Jo Lacy

Jo has a Bachelor of Nursing and is a Registered Nurse, Divison 1. She has extensive experience in the acute and aged care sectors. Her roles have included managing service delivery for various hospitals and healthcare organisations. In these positions she also participated in several cycles of ACHS/EQUIP accreditation and had responsibility for the planning and implementation of quality activities within a number of portfolios.

A growing interest in Quality Improvement prompted a transition to the Aged Care sector in 2000 when she trained as an Aged Care Quality Assessor and conducted accreditation audits on behalf of the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency.

Jo has also worked with the Department of Health and Ageing as a Commonwealth Nursing Officer within the Quality Outcomes compliance/risk management and accountability program, complaints scheme and resident classification (funding) program.

Jo has played a lead role in the following AHA projects:

• FRSP Approval Requirements assessments
• The One DHS Standards
• Development of a Quality Framework for National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program draft standards.
• CSO Registration Standards external review project
• Development of a Set of Quality Tools to Support the Integrated Monitoring Framework (DADHC - 2008)
• SRS Program: Development of Risk Management Framework, Tools and Processes for Regulatory Monitoring (DHS)
• The new Community Care Quality Standards and Quality Reporting Framework for community care, as part of the Federal Government’s The Way Forward program for community care (HACC, CACP, EACH, NRCP)
• Development of a training package for Aged Care Assessment Teams regarding their delegatory responsibilities under the Aged Care Act 1997.

Key responsibilities have included:

• writing standards, supporting tools and information guides for service providers, assessors and departmental staff
• conducting information sessions for service providers, assessors and departmental staff
• induction and training of assessors
• conducting quality assessments of funded organisations including: CSO External Reviews, FRSP Approval Requirements Assessment Program, HACC quality assessment program, DVA Community Nursing Reviews.

Jo is also currently leading the pilot of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program draft standards.