St John Ambulance SA_Annual Report 2021-2022

Annual Report 2021/22 31

St John Ambulance Australia SA Inc

COMMUNITY CARE CHAIR REPORT

I am pleased to report the continued success of the Community Care program, enjoying another successful and fulfilling year for clients, volunteers and staff throughout the 2021/22 financial year. The program has continued to deliver results for clients in line with government guidelines, with volunteers remaining involved and adaptive to service amendments. Through the Community Care program, St John SA continues to deliver a wide range of social support activities that promote the health and wellbeing of older people and/or people with a disability who may be socially excluded, disconnected or isolated. As the incoming Chair of Community Care from February 2022, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks on behalf of the organisation to the former Chair, Janet Finlay, for her valued contributions as St John SA continued to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the aged and disability care sector. Our 337 wonderful clients were provided with care, connection and empowerment by our fantastic team of 220 volunteers, all supported by our dedicated team of paid staff. Thank you all for embracing the changes our program has seen in recent times and to our volunteers and staff for ensuring that our clients receive support and companionship to lessen the effects of social isolation. We are extremely fortunate to have such a strong cohort of devoted volunteers who selflessly give their time to support our clients. In the last year alone, our volunteers contributed 12,483 hours of support and companionship to our clients. Through the program’s focus of wellness and reablement, clients are assisted and supported to retain their independence and continue to lead fulfilling lives. 2021/22 saw a number of changes and positive developments in the Community Care space. Firstly, funding for both the CHSP and CVS programs was extended for an additional 12 months until June 2023 to pave the way for the transition to the Department of Health’s new Support at Home program. The new Support at Home program is the government’s response to the Aged Care Royal Commission and is set to revolutionise the way that aged care services are delivered.

In response to aged care reform, we were able to utilise our Positive Ageing Fellowship grant to deliver a Community Care Creative space in our refurbished Noarlunga Centre, which for the first time has seen access to our buildings for our community care volunteers and clients with no staff intervention. The creative space is an area for people to meet safely, do arts and crafts, have a cuppa or just relax and will assist us in further exploring the possibility of group activities in the future. As further reform in this space is announced, the committee continues to review St John’s relevance in the current market and explore new possibilities for services into the future. The committee is currently exploring additional service offerings to ensure St John SA services remain on the pulse and responsive to current needs. As part of this review, it was identified that there’s a current need in the market for additional community transport providers. Community Care has recently received operator accreditation to undertake a trial for A – B style community transport. This will be a fee for service program for essential medical appointments and unaccompanied shopping for vulnerable people. This trial will take place over the 2022/2023 financial year and we hope to be able to report our successes to you in our next annual report. This will also further establish relationships between Community Care and our operations centres in Noarlunga and Playford where the vehicles will be housed. Also, in the last year, it has been wonderful to see that our Treasured Stories program has continued. The stories have proven to be a valuable tool for clients when continuing their aged care journey, particularly into residential care. It is also very special to be able to provide families with this resource that captures precious memories and can be a lasting legacy of their life. I am proud to be part of an organisation that is delivering so much value to members of the community in such a caring, compassionate and authentic way. Through the program’s focus on wellness and reablement, our volunteers and staff have a positive impact on the lives of our clients who may otherwise experience loneliness and loss of independence.

For that, I would like to once again express my sincere thanks to the Community Care volunteers and staff for making the program the success it has been in the last financial year. The way they have all adapted to changing and sometimes difficult circumstances is extremely commendable, and I thank you all for bringing such care and professionalism to your role and helping to shape the Community Care program into what it is. Finally, a big thanks to Emma Hinchey, Richard Hearn AM and fellow board member Ian Walsh for their continued support and expertise to the committee. As we make our way into 2022/23, I look forward to seeing our work in Community Care progress even further and continue to be a source of care and connection for our clients.

Sef van den Nieuwelaar Chair of Community Care