Aged care reform: Six opportunities identified by a sector strategy expert 

The new Aged Care Act offers residential providers a chance to sharpen strategy, improve governance, and focus on what really matters, delivering quality care. 

At our recent Residential Roadshow Nicki Doyle, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, shared this perspective. She explained how the Act offers an opportunity to reset and build stronger, more future-ready organisations. 

“During times of incredible change, your strategy is what keeