Southern Cross Care welcomes new CEO
Aged care provider Southern Cross Care (SCC) South Australia and Northern Territory appointed David Moran as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) last week.
Mr Moran has been acting as interim CEO since his predecessor Andrew Larpent left the role late last year after five years in the top job.
Mr Moran, who has been with SCC since 2011, has over 20 years of experience in retirement village living and aged care. He has experience in development, acquisition, management and consulting from his time with Adelaide Bank and Primelife, and has spent time as a senior executive with another South Australian not-for-profit aged care provider.
Mr Moran says he is excited to be entering the role and is looking forward to continuing SCC’s work in the healthy ageing space.
“We’re really trying to make being healthy a normal part of life,” Mr Moran says.
“We have rolled gyms out into all our residential aged care homes and now we doing the same in our day therapy centres – it is basically aimed at improving resident’s strength and fitness, which improves their wellbeing, improves their independence and makes them more mobile, improving their quality of life.
“The healthy ageing program really does excite me because traditionally people might have come in to convalesce and eventually pass away, whereas we are saying that they should come to us with great hope that there is more to their life.
“The other thing we do well that I’m keen to pick up on is our pastoral care – we’ve done that really well over our 49 year history and we don’t really tell people much about it, so that’s something I’m keen to make sure is recognised both inside and outside the organisation.”
Mr Moran says he hopes to see SCC continue to grow as an organisation and become less reliant on government funding.
During his term as CEO, Mr Moran also hopes to see the opening of the $50 million Carmelite Retirement Living facility at Myrtlebank, which is currently under construction. The facility will include 72 residential aged care beds, as well as 38 retirement living apartments in addition to a day therapy and allied health service.
SCC is also planning a $56 million retirement living development, Oakfield Rise, in Mount Barker, to compliment the Oakfield Lodge Residential Care facility. The facility will comprise of 180 retirement living apartments and a community centre.
SCC SA and NT Chair Brendan Bowler welcomed Mr Moran to the role.
“David brings to SCC strength and continuity in leadership, as well as proven expertise in strategic planning, operational management and stakeholder engagement,” he says.