Blue Care’s new appointment

Above: Robyn Batten

Queensland-based community health and residential aged care provider, Blue Care, has just officially appointed a new chief. Robyn Batten will now fill the role of executive director and lead the organisation through the realms of change.

Unofficially, Ms Batten has been in the role for around three months, guiding the organisation through the worst of Queenslands’s natural disasters.

“In the last three months, it’s been more of a challenge than first thought, given the floods and cyclone,” said Ms Batten.

“But, it has provided a wonderful opportunity to experience, first hand, the organisation’s commitment to care and the capability of the staff. Also, [it has given me the opportunity] to work more intensively with the executive and to see how well managed these very difficult times have been.

“The people I’ve met through Blue Care throughout the state have been fantastic.”
 
Ms Batten brings to the position, extensive experience in health and aged care and a distinguished background in health administration at an executive level.

This includes her time at Uniting Aged Care in Victoria and Tasmania where she was Executive Director since 2007.

She spoke of her plans for the organisation: “Personally, I would like to see us continue towards the development, that has certainly commenced here, of an innovative service model that is person-centred and flexible, that has also supported clients to choose the services, when they want them.

“It is an exciting time in aged care as I think the Productivity Commission’s report creates an opportunity to influence policy settings of aged care into the future.”

Other past roles include a stint served as CEO of Dental Health Services Victoria and as the director of Primary Care and Mental Health for Southern Health Victoria.

Ms Batten currently chairs UnitingCare Australia’s national Aged Care Network. She is also a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Ageing Advisory Committee.