Uniting’s values are founded in community and wellbeing, treating people with the respect and dignity they deserve. These values are brought to life in the community spirit within their retirement living communities across NSW and ACT, with homes for every lifestyle and budget.
Residents join Uniting to connect with new communities and find companionship, and to enjoy their retirement, and let the team at Uniting handle the daily maintenance. Residents have more time to do the things they enjoy, with other residents and the wider community.
Changes in the Retirement Living Act:
Asset Management Plans
The Retirement Living Act (1999) has had many changes and additions to protect residents financially if their circumstances change and they need further support by moving to an Aged Care facility.
Recent changes in the Retirement Living Act relate to the production of an Asset Management Plan that is accessible to all residents and is maintained if new assets are purchased. The aim of these changes is to give transparency to Residents on costs and spend as well as give Operators the opportunity to optimise capital and operation expenditure across their portfolios.
Uniting’s Approach to Asset Management Planning
With a mature approach to Asset Management Planning and reporting, Uniting were in a great position to meet the requirements to reach compliance deadlines. Maintenance data at a high level was readily accessible, current and was surrounded by processes to ensure all relevant team members maintained accuracy.
The changes in legislation gave Uniting the opportunity to extend this data for compliance and to help optimise scheduled and reactive maintenance tasks.
Creating an Accurate baseline for Compliance and Beyond
Uniting has 67 registered Retirement Villages in NSW with approximately 2,700 units in total. AssetFuture assessed all of these Villages within 4 months to reach compliance. Working with the skilled assessment team from AssetFuture, Uniting has created a comprehensive Asset Register, with accurate condition ratings for all relevant assets for compliance.
Project Management and communication was a critical part of this project’s success. Uniting has stringent COVID protocols for Resident safety, which needed to be followed by all visitors to each Village and Unit. AssetFuture’s award-winning Project Management team delivered a communication strategy for all stakeholders, so all Village Managers and Residents were informed of the assessment schedule. Prioritisation of assessments was led by stakeholders at Uniting and AssetFuture to maximise efficiency on location and relevant team member availability.
67 Villages
assessed within 4 months
2700 Units
assessed
85,000 Assets
assessed
Uniting Bowden Brae, Normanhurst NSW
Uniting’s Progressive Leadership
Uniting’s forward-thinking approach was led by senior leadership and supported by all levels within Uniting. This vision ensures not only reaching compliance, but ensuring systems and processes are future-ready for any subsequent requirements. Technology and processes will enable future success for Uniting’s extensive asset portfolio.
“Creating a baseline of highly accurate data for compliance is just the start – we now have processes and technology in place that will not only help us optimise our assets for cost, risk and performance, but we are ready and equipped to maintain compliance – and adapt for any future compliance requirements ”
One Village in the portfolio has been successfully audited, and additional purchased items have been added easily to the Asset Register, and new Asset Management Plans created. Senior Managers can now look at cost forecasting into the future, and plan effectively. Uniting is now extending this approach into their Residential Aged Care portfolio for opportunities to optimise assets for cost, risk and performance.
Accurate baseline of 2,700 units in 4 months
All compliance reports generated
Ability to maintain compliance
Run new AMPs quickly and easily
Audit ready
Keeping up with compliance
Explore our recently published white paper, outlining the important updates to the Retirement Villages Act and the new Asset Management requirements.