeing backup in the event of a power failure and improving our environmental sustainability.
Major Network Upgrades
Our IT team worked hard to implement improvements across all sites. This was a significant refresh to improve cybersecurity, mobility, reliability, and future-proofing.
Streamlining Financial Processes
The Finance team made several improvements in their workspace, including refining the Board report to dashboard format to improve information in a simplified design. Automating final processes in the Account Receivable has improved efficiency from a five-day to a two-day process and improved the debt collection cycle.
'Nowa Nowa - the place to be'
Funded by a PHN One Good Community Wellbeing Grant, this project won a Gippsland Primary Health Network Award in the 'Better support for Diverse Communities Category', with a high standard of finalist candidates. Watch 'Nowa Nowa in East Gippsland - The Place to BE'
Demand Management Innovations
Jess Moller and Ainsleigh Whelan presented the ‘Rails Clinic’ demand-management service redesign at the Occupational Therapy Australia Exchange conference in June 2022. This was an exciting opportunity to showcase our work in innovative demand management models of care to a national audience.
Paynesville Up & Running
Our new Paynesville location became operational in October 2021 thanks to quick work from our IT and environmental services teams. The site is home to nine office-based aged and disability staff members.
Expanding our NDIS Team
We created new support coordination and recovery coach role within our NDIS team. This position will maintain an engagement through periods of increased support needs due to the episodic nature of mental illness.
Increased Nursing Services
The nursing team, under the lead of our Nurse Immuniser, Peta Bassett, played a vital role in supporting access to COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations to not only the Lakes Entrance and surrounding towns and communities, but also accommodated people from other areas of Victoria travelling through or staying with local family and friends. The service has increased from one day per month to two days per week ongoing.
Mobile Youth Service Project
The new service will provide geographically challenged families and young people with access to Mental Health Support and Generalist Support such as community-based events and therapeutic group work. When completed, the fit-for-purpose van will feature cutting-edge technology, including virtual reality headsets, WIFI access points and small outdoor cinema.
Children's Book Club
Now available to children and families using our services in Bairnsdale. Early Childhood Development Facilitator, Kara has specially chosen a range of books by local authors, illustrated books, and cultural and diversity-themed books for children to choose from and keep with every appointment. Children are also encouraged to "review" their book with a drawing or statement on their next visit.
Men's Behaviour Change Program
We made the switch from in-person to online contact with clients during COVID-19 lockdowns. This allowed the team to perform a continual risk assessment of people using family violence in our community by making this change.
Bushfire Recovery
Our Bushfire Recovery Support Team supported 240 clients over the last 12 months, making 24 legal referrals, 24 financial counselling referrals and 32 referrals to mental health services and more. The team also attended many events across East Gippsland to promote resilience and wellbeing and helped fund various projects in local communities, including firefighting equipment and a shed for the Club Terrace community.
Outdoor Learning Space
Our Children's Centre in Lakes Entrance received a Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grant to create an Outdoor Learning Space. The space will foster an appreciation of the natural environment, help children develop environmental awareness and provide a platform for ongoing environmental education.
Inclusion and Diversity
At GLCH, we value and respect the diversity of our staff, clients and communities in which we work and live. We strive to deliver inclusive, accessible and culturally safe services.
In May 2022, we were excited to launch our new Inclusion and Diversity Plan 2022-25.
The plan consolidates lots of work that is being done across the organisation in different diverse areas, and has three strategic goals:
A diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture
- A truly inclusive workplace where people feel respected, connected, supported and valued
- Reduce barriers to employment
- Workforce training and capacity building
Culturally safe, inclusive and accessible services
- An environment that is socially, emotionally and physically safe for all people
- A workforce that reflects the diversity of the community we serve
- Reduce barriers to services and facilities
Community collaboration, partnerships and advocacy
- Communicate, support and celebrate inclusion and diversity through promotion, education, events and activities
- Voices of consumers are central to decision-making in the design, delivery and evaluation of services and programs
- Strong partnerships with specialist organisations, peak bodies and sector leaders to ensure best practice
To find out how we will achieve our goals, you can view the full Inclusion and Diversity Plan 2022-25 here.
