. The key forces acting upon Aged Care in 2022 and beyond
. Event welcome and housekeeping

A formal welcome and introduction from the federal government Minister for Aged Care

Aged care providers face the challenge of implementing a wide ranging package of reforms in the next 12-18 months to meet core requirements following the Royal Commission. Particularly, to build a high quality aged care system that’s grounded in human rights and which treats older people with respect for their diversity and capacities, ensures greater control over their care and support, and delivers appropriate, safe and timely services, and fair value for their and the taxpayer dollar.
The challenge of making better care for older Australians affordable will largely fall to providers and their business teams. The Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia, a leading player in reform, can make seven principal recommendations on areas of focus for greater bringing affordability for aged care for all stakeholders.

The Aged Care sector was already under pressure before Covid, and the release of the Royal Commission Report in February 2021, with 54% providers reported* to already be operating at a loss. Today, professional procurement has a front-line role to play in raising standards of aged care, whilst also working to reduce the cost.

But how can procurement do this? How can it bring sophisticated modern procurement techniques into he aged care sector quickly, transform the commercial approach to the supply-side, and then use this as a springboard towards innovation to build new commercial models, find new ways of operating, and utilise technology to transform how we manage resources?

As profit margins in the Aged Care sector are under unprecedented pressure, the need for an effective cost reduction strategy led by Procurement has never been more important. This contribution will offer an analysis of the broader financial pressures facing the industry and review a range of strategies available to Procurement that will be key to the sector’s viability. In particular the presentation will focus on: Sources of income available to the industry and how they compared to other sectors. Cost reduction strategies as an opportunity and a constraint in the aged care sector. Types of cost reduction strategies available to procurement

Access to mobility services has historically been a challenge both from a financial and operational point of view. Cabcharge has invested heavily in their Community Card solution to provide at-home clients with a safe and cost-effective means of travel. In this session, you’ll learn how Cabcharge can help you:
• Ensure safe, convenient, and independent travel for your clients
• Streamline your month-end reconciliation process and reduce administrative and operational inefficiencies
• Provide visibility of your clients’ travel spend through enhanced reporting

How do procurement deliver business-as-usual in an operational environment, whilst simultaneously developing new commercial models that help make aged care affordable in the longer-term?
• What could history have taught us – had we planned ahead for a global pandemic?
• Managing risk & cost when demand soars and “opportunists” jump in – buying vital supplies at a critical time
• Future proofing! – What have we learnt for the future, how have our business continuity plans evolved?

CASE STUDY: RSL LifeCare Supplier Engagement programme: The business benefits of proactive procurement strategy & building supplier relationships: How supplier engagement can work in an aged care supply chain. How and why it can dovetail with supplier segmentation, vendor diversity, contract management and SRM:

What is the obvious role for procurement in aged care, post Royal Commision?
Importantly, what is the less obvious one? How can procurement add more value?
Procurement’s role needs to shift to business partner or internal consultant, working with its stakeholders to improve quality of service and provision of choice for their clients
How procurement can work more proactively with the business to support investment, quality indicators, technology, compliance and risk mitigation whist still delivering ongoing value at its core.

Panel Discussion :
Tracey Shearer AUGUST CONSULTING … Geoff Brown PORTLAND
Brett Beattie ESTIA HEALTH … David Tran RSL … Chris Heptonstall UNITING CARE

A reliable supply of high-quality nursing staff is perhaps the most important direct category in the aged care and health sector. So the importance of a reputable and sustainable staffing agency sector in meeting the workforce needs of Aged Care providers is often mission critical – as Covid demonstrated. But the benefits and risks involved in the procurement of agency staffing is not always obvious and can vary – this presentation will draw upon lessons learned from the Surge Workforce Program, a framework designed by the RCSA and funded by the Commonwealth Government to fill critical shifts across the aged care sector during COVID-19.

. Review of Day One
. Preview of Day Two
. Cocktail sponsor’s message

. Exec summary of Day One
. Event welcome and housekeeping II

The particular focus for SAH included new competitive arrangements, understanding end to end supply chain risks and working with suppliers and industry partners.

The new custom built state-wide distribution centre which opened in October 2021 will enable further improvements to the overall supply chain.

This case study will highlight the learning points from an investment in supply side investment for patient benefit.

A hygienic environment is the key to good health: And a quality laundry solution is a key part of providing the most hygienic environment possible for older Australians in aged care : Quickly learn about both the science and economics of investing in high quality laundry solutions from the world-class German provider.

People’s health is interconnected and interdependent with the health of our planet. We need to look after one, while taking care of the other. This means addressing our direct business footprint to minimise harm and maximise our sustainability. It also means acting on our indirect value chain and enacting our ESG policies proactively through procurement.
As a healthcare company, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to play a part in the intersection between people and planetary health, building awareness and driving action – and Procurement can play a major part.

Many aged care providers manage their own fleet and understand the high costs and associated risks. Since the pandemic, fleet managers have faced increased challenges – including long supply lead times, vehicle under-utilisation, longer retention periods and the uncertainty over the transition to electric vehicles. This session is aimed to assist you consider solutions for your ongoing fleet management strategy.

Automating procurement process is about much more than standardisation & efficiency.
A well executed P2P strategy can drive change for the better and enable that essential balance between great customer service and proper risk management, but importantly make it easy for staff to find and buy what they need so they can focus on their day-to-day tasks of caring for patients.

Not everyone can afford expensive ERP systems promising a one-stop-shop with integrated procurement functionality. But not everyone needs all that either.

Smaller “best-of-breed” systems can give aged care providers everything they need in a much shorter timeframe and in a way that easily integrates with their Finance system.

A best-of-breed approach should offer Aged Car providers value for money with key benefits including:
• intuitive user interface & ease of navigation, requiring less training
• easy to configure to suit business requirements now (and in the future) and without additional cost
• end-to-end functionality covering procurement planning, sourcing and tender management, supplier relationship management, contract preparation/negotiation and award, and post award Contract lifecycle management – all in one consistent user interface that avoids re-keying of data and human error
• process workflow automation and timeline management across Procurement and Contract business processes for all categories, risk levels and values, thereby reducing corporate risk through improved governance and auditability
• automated dashboards and reporting that reduce admin burden freeing up staff to focus on strategic procurement activities and to manage by exception

• Overview of Healthdirect and its traditional operating model/virtual services,
the constraints and procurement’s traditional role
• The Pandemic as a catalyst for change for HealthDirect – what changed fast, the rapid response required,
The immediate impact on the organisation and Procurement function demands.
• The new post-Covid Healthdirect strategy and new operating model – a new commercial function
and role beyond transactional sourcing – influencing core business strategy
• Case study on progress to date, challenges and the lessons learnt becoming more commercial

Procurement can do more than just cut price and save cost. It can also work to reduce risk, improve quality and improve policy outcomes. Working more closely with suppliers can bring direct benefits to Aged Care providers and their residents through using procurement as an instrument of a policy to achieve broader aims for good.
For example, better quality food, means better health for residents.
Come and hear how you can work with Social Enterprises to use your procurement spend for good.

Ultimately, in order to provide higher standards of care for residents, in line with the Royal Commission recommendations, providers are likely to need to strip out unnecessary costs quickly. In effect, to get more value for every dollar spent.
But how exactly can this be achieved safely, without compromising standards?

What is essential to do? What is preferable to address? What has only a marginal effect?
And what level of investment is optimal to enable such savings?

. Review of Day Two
. Feedback & housekeeping