Whiddon exec appointed to nursing advisory body
The appointment provides an opportunity to advocate on behalf of nurses in aged care.

Whiddon’s deputy chief executive officer Alyson Jarrett has been appointed to the Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Reference Group.
An advisory body to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the NMSRG plays a key role in determining nursing and midwifery policy.
A statement released by the New South Wales and Queensland aged care provider called the appointment “a testament to the positive impact Alyson has already achieved in the aged care sector … the appointment provides an important opportunity to advocate for the needs of nurses in our sector.”
Ms Jarrett is a senior executive and registered nurse with more than 35 years of experience in acute, aged care and community. Her senior leadership roles have seen Ms Jarrett oversee strategic and operational management of various health and aged care services.
“I’m proud to be able to represent the aged care industry on the strategic reference group,” Ms Jarrett told Australian Ageing Agenda on her appointment.
Her key focus areas include busting myths about the complexity of aged care nursing and boosting its profile.
“Sometimes aged care isn’t presented fairly or recognised for the brilliant work that our registered and enrolled nurses do – all of our staff do in aged care for that matter,” Ms Jarrett said. “This is a real opportunity to try and elevate the brilliant work that our teams do.”
Ms Jarrett has been active in the dementia care space, was instrumental in steering Whiddon through the Covid pandemic, and is a strong proponent of a relationship-based model of care.
“We know how important our nurses are in delivering quality relationship-based care to older Australians and it is my intention to continue supporting positive change in the sector,” she said.

Ms Jarrett was put forward for the NMSRG role by provider peak body Aged & Community Care Provider’s Association. Its chief executive officer Tom Symondson welcomed the appointment. “With the current critical shortage of registered nurses in aged care, Ms Jarrett’s appointment will help ensure the views and concerns of aged care providers are advocated for at the highest levels.”
He added: “The whole sector needs to work together to come up with innovative solutions to help grow the nursing workforce to provide the care that our rapidly ageing population needs.”
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