Resilience & Wellbeing Highlights
Staff
Creating a work culture where employees can develop supportive relationships with their colleagues can be an essential strategy for increasing worker wellbeing. With this in mind, we created a series of activities and events to bring staff across all five Units together to interact and have fun!
This included:
- A virtual morning tea to mark RU OK? Day
- End of year morning tea to thank staff for their hard work throughout 2021
- The hotly contested GLCH Winter Games
- Harmony Day celebrations
- Human Bingo
- Healthy Barbecue Luncheons to welcome back staff after Lockdowns and thank them for supporting the health and wellbeing needs of our community throughout the pandemic
We also took the opportunity to thank our nursing and aged care teams by celebrating International Nurses Day and Aged Care Employee Day, respectively.
The Resilience Project was rolled out to all staff in May 2022. The Resilience Project teaches positive mental health strategies to help people be happier and more resilient. It focuses on three pillars – Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness, and staff have responded strongly and positively to this project.
Some of our teams now share their wins and good news stories and practice gratitude at regular meetings. Our Family, Youth and Children’s Services Unit has a notice board that shares news and achievements, and the Children Centre team has created a ‘Gratitude Wall.’
Sarsfield bushfire survivor and now mental health advocate John Kinniburgh joined us for a healthy barbeque lunch during Men's Health Week. John shared some real-life experiences and stories around the unique challenges men's health can present and how it affects relationships, work, and connectedness.
Community
Despite COVID-19, our annual 'Hands Up to Change the Story' campaign against family violence gathered momentum across East Gippsland throughout the 16 Days of Activism. Our Hands Up to Change the Story team canvased towns from Bairnsdale to the border, hosting activities, handing out t-shirts and chatting with locals.
"Stop our planet from turning upside down" is a Tackling Climate Change partnership involving our health promotion team and Grade 4 students at St Brendan's Primary School in Lakes Entrance. Students worked with Neda and Marrs from Goodworthy to create a message (in song) about the role we all have to play in protecting our fragile planet - watch Stop 'The Planet From Turning Upsidedown (St. Brendans Primary School)'.
We partnered with several local agencies and charities as part of the East Gippsland Community Christmas Appeal. A $5,000 donation helped the appeal purchase gift cards and toys for vulnerable families. Some of our FYCS team lent a hand to pack hampers.
Several fire-affected residents finally moved into their newly built homes after long delays due to COVID-19 and shortages of building materials and tradespeople. The recovery support team have assisted along the way with paperwork and follow-up on rebuilding rebates such as rainwater tanks and septic systems via Melbourne Water. Support workers also initiated referrals for clients when issues arose.
The High Risk Accommodation Response program played an integral part in ensuring COVID safe messaging and planning is in place for Supported residential Services and Caravan Parks in East Gippsland. This program supported a vaccination program for vulnerable people including a Sensory Friendly Event targeting children between the ages of 5-11, with a disability. GLCH was also part of the Vaccine Ambassadors Program and received funding to produce a series of vaccination messages that were promoted on local radio, television, and social media - Watch 'Whatever you reason, help us reach the target! (GLCH Socials)'.
National Volunteer Week allowed us to celebrate our 350+ volunteers' hard work and generosity by treating them to lunch across several local venues. Our volunteers strengthen our services and are a vital asset to our staff and clients. The work they do in the community is invaluable, and we sincerely thank them for their commitment.
