June & July 2024

Recently, Five Good Friends held its first Member Advisory Body meetings.

Two meetings were held. One with representation from Members and their trusted loved ones who self-manage their home care package. The second with Members and their trusted loved ones who have asked Five Good Friends to manage their package for them.

The purpose of these meetings was to hear first-hand from our Members about their experience, where there are opportunities for Five Good Friends to improve and where they feel the service is aligned to and meeting their expectations.

In advance of the meetings we wrote to all Members seeking their input and inviting their attendance. The Members who attended kindly agreed to allow Five Good Friends to record the discussion so their insights could be shared with the Governing Body and broader organisation.

As a Governing Body, we are provided with regular feedback on the satisfaction of our Members, the quality of the service and engagement of the organisation. Listening to and watching our Members speak with our CEO Simon Lockyer and Head of Aged Care and Quality, William Garton, provides the Governing Body with another important and valuable connection. Thank you to all Members who contributed.

We have reflected on the feedback. The experience of our Members is what guides our future. There are insights for Five Good Friends to learn from. Our goal is to improve the experience of our Members and their trusted loved ones. Working with the leaders of the organisation the following initiatives have been prioritised.

1. Helper check-in and check-out confirmation: Helpers on the Five Good Friends platform use the app to check-in and check-out of visits. This let’s everyone know (Members, trusted loved ones and Five Good Friends) when a Helper arrives and when a Helper leaves the home. These visits match to the schedule and Members help plan published in the family app. They also generate Helper invoices as part of the monthly statement. A concern was raised about the accuracy of this process and the potential for manipulation. We explained the safeguarding measures we have in place to confirm visit accuracy and the ongoing work our software engineering team undertakes to strengthen this process. This will continue.
2. Sharing Helper checkout notes with the family: Helper check-out notes are reviewed by the care team. Families who wish to stay informed about visits can utilise the Shared Notebook feature in the app. We encourage families to contact our customer service team for assistance in setting this up or for any further support.
3. Clarifying items funded under the Home Care Package program: To provide greater clarity on what Home Care Packages can fund—and why certain items are ineligible—we have developed a new resource. This will help explain the program’s funding guidelines in a clear and accessible way. You can find it here.

4.Improving the legibility of statements: We are preparing to update the design of the statement to reflect Member feedback on clarity and legibility. As part of this work, we are awaiting final requirements for the new Support at Home program, which is to commence in July 2025.

5.Improving communication package upgrades: Improvements have already been implemented. Email notifications received from My Aged Care on package upgrades are now automatically sent to Members and trusted loved ones, ensuring they stay informed.

Thank you for choosing to be a Member of Five Good Friends. It is an honour to provide you with help and support. We will continue to work hard to provide you with a kind, transparent and caring service.

Yours sincerely,

Tim Russell Chair of Five Good Friends on behalf of the Governing Body