Critical Success Solutions: Delivering Quality Solutions to the Aged Care Industry
“It has been a long dream of mine to have aged care looked at, not as a necessity for families when their folks grow old, but as a true alternative for families sharing the burden of caring for their elderly.” – Fleur Hannen, owner and managing director
In response to an identified need for businesses to be able to access innovative approaches to business quality and management system solutions, Critical Success Solutions was brought to the Australian market in 2002.
Stemmed from the desire to aid struggling businesses failing to meet the increasing demands of client, regulatory and legal requirements, Critical Success Solutions to date has provided consulting services to various sectors ranging from health, aged care, education and corporate.
“I started Critical Success Solutions as a part time consultancy in 2002,” said Fleur Hannen in a recent interview. “By 2012, I was full time in the operation with 10 full-time clients. My clients are Sydney- and Melbourne-based, with a mix of 60 percent for-profit residential care and 40 percent not-for-profit in home care and residential aged care.”
Fleur discovered that home-based programs were extremely limited and many providers were finding the interface between the requirements of the Aged Care Act and the ability to meet client expectations at a reduced cost was somewhat unattainable. This was particularly evident with the recent introduction of Consumer Direct Care (CDC) into the home care sector.
In 2013, Fleur developed a partnership with Ross Macdonald, which resulted in a commercialization grant through the Commonwealth government of $250,000.
“Our vision is to facilitate a low-cost, consumer-direct care management support program with a documentation platform that will make a highly affordable solution for providers to provide services to aged people in their homes, as well as address the compliance requirements of the home care sector,” said Hannen.
“What we’ve done is sourced the requirements of the Aged Care Act under home care and we’re working with a number of providers to put that into place. It’s very much a program that will grow as we grow and will reduce the cost to the actual provider and ultimately the client,” she added.
Innovating for Success
“I am very focused on maximizing the opportunities for my clients in terms of their diversity and ethnicity,” said Fleur. “I treat my clients with the utmost respect and dignity, ensuring equality developing business opportunities for them both professionally and personally, and I get a good response from that.
“I really enjoy mobilizing my business culture into my day-to-day work, so if someone gets something wrong, it’s really about leveraging the learning opportunities from any mistakes—and there’s always an opportunity to improve,” she continued. “And that’s exactly what I extend to my clients. If they go backwards in a particular area, it’s really about stepping up and making opportunities to improve and focus on the collaboration that you can get from your team members.”
In short, Critical Success Solutions is an experienced, professional and customer-focused company that continues to believe in the importance of providing an individual and genuine approach to its clients.
“We’re a bit of a one-stop shop for aged care in particular, and certainly for business solutions,” shared Fleur. “What I’m looking at in terms of future growth and development is providing opportunities for best practice and governance systems that will meet the compliance requirements of the future.
“Over the next 20 years, it has been identified that the aged care and disability industries will increase and change dramatically. As a result of that, and to ensure that I keep abreast of all legislative changes now and into the future, and the opportunity to network and participate on various boards across education, aged care and health, whilst also being linked to organizations such as Women on Boards, Company Directors Institute, LASA (Leading Aged Services Australia) and ACSA (Aged Care Services Australia) is extremely important,” added Fleur.
Why Choose Critical Success Solutions?
Accreditation can be a costly exercise for any organization, so Critical Success Solutions has come forward to provide consulting services for all business types.
“The cornerstone of our success is the way we work with clients and partners through professional honesty and integrity collaborations,” said Fleur. “We believe that our transparency and opportunity to add value to the day-to-day operational areas with our clients is what sets us apart from our competition.”
Additionally, Critical Success Solutions houses a qualified staff with the relevant experience to deliver on projects of all sizes in a timely fashion.
“We have 10 employees and of course, on occasion, bring in consultants with particular expertise. Having been in health care for over 30 years, I have built up a network of only the best in their field,” said Fleur.
When it comes to managing her staff, Fleur takes the Nelson Mandela approach: “Lead from the back and let others believe they are in front.
“My staff are my greatest asset, and when you create an innovative environment, it inspires them to contribute their best,” continued Fleur. “Most of my staff work remotely, as do I, and for us this is a way of being able to focus on the job at hand. We are constantly in touch and each of us have our own responsibilities and areas of expertise. Our staff hold high-level qualifications in business management and various specialty areas.
“I love what I do and I have to say that the people I work with are absolutely incredible,” added Fleur. “I’m very fortunate and blessed that I have the opportunity to work in aged care in Australia. It’s the most unique business area and it allows you to develop a passion that you don’t want to give up. I’ve got some amazing clients and some beautiful people that I’m able to contribute to their lives. I just feel very lucky to have fallen into such a wonderful opportunity.”
Looking Ahead
“Our dedicated staff are constantly researching new and upcoming trends which enable our customers to be at the forefront of their industry. We have built very strong business partnerships with organisations at the cutting edge of their sector – this enables us to provide the industry with leading solutions to our most important partners: our customers,” concluded Fleur. “We have exciting plans to expand into countries in the world, such as Hong Kong, China and India, as well as other associated industries.