industry & reform
Penelope Marshall joined the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia in March . Picture : Supplied .
‘ Listening is crucial ’
New aged care voice on Australia ’ s Nursing and Midwifery Board .
By Elise Hartevelt
Penelope Marshall has become the first-ever aged care representative of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia .
Carrying over 25 years ’ experience in healthcare , Ms Marshall has spent the majority of her career managing patient safety and clinical risk for Australia ’ s largest operator of private hospitals .
In June 2022 , she took the helm of clinical governance , risk , and innovation manager at Victoria ’ s
14 agedcareinsite . com . au leading private aged care provider BlueCross Aged Care .
“ People need guardrails and guidance ,” Ms Marshall said .
“ It ’ s the organisation ’ s and the government ’ s responsibility to help set them up for success .
“ It ’ s an indictment on society that we haven ’ t done that for aged care very well .”
Aged Care Insite spoke with Ms Marshall on how she aims to help Australia build a health and aged care workforce that is ‘ appreciated for its true worth ’.
ACI : What aspects of your career have prepared you for this new role ? PM : I started as a ward nurse , a theatre nurse , and a midwife .
I ’ ve always wanted to make things better for people and believe that health is fundamental for a good quality of life .
During Covid , I was the national manager of patient safety and clinical risk for Ramsay Health Care , Australia ’ s largest operator of private hospitals in Australia .
We were asked on a few occasions to assist , particularly in Victoria , with aged care facilities struggling with infection control and the care of people , among other things .
When I went there , I deployed teams , and I was sometimes shocked to find that they didn ’ t have the same structures , processes and supports we have in hospitals .