Dr Antoinette Mertins: “No big bang – just steady progress”
4 minute read
We spoke with Dr Antoinette Mertins about what the first 100 days under the new aged care system have really been like – what’s surprised her, where the pressure points remain, and what her team is focusing on next. Antoinette is the Service Planning Coordinator at the City of Whittlesea.
Last year, Antoinette described the lead-up to reform as “flying the plane while building it”. Now, she says it feels like the plane is built – but many organisations are still test driving it, making further enhancements as they embed new ways of working.
Her hope is that the next phase moves beyond simply adapting to reform, towards “breaking new ground” – taking a more innovative and forward-looking approach to CHSP reforms, rather than assuming the status quo.
Q: Looking back over the first 100 days, what’s surprised you most since 1 November?
What surprised me most is that there wasn’t a dramatic “big bang” moment. Despite the uncertainty, the collective effort to meet key deliverables, and that familiar feeling of building the plane as we fly it – things didn’t fall apart. It was largely business as usual.
It’s also been a timely reminder not to get so caught up in the small details that you lose sight of the bigger picture.
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge for your organisation or team since 1 November?
The biggest challenge has been keeping momentum going once the initial deadline passed.
In the lead-up to 1 November there was strong focus, energy and engagement – a shared purpose to prepare for the new Act and the changes around it. Now, with more reform still ahead (including CHSP financial sustainability and the possible transition to Support at Home), the risk is that momentum fades as other priorities compete for attention. As leaders, we need to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge for you personally as a leader in this period?
For me personally, it’s been about cutting through the uncertainty and helping the team stay aligned – building shared agreement on how we manage change and meet the reform requirements.
Q: What approach, change or piece of work has been most successful so far?
It’s hard to point to one single initiative. What’s worked best has been a coordinated, multi-pronged approach – supported by goodwill, commitment, and a clear sense of urgency.
The key ingredients have included:
A Reform Roadmap that created a shared understanding of deliverables, using a risk-based approach to preparation.
Regular monitoring and reporting to track progress.
A genuinely collaborative approach across executive leaders, operational leaders, corporate support areas, aged care workers and clients.
Shared ownership of the work, backed by dedicated project support when needed.
Q: What are you most proud of from the last 100 days?
I’m most proud of the trust, confidence and commitment shown by our leaders and aged care workers. They’ve stayed focused on delivering high-quality, safe care while also working together to build new systems, refine policies and procedures, and change practices – all while maintaining business as usual and knowing there’s more reform still to come.
Q: How has SSD Connect Alliance training and support helped your team post 1 November?
There are many examples, but one that stands out is the Associated Provider Toolkit. It’s a comprehensive resource that focuses on governance, due diligence and compliance when working with sub-contractors.
It helped us identify the full scope of issues and then adapt and tailor the resources to suit our local needs. It also gave us confidence that we were heading in the right direction – and sometimes those prompts and that reassurance make a real difference.
Q: Have you and your team been using the SSD Connect Alliance Reforms Hub?
Yes. The Reforms Hub is a great resource when we want to validate our assumptions and check we’re interpreting things correctly. It’s a strong “one stop shop” for reform updates and practical resources.
Q: How is your team feeling about the next 100 days?
Our focus now is on consolidation.
First, we want to stabilise and embed the service and system improvements we’ve already made.
Second, we’ve reviewed and updated our Roadmap and mapped the key reform priorities for the year ahead.
Third, we’re focusing on incremental service improvements and ongoing quality and business planning.
Thank you Antoinette for sharing your reflections and practical insights from the first 100 days.
As Antoinette puts it, many services are still “test driving” the new systems and refining them – and the challenge now is to use the reforms as a platform to break new ground, rather than defaulting to the status quo.
