How We Make a Difference
We believe that our elderly are entitled to quality care. This is a fundamental right, no matter who the person is, their cultural background, their circumstances, or where they live.
We make a difference by helping service providers deliver better quality care, applying solutions that are person-centred in a sustainable and compliant framework.
For more than 25 years, we have specialised in supporting Indigenous, CALD, rural and remote communities. We help organisations and teams access relevant resources, training and expertise that is right for them.
MEET THE TEAM
Donna Cross
CEO / Quality & Compliance Specialist
Donna’s expertise is developing functional policy and systems, understanding what makes an organisation and its people tick and finding workable solutions.
Years of experience in compliance and quality, coupled with insights on bringing all levels of an organisation together to achieve more efficient and sustained service management will help your organisation succeed.
Donna is also an active advocate for Rural and Remote Aged Care in her role on the Department of Health & Aged Care Quality Sector Reference Group.
Carrie Akhurst
Industry Specialist
The breadth of Carrie’s expertise has come from working with more than 30 organisations in the aged care and NDIS sector, from small independent aged care services to large regional councils.
As a consultant, Carrie understands that most organisations know what challenges they face and that a one-size-fits-all solution is not ideal. That is why she creates tailored operational solutions to help identify ways to overcome the challenges for each workplace and to support each organisation through the challenge of change.
Carrie’s passion for delivering optimal care extends to collaborating with TAFE, universities and private Registered Training Organisations to develop and deliver appropriate training for aged care workers and coordinators.
Sue Miller
Business and Contracts Manager
Sue has more than 25 years of administration and office management experience. She is the person who keeps our team and projects running to schedule and manages logistics.
She is also instrumental in ensuring the quality of our resources through her coordination of our specialist graphics team.
Kellie Leigh
Home Care Specialist
With over 25 years of experience in the Health and Aged Care sector, Kellie has dedicated her career to supporting individuals and services in delivering high-quality, compassionate care. Throughout this time, Kell has held a variety of leadership and management roles, gaining expertise in operational management, service delivery, and community engagement in residential and community care, and specialist support programs.
A passionate advocate for personal and professional growth, Kell specialises in developing people within their roles, helping individuals and teams build confidence, capability, and job satisfaction. With a collaborative and strengths-based approach, she is committed to creating positive, supportive workplace cultures where staff feel valued and equipped to lead their teams and to deliver exceptional care.
Jane Gosche
Audit Specialist / RN
Jane is a Registered Nurse and her experience in aged care spans more than 30 years. It is her unwavering opinion that aged care is the best nursing specialty to work in! She has continuously strived to make a genuine difference in aged care nursing for the clients, their families, and the staff caring for them.
Jane is passionate about providing quality care for our elders, and upholding their dignity and independence is very important to her. She has years of experience in responding to and conducting aged care assessments and quality audits in residential and home care contexts.
Michelle Kitchin
Home Care Specialist / RN
Michelle is a Senior Health Care Professional and Educator with extensive knowledge in delivering quality care in aged and health care settings. As a registered nurse for over 20 years, Michelle has worked as a Home and Community Care Coordinator and a Home Support Assessor as part of a Regional Assessment Service (RAS).
She has extensive experience in assessment, care planning and delivery, compliance, workforce management, training and education.
An experienced trainer and mentor, Michelle can help your team develop confidence in assessment, care planning and delivery.
Craig Cross
Home Care Management & Transition Expert
Craig has extensive management experience in the aged care and disability sectors, including managing a large regional community care service, provider transitions and service improvement.
Craig also previously worked in the Central Australian Office of the Department of Health and Ageing, holding senior positions, including Regional Manager.
He has worked with remote services regarding program planning and delivery, and has provided consultation, coordination and policy advice to services, departments and other agencies.
Kim Ezzy
Cultural Advisor / Aged Care Consultant
Kim is a proud First Nations woman who brings 30 years of experience in aged care and community services, with specialist expertise in care management, advocacy, workforce development, and culturally appropriate training. She is deeply committed to supporting services to engage meaningfully and respectfully with First Nations communities.
With a background in counselling and social welfare, Kim has a strong person-centred approach and understands the complexities of delivering quality care to First Nations people and their families.
Kim has a proven record of building cultural capability in aged care workforces and communicates with clarity and purpose whether working alongside frontline teams or executive leadership.
Christabelle Baranay
Dementia & Lifestyle Advocate
Christabelle has a passion for supporting individuals living with dementia.
As well as her work with CDCS, Christabelle has her own consulting and training business that focuses on helping family carers and paid staff to understand the individual person (Know Me Well) and respond appropriately to their needs.
Christabelle helps people working in the aged care sector learn communication techniques and engagement strategies that enable true person-centred care and support “living well.”
Maggie Duncan
Website & Technical Systems Consultant
Maggie has first-hand experience living and working in the remote indigenous communities of Australia, having spent most of her childhood growing up “out bush,” before working for a brief time in an indigenous school.
With a passion for online systems and technology, she is the person who maintains our websites, publishes our blog posts, sends out our monthly newsletter, and supports our Total Quality Package members and course students.
Our Artist – Blaise Dehon
Blaise is the creator of our unique, customised graphics and storyboards. These hand drawn pictures allow us to overcome language barriers to better meet the cultural requirements of our clients. Our storyboards are a solution that is not dependent on the limited use of personal photos.
The pictures created by Blaise are used extensively in our client materials, such as client and staff handbooks and brochures.
Blaise is also a talented and in-demand cartoonist.
