The care sector is undergoing a structural reset. Changes to the NDIS and aged care frameworks, alongside SCHADS Award changes, are tightening funding, increasing compliance expectations, and placing sustained pressure on already constrained margins.
In this environment, growth alone is no longer enough. Sustainability is increasingly determined by how effectively organisations manage operational performance within fixed pricing, evolving regulation and complex service delivery models.
Join RSM Australia and ShiftCare for a practical, data-informed session combining financial, operational and system perspectives. Drawing on advisory experience and real-time sector data, this discussion will focus on where margin is being lost, what is driving it, and how providers can respond.
We will examine the operational patterns that quietly erode performance over time, often accepted as “business as usual”, but which materially impact financial sustainability.
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The margin squeeze and why growth alone is no longer the answer
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What ShiftCare’s data is telling us about provider operations in 2026. Common trends across thousands of providers, including workforce utilisation, scheduling complexity, travel, overtime, cancellations and administration overhead.
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The hidden causes of margin leakage. Unbilled services, funding utilisation issues, payroll inefficiencies, travel costs, roster gaps, documentation quality and claim rework.
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What profitable providers do differently while maintaining service quality and compliance.
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Operational discipline and performance
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The link between rostering, service delivery, claiming and cashflow.
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Moving from reactive management to proactive control through visibility.
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Practical implications of NDIS and aged care reform, including pricing changes and SCHADS Award impacts on workforce planning, rostering, compliance and operating costs.
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Leveraging systems, data and emerging AI to strengthen operational visibility, manage risk and prepare for what’s next.
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Preparing for what’s next
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Building resilience as pricing, compliance and workforce pressures evolve.
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Characteristics of sustainable providers in 2026 and beyond.
- CEOs and Executive Care Leaders
- CFOs and Finance Leaders
- Operations and Workforce Executives
- People and Culture Leaders
In partnership with:
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Date:
Thursday, 30 July 2026 |
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Time: 12pm arrival for a 12:30pm start, concluding at 2pm
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Venue: RSM Australia
564 David Street Albury NSW 2640 |
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Kirsty is RSM’s Sector Lead and subject matter expert for the NDIS. She works closely with providers operating in NDIS, aged care and broader community services highly regulated environments, advising on financial sustainability, pricing, compliance, and operational risk....
Her work focuses on helping organisations navigate reform and maintain viability within fixed funding models—translating policy, pricing and regulatory change into practical operating decisions. Kirsty brings a deep understanding of how margin pressure materialises within service delivery, from workforce models and utilisation to claiming, compliance, and governance. Kirsty regularly advises executive teams, boards and finance leaders on improving performance through operating model design, financial discipline and system integration. She is recognised for her pragmatic, data-driven approach and her ability to connect sector policy settings with real-world operational impacts. In this session, Kirsty will set the scene on the current market environment, including emerging reform, pricing constraints, and the structural pressures shaping provider sustainability.
Mathew Cagney is the CEO of ShiftCare, working at the intersection of technology, operations and service delivery in the care sector. He collaborates closely with providers to understand how workforce management systems, rostering practices and service data translate into operational performance and financial outcomes....
Through his work with a large and diverse base of providers, Mat brings visibility to sector-wide trends, offering practical insights into how organisations are navigating margin pressure, workforce challenges and increasing compliance expectations. He has a strong focus on using real operational data to identify early indicators of performance issues and opportunities for improvement. Mat is particularly focused on the role of systems and automation in strengthening operational discipline, from rostering and time capture through to billing, claims and reporting. His perspective reflects what is happening across providers at scale, and where small inefficiencies accumulate into material financial impact over time. In this session, Mat will share what ShiftCare is observing across the sector, highlighting key operational signals and trends that indicate whether a service model is performing effectively.
Jessie Arney is Chief People Officer at Mercy Connect, a registered NDIS provider, where she has led people and culture strategy since 2016. She brings over 30 years' experience in human resources across financial services, retail, and the not-for-profit sectors, with deep expertise in workforce planning, rostering, compliance, and operational culture, the very levers driving margin pressure across the NDIS sector today....
Combining a strategic, data-informed approach with a strong understanding of how workforce decisions flow through to service delivery, compliance, and the bottom line, Jessie holds a Graduate Diploma of Psychology and a Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management.
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