St John Ambulance SA Inc. Annual Report 2019-2020

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St John Ambulance Australia SA Inc Annual Report 2019/20

During what has been a challenging time for our organisation and society as a whole, predominantly due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions, St John has remained focused on its key pillars of first aid and social support service provision. To continue to deliver these vital services to the community, it required the organisation to be open to accept new opportunities and delivery methods in order to meet community demand. These changes have been underpinned by immense support and flexibility from staff and volunteer members, which has been appreciated. With so many community events cancelled in the second half of the financial year due to COVID-19, our Event Health Services volunteers still managed to attend over 2,000 events, treated more than 19,000 patients and contributed a collective $4,524,116 worth of volunteering hours. This significant contribution not only benefited the health and wellbeing of individuals that were assisted by St John volunteers, but also extended more broadly to the South Australian health system and community. By providing effective first aid and emergency care at events, St John volunteers significantly reduced the burden on SA Ambulance Service, medical clinics and hospitals by providing effective treatment to patients who would have otherwise made 000 calls, emergency department visits and clinical appointments. Coupled with our volunteers’ impact at community events, a number of moving stories came out of St John’s involvement in the summer bushfire response efforts. Our members provided much needed first aid care to firefighters on the frontline, treating dehydration, burns, wounds, smoke inhalation and eye issues from smoke and ash. Members of the public who lost their homes in the fires and had nowhere to turn were comforted by St John volunteers, extending their role of first aid care to moral and social support in these people’s hour of need. I would like to extend my thanks on behalf of the entire St John Board to every volunteer that assisted in the bushfire relief efforts. Your outstanding service to the community and representation of St John was incredible. Throughout the COVID-19 restriction period in SA, the Community Care service provision model also required significant alteration. Previously home visits and outings were regular occurrences, however the team of Community Care staff and volunteers were able to quickly and effectively adapt these services to suit the new climate whilst still delivering the key hallmarks of the program; care, empowerment and connection. Initiatives included list shopping so that vulnerable older people did not have to visit supermarkets, regular phone calls replaced face- to-face meetings and clients were supported to access video call technology to keep in contact with not only their volunteers but family and friends as well. It was heartening to hear of a socially distanced morning tea that was organised with a client and volunteer on the client’s porch once restrictions eased. Well

done to all those involved in the Community Care program for continuing to provide this important service and proving that social connection can still be maintained while being physically distanced. Other departmental highlights from last year include Community Care securing a new Positive Ageing Fellowship Grant from the Office for Ageing Well, advances in the structure and content of the Youth Development program, and significant work being undertaken to build and implement the new IT platform that will come into effect later in the new financial year. Superintendent towards the end of the financial year. Melissa has been a St John member for over 20 years, holding various volunteer and staff roles. We look forward to working closely with Melissa and are sure that she will provide great ideas, leadership and support to members. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing State Superintendent, Ian McGeachie. Ian has dedicated many years of service to St John and has exemplified reliability and advocacy for St John volunteers. Members of our Woodville and Prospect divisions enjoyed renovations to their centres as part of the metropolitan property strategy. These divisions double as public first aid training venues and now represent the modern and innovative organisation St John continues to evolve into. I look forward to seeing future upgrades to divisions as the property strategy continues to roll out over the next financial year. While we saw a significant downturn in commercial first aid training revenue throughout the COVID-19 period, the end of the 2019/20 financial year saw a resurgence in course bookings, as restrictions eased and the public were eager to refresh their first aid skills, particularly in those industries where a first aid qualification is a workplace requirement. During the peak of restrictions, we adapted our service offerings to deliver alternative online learning options to participants with individual assessment centres, enabling social distancing and strict infection control procedures. Despite a period with limited course participants, we still managed to deliver 39,744 public first aid course certificates. It is encouraging to know so many people in the community have received high quality, lifesaving first aid education from St John and may even continue on to save a life themselves one day. This is part of our profound community impact that extends beyond the bounds of a financial balance sheet. Fortunately for our balance sheet, we ran the first ever St John Christmas Home Lottery in 2019, well before COVID-19 impacts were a consideration. The success of this campaign is largely to thank for our current financial position and helped us financially In another exciting development for our operational members, we welcomed Melissa Oudshoorn into the role of State

navigate the impacts of COVID-19. This success resulted from enormous efforts by many of our staff members and support from all

CHAIR OF THE BOARD’S REPORT

those that purchased tickets. We are extremely grateful that this initiative allowed us to continue our volunteer and community programs during these unprecedented times and also reminded the community on a large scale of the important works we undertake. These charitable activities are the reason we exist as an organisation, making the South Australian community the ultimate benefactors of our fundraising and social enterprise efforts. In December 2019 we welcomed our new Chief Executive Officer, Mark Groote. Mark comes to us with a broad range of expertise, especially across not-for-profit, council and government sectors. The Board looks forward to continuing to work closely as we advance the goals of the organisation, centred around the new Strategic Plan, which will carry St John through the next five years. At this time, I would like to formally thank Steve Yeo and Ray Creen for taking on Acting and Interim Chief Executive Officer positions respectively at the start of the financial year. The support provided to the Board and entire organisation during this time enabled us to carry on with the important work of St John while we conducted a thorough recruitment process for the incoming Chief Executive Officer. I am also fortunate to be joined by a number of highly skilled and experienced individuals on the St John Board of Directors, and would like to take the opportunity to thank and acknowledge the contributions of outgoing Director and former Commissioner, Peter Jackson. We also welcomed John van Ruth to the Board as Treasurer in February 2020 and are grateful for the knowledge and expertise he brings to the table. Whilst 2019/20 presented many challenges for St John as an organisation and for all of us as individuals, I hope you will join me in having a renewed sense of optimism for the year ahead of us. I believe that when we work together towards common goals, great things can be achieved, even in the face of adversity. Thank you for the invaluable role you play in St John, your flexibility and resilience during the year and I look forward to working together in 2020/21 to build upon our fantastic community work.

On behalf of the St John Ambulance SA Board, I am extremely proud to report the success of St John in the 2019/20 financial year. Whilst traditionally many organisations measure success through purely financial measures, I believe the most important measure of success for St John is the profound and unwavering community impact we continue to have, especially in the current environment.

Pro Fide, Pro Utilitate Hominum.

Karen Limb Chair of the Board