Consultancy
Consultancy services
Consultancy helps you to build capacity through coaching and mentoring, as well as offering adaptable advice to ensure sustainable business improvements.
We provide professional, evidence-backed guidance to support aged care providers deliver safe and high-quality care that older people can trust.
This expert Ageing Australia team has the capability to provide a range of consultancy services from a detailed review of business operating models to providing continuous improvement advice centred around culture, leadership, governance, quality and risk management and building a capable workforce.
We understand the day-to-day challenges faced by providers and the impact this has on frontline operations and partner with you to develop practical solutions.
Our team offers tailored fee-for-service consultancy services that is highly responsive to emerging issues and trends and the changing needs of providers in a fast-paced environment.
Discounted rates for Ageing Australia members
Want to know how our consultancy team can support you?
Give us a call on 1300 222 721 during business hours or send an email at .
Meet the team
Barbara Leadbetter
Consultancy Program Lead
Barbara is an experienced aged care executive and Registered Nurse with a strong background in governance, reform and compliance leadership. She has led change and project management initiatives across both residential and home care, including the development of clinical frameworks and quality systems tailored to meet national standards.
Her areas of expertise include policy design, risk management and incident and complaints management. Barbara is also a specialist in establishing consumer and quality advisory bodies, strengthening transparency and engagement across care services. She is known for her practical leadership style and her ability to turn complex regulatory expectations into clear, achievable systems that support continuous improvement and accountability.
Anna Sterken
Consultant
Anna is an aged care reform and compliance specialist with more than 20 years of experience as a Registered Nurse and leader across residential and community care. She has guided providers through strategic and operational transitions aligned with the new Aged Care Act by translating the requirements into practical systems and tools for service-level implementation . Her expertise includes program design, care governance, risk management and the development of quality systems that embed best practice across care delivery.
She has successfully led large-scale service integration projects and managed teams of more than 300 staff with budgets exceeding $25 million. Anna is recognised for creating practical training programs, operational toolkits and governance resources that empower organisations to meet compliance requirements with confidence. Known for her collaborative and grounded approach, she partners with providers to build sustainable systems that enhance quality, safety and person-centred outcomes.
Annastacia Wainaina
Consultant
Annastacia is a Registered Nurse and aged care leader with extensive experience across residential, community and hospital settings. She has supported providers nationwide to identify systemic improvements and close gaps in the delivery of safe, high-quality care. Her strategic leadership has guided services through reform, operational change and continuous improvement.
Known for her inclusive and values-driven approach, Annastacia designs solutions that reflect diversity, collaboration and innovation. She is passionate about helping organisations reignite purpose and potential, fostering care environments where people and teams can thrive in the pursuit of excellence and humanity-centred care.
Loula Koutrodimos
Consultant
Loula has a Masters in Nursing specialising in dementia care design and program development and Bachelor of Arts (Accounting). She brings executive-level experience as a former CEO and CFO, leading major reform, remediation and commissioning projects across aged care and health services. Her expertise spans governance, funding, financial management and facility design, including the integration of small-neighbourhood models to improve efficiency and resident experience.
Loula has extensive experience supporting providers through compliance remediation, registration and accreditation processes. She develops evidence-based training, business frameworks and digital integration strategies that strengthen risk management and performance monitoring. As a board member and chair across multiple organisations, she values transparency, mentorship and collaboration, helping providers align their operations with best practice and sustainable growth.
Manavi Mendis O'Brien
Consultant
Manavi has been a senior leader in the aged care sector, with extensive experience in care governance, risk management and quality assurance for home care services. At Ageing Australia, she supports providers to implement reforms, strengthen governance systems and improve care quality and safety.
She has led successful national audits, developed care governance frameworks and implemented systems that align with the Aged Care Quality Standards. Experienced in managing change and compliance transitions, Manavi partners with organisations to enhance service delivery, workforce capability and audit readiness. She is recognised for her results-driven and collaborative approach, helping providers build robust, person-centred systems that achieve meaningful outcomes.
Mardi Erasmus
Consultant
Mardi is a residential aged care specialist and Registered Nurse with over 20 years of clinical and leadership experience. She is highly skilled in guiding providers through compliance transitions under the Aged Care Quality Standards, using evidence-based tools to map performance and drive improvement. Her background includes governance reviews, risk register development and service enhancement across SIRS, restrictive practices and infection control.
With experience as a facility and clinical manager, Mardi is adept at uplifting operational and clinical performance. She develops tailored training programs, resource kits and audit frameworks to build capability across all levels of care. Tech-savvy and forward thinking, she integrates digital and AI tools to streamline systems and reporting. Mardi is valued for her honest, supportive approach and her commitment to practical, person-centred reform.
Melissa Lockwood
Consultant
Melissa is a highly skilled Registered Nurse with 14 years of experience in the home care sector, bringing a comprehensive understanding of operational and clinical management. Having progressed from frontline caregiving to national leadership roles, she has a strong grasp of the systems, processes and governance required for compliant and effective service delivery.
Her expertise spans clinical governance, care management and operational improvement, with a focus on practical, efficient solutions that align with the Aged Care Quality Standards. Melissa is committed to supporting organisations to build sustainable, high-performing home care services that deliver quality outcomes for clients and their families.
Some of the ways we can support you through our consultancy services
quality review
Our independent external review and gap analysis against the Aged Care Quality Standards demonstrates assurance and supports your leaders to optimise performance and prioritise continuous improvement actions. In the case of adverse compliance outcomes, we can assist you to navigate and respond to the identified issues and provide guidance to drive systemic improvements.
Support at Home Business Model Review
An assessment of your current business model and internal systems including workforce and pricing will ensure you remain sustainable under Support at Home funding and optimise the opportunities this presents.
Care Minutes System Review
A review of your rostering, policies, position descriptions, resident mix and reporting processes will ensure you are achieving targets, maximising financial outcomes by reducing the reliance on agency staff and prepared for the Care Minutes Performance Statement audit.
Governance and Leadership Development
We provide bespoke training and support to build director and leadership capability. This focuses on ensuring knowledge and systems drive good corporate and care governance and a positive workplace culture that embeds continuous improvement. Our coaching and mentoring approach supports the development of leaders based on strong relationships and sharing of skills and knowledge that enable learnings from formal training to be transferred to the workplace.
Clinical Systems Review
We have extensive experience in developing robust care governance frameworks based on quality and risk management including the timely identification and response to incidents and complaints. This can be paired with a review of your care management software to ensure configuration enables compliance in line with the framework.