Healthy Lifestyle Programs
Active Living
- Active Mums ‘n’ Happy Bubs
- Aqua therapy – Better Balance (Falls Prevention)
- Blokes Gym
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Community Rehab
- Healthwise Gym
- Health Moves
- GLA:D (Good Life with Osteoarthritis Denmark)
- GLA:Diators
- Keep Active Gym
- Men’s Gym
- PD Warrior (Parkinson’s Disease/Neuro Specific)
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation
- Staff Gym
- Veterans Only Gym (DVA Funded)
Staying Connected
Social groups for people of all ages, abilities, and interests (Lakes Entrance based unless otherwise indicated)
- Active Cafe
- Blokes BBQ
- Forget Me Nots
- Friday Fiesta
- Leisurely Lifestyles
- Let’s Cake it Easy (Bairnsdale)
- Nowa Nowa Ladies Lunch
- Parkinson’s support group
- Shedquarters (formally Men’s Shed)
- Terrific Tuesdays
- The Lounge
- Thrive on Thursday
- Welcome Wednesdays
Children & Parenting
- Baby Makes 3
- New Parents Group
- Tuning Into Kids / Tuning into Teens
- Pizza & Parenting (men’s group)
Children’s Centre programs including:
- Full-time, part-time, and casual childcare
- Before and after school care
- Coastal Kinder
- Three and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten
- Vacation Care
- Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program
Paediatric Therapy Groups
- Active Lorikeets (Speech, language and fine motor development School Readiness Program)
- Little Wrens (Language and fine motor development Program)
- Lyrebirds (speech sound development)
- Hanan More than Words (Autism Language development)
- Hanen It Takes Two to Talk (Early language development)
- Alert Program (self-regulation program)
- Zones of Regulation Program (self-regulation program)
- Bouncing Bubs (Early intervention gross motor program)
- Toddler Group (Early intervention development program)
- Food School & Food Science (SOS)
Adult Health & Wellbeing
- Art Therapy
- Caution with Cannabis
- Drumbeat
- Healthy Ageing Information Session
- Home Based Library
- LIFE! Program (Diabetes & Cardiovascular Prevention)
- LSVT (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment for Parkinson’s disease)
- Making the Last Chapter Reflect the Whole Book (pre-advance care planning)
- Men’s Behaviour Change
- Mindful Meditation
- WISE (Women Inspired Supported and Empowered)
Young People’s Health & Wellbeing
- Achievement Program (in Schools)
- Calm Futures
- Drumbeat
- HEY! Program (Healthy Equal Youth)
- Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program
- Tackling Climate Change - Love Food, Hate Waste
- Tackling Smoking
- Vic Kids Eat Well Program
Our Year in Stories
Consumer Feedback
Consumer feedback helps us make meaningful improvements to our services and programs. Anyone who uses our services and programs can leave us feedback using a range of easy, accessible and, where preferred, anonymous processes.
Feedback forms are available in all our customer service areas. You can also send us comments via email to hello@glch.org.au or you can visit our website and complete our online feedback form.
What we do with your feedback:
- All the feedback we receive is uploaded to Riskman, our quality and safety software system
- It is then forwarded to the correct member of our Executive Management Team for their attention and follow-up
- Managers will respond with a written letter or email. They may phone you for further details or make time to meet with you, if necessary
Finance Summary
Gippsland Lakes Complete Health delivered a surplus result of $3,072,874 for the 2021-22 financial year, maintaining a strong financial position to embrace future opportunities and challenges as they arise.
Operating Result
Our operating result for the year, including depreciation and gain/(loss) on disposal of assets, was a surplus of $3,072,874.
Gippsland Lakes Complete Health continues to be supported in seeking and successfully attracting funding required to build and expand service delivery. This is evident by a 13% growth in revenue during the period.
GLCH has a sound financial base, showing strong liquidity and associated ability to meet all employee and program commitments. Employee costs continues to represent the largest area of expenditure, accounting for 59%, followed by client costs representing 30% of total expenses.
Assets and Liabilities
GLCH continues to hold a strong financial position, strengthen with a 1% increase in total assets, and total liabilities declining by 14% during the period.
Governance
The Board recognises the importance of a strong governance framework and support this with well-established Finance and Quality Governance Committees that meet bi-monthly. The Finance Committee reviews financial reports, ensures accounting policies are applied, recommends the approval of audited annual financial statements, and ensures that issues raised as part of internal and external financial audits are addressed.
Audited Financial Statements
Gippsland Lakes Complete Health prepares General Purpose, reduced disclosure financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and the Audit Act 1994.
