In this guest post, Diana Horvatovic, CEO at St Basil’s Aged Care NSW/ACT, shares her journey from finance to aged care, including leading St Basil’s NSW/ACT through significant compliance challenges by prioritising listening, transparency, and collaboration.
My journey into aged care wasn’t traditional. Initially working in finance, I transitioned into the aged care sector, driven by a passion for making a tangible difference in people’s lives, particularly those in their most vulnerable years. My extensive background in governance and compliance provided the foundation, but it was the meaningful connection to individuals and their personal stories that truly sparked my commitment.
After years in senior roles within the Department of Health and Ageing, I understood
intimately how governance frameworks impacted care quality on the ground. When I joined St Basil’s NSW/ACT in 2021, it was at a critical moment for the organisation. Significant compliance issues required not just technical expertise but compassionate, steady, and collaborative leadership.
Reflecting on this period, I’m sharing insights not as an individual but as part of a dedicated team, to benefit other leaders navigating complex change.
Listen first, act second
“When facing organisational difficulties, there’s often pressure to implement immediate solutions.”
However, genuine change starts with deep understanding. At St Basil’s, our first priority was listening. Together with our management team, I spent significant time engaging directly with residents, families, staff, and external stakeholders. We acknowledged the experiences and insights of those closest to the issues, ensuring our plans were shaped by genuine understanding and empathy.
Our listening phase allowed us to clearly define underlying problems rather than just addressing surface level symptoms. More importantly, it established trust and created space for collaboration, vital elements that set the stage for sustainable improvements.
Prioritisation and clear planning
In moments of crisis, everything can feel equally urgent. A critical learning for our leadership team was the importance of prioritising clearly and strategically. We collaboratively identified the most pressing compliance and operational issues first, ensuring we stabilised our operations and restored essential regulatory confidence swiftly.
Establishing clear priorities provided direction and clarity for our entire workforce, enabling each person to understand their role within a larger plan. Our management team collectively ensured resources were effectively allocated, avoiding burnout and supporting morale at every level of the organisation.
Transparency builds trust
Change, particularly within aged care, affects people’s lives directly and personally. The uncertainty associated with any organisational transformation can create anxiety among residents, families, and staff alike. We learned quickly that transparency in communication is essential.
Our leadership team implemented consistent, clear, and regular communication strategies. We held open forums, issued transparent updates, and encouraged honest feedback. Staff were always informed not just of what was changing, but why, making them active participants rather than passive observers. This collective transparency significantly contributed to a positive cultural shift and rebuilt trust
internally and externally.
Empowering teams through collaboration
No leader achieves meaningful change alone. Effective transformation occurs when teams feel genuinely empowered and trusted to make decisions. One of our most important organisational shifts involved collaboratively reviewing and restructuring our management model, creating opportunities for middle managers and the frontline staff to step into more decision-making roles.
Empowering our teams through decentralised leadership not only encouraged accountability but also inspired innovation and proactive problem-solving. It was this team-wide empowerment and trust that enabled us to turn around significant challenges, moving from compliance sanctions to achieving full accreditation.
A collective legacy
I’m immensely proud of the changes we’ve collectively achieved at St. Basil’s. Not just the regulatory turnaround but also the renewed culture of transparency, collaboration, and empowerment. Yet, what fills me with the most pride is seeing our teams embrace leadership roles confidently, understanding their value and contributions. It’s incredibly rewarding to know our organisational transformation was a collective effort, built upon mutual trust, respect, and a shared vision for excellence.
Looking forward, our commitment remains clear: to continue fostering a culture of openness and collaboration, embracing upcoming industry reforms, and ensuring St. Basil’s remains at the forefront of aged care, respected not just for compliance but for delivering exceptional, person-centred care.
Leadership, especially in aged care, isn’t just about regulation or operational excellence. It’s fundamentally about people, relationships, and trust. It’s about ensuring that our elderly community receives the compassionate, respectful care they deserve, delivered by empowered teams driven by purpose and accountability.
