Turning Around St Andrews: What it Actually Takes to Lead an Aged Care Organisation Through Change with Todd Yourell

The board didn't think the organisation would survive. Almost 5 years later, St Andrew's is approaching $50M turnover, operating above 98% occupancy across three facilities, and developing one of the more interesting dementia care models in Australia. In today’s episode, Dane and Rose talk to Todd Yourell, CEO of St Andrews and discuss what that transformation actually looked like. From a surprise ACQSC visit that uncovered 82 unmet standards, to building a small house model for dementia care. St Andrew’s is a case study in what community-owned aged care can look like when it's run well. And it's a direct counter-argument to the narrative that small regional providers can't survive. Key moments: 00:00: What does good community-owned aged care actually look like 1:26: How a surprise ACQSC visit uncovered 82 unmet standards 3:44: What the board governance overhaul at St Andrew’s involved and why it’s changed everything 12:27: How St Andrew's decided to divest their home care business before Support at Home got complicated 15:09: What the difference between viable and sustainable actually means for small and mid-size providers 23:39: What the small house model actually means for dementia care and how staff went from sceptical to bought in 35:44: How St Andrew's turned a 40-bed Byron Bay facility into a homelessness response that stacks up financially 46:21: What change leadership looks like versus change management 52:27: What the future of aged care requires providers to be building toward right now — Connect with Dane and Rose or the Podcast on Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-mitchell-763ba524 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-plater-0a111a129 https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-well-spent-podcast If you want to book a free Reablement Planning Workshop with Optimum Allied Health, visit www.opthealth.com.au/tws If you’re starting to scope out your next project, get in touch with Paynters over at www.paynters.com.au