2019/20 annual report
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our organisation
our purpose
(why we exist)
We inspire possibility by giving people access to support in their chosen community
our values
(how we act)
Integrity, Cooperation, Empowerment, Respect, Excellence
our mission
(how we deliver)
By connecting capable passionate and caring locals with those who need support
Dr Peter Mangles
President
President's message
In what can only be described as an extraordinary year that has included drought, bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, I would most sincerely like to thank all of our employees, colleagues and volunteers for their continued hard work and commitment over the last year. It has not always been easy and we owe our success to you all. It is your passion, agility and professionalism that drives our organisation forward and ensures that LiveBetter continues to deliver quality services and support programs across regional Australia.
Managing Director
& CEO's report
Firstly, I wish to acknowledge the fantastic work all our staff, particularly those on the frontline, have done to keep the communities we serve safe and supported throughout 2019/20. It has been a challenging year for our communities and our organisation.
Natalie Forsyth-Stock
Managing Director & CEO
our customers
more customer stories:
Click on a story below to read.
there's no place like (the right) home
After suffering a debilitating injury, Bev Warne became a paraplegic at the age of 52 and found herself living in an aged care home… A place she didn’t fit into on so many levels.
Along with the complete loss of her independence, the adequate care needed for Bev’s injuries was not given due to the different staff-to-aged care resident ratio, resulting in her remaining in bed for long periods of time, missed meals and experiencing significant pain.
our people
animal companion scheme
Amber O'Neill - volunteer
Amber O’Neill is in her fifth year of vet science studies at Charles Sturt University’s Wagga campus. Along with her border collies, Brandi and Pippa, she’s been part of LiveBetter’s companion animal program since October 2018. Amber wanted to give back to the community in Wagga, where she’s been living while studying.
more staff stories:
Click on a story below to read.
our work
LiveBetter provides individualised assistance to support independent living within the community.
Who can receive help from LiveBetter?
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Mature members of the community who need assistance to maintain their independent lifestyle
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People faced with physical or intellectual challenges that require support to live independently
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People who need respite from supporting the people they care for with physical or intellectual challenges
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Those with challenges related to mental illness who are seeking opportunities to regain or develop life skills
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Children or young people who are in the care of Child Safety Services
LiveBetter operates from offices, homes, respite centres and community centres across Central Queensland and regional New South Wales, providing transport and outreach services to surrounding areas. Together our people and our systems help support our clients who live in rural and remote communities to live their best lives.
*by ComPacks and Safe And Supported Home hospital discharge programs
aged & community
During 2019/20, LiveBetter’s Aged Care Team helped more people with their aged care needs than ever before through our:
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Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)
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Home care packages
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Telehealth
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Department of Veterans’ Affairs funding, and
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Fee-for-service programs across regional NSW and Queensland.
Our programs aim to ensure customers have their care needs met to remain living at home safely for as long as possible. Services showed healthy growth despite the impact of natural disasters on service provision, with revenue from aged and community care increasing 22% from the previous financial year.
carer
This year saw the end of the Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre, which LiveBetter delivered in Central West and Far West NSW. We acknowledge the team’s work and commitment to carers over many years, and their efforts to seamlessly transition to the national, in-person, digital and phone-based Carer Gateway.
See our Annual Report Staff Stories for a heartfelt farewell to the Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre.
In April this year LiveBetter launched Carer Gateway in our region as part of the Australian Government's national approach to providing reliable services, supports and advice for Australia's 2.65 million carers.
LiveBetter manages the delivery of Carer Gateway across South Eastern NSW, Western NSW and Murrumbidgee. We work with our service delivery partners, The Benevolent Society and Mission Australia in the South Eastern parts of NSW to ensure carers receive the support they require.
A call centre was established which leveraged the extensive experience in carer support of LiveBetter staff. Plans for extensive face-to-face community engagement were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but were activated in the 2020-2021 year.
disability
Our focus in 2019/20 continued to be on delivering high-quality services to those we support across our footprint and programs. However, we were definitively operating in different times as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The shutdown period of the virus meant we temporarily closed our drop-in support and day programs to protect our customers and staff. We also paused several group activities and committed to offering individual services where possible by following hygiene and physical distancing rules.
child & family
The COVID-19 pandemic affected our early childhood education services; however, all services continued to operate despite the shutdown. During home-schooling in March/April, our teachers and educators were very creative in devising and running an early childhood program, and sending education packs to families’ homes. Staff used social media platforms to engage with children to play games, tell stories, and Zoom became a way of attendees meeting up with their friends and doing craft activities.
transport
LiveBetter’s transport services continued to grow, with strong customer service creating real connections and value to the community. Our vehicles travelled more than one million kilometres, made about 58,000 trips and transported 2,300-plus passengers.
home modifications and maintenance
The LiveBetter Home Modification Team has 16 staff across NSW, offering services to most of regional NSW through an employee/subcontractor model. 2019/20 saw service delivery expanded into two new areas - Broken Hill and Wentworth.
our corporate supports
2019/20 was a year of consolidation and internal improvements for the People & Culture team at LiveBetter.
LiveBetter is committed to building the capacity and capability of individuals, families and communities. To do this successfully means we rely on teams of dedicated and competent staff who share our values to support our clients and our business. Our staff numbers during 2019/20 have remained strong at around 1600.
people & culture
strategy & technology
In 2019/20, we brought together the marketing, research, customer service and information technology (IT) teams into a single function. It’s now is accountable for facilitating the organisation’s strategy. Increasing collaboration across these functions has brought more effectiveness to our change management and internal communications. It’s also aligned our IT work more closely to LiveBetter’s priorities.
quality, governance & risk
The Quality, Governance and Risk Team continued to elevate LiveBetter’s compliance outcomes to an industry-leading position in 2019/20. Organisational safeguards were increased and developed to enhance participants’ choice and control, while protecting them from abuse and neglect, and ensuring we’re customer-focused in our decision making.
finance
The 2019/20 financial results reflect a period where LiveBetter has focused on consolidation and organic growth. However, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted this trend in the past four months of the financial year.
Specifically, the pandemic prevented us from delivering group activities and respite services. Some clients also chose to cease some of their other normal services from fear of contracting the virus. This meant we reduced the services we delivered to customers during this period. LiveBetter worked with our funders and our customers to offer alternative services that did not need close human contact to replace the traditional service delivery model where possible.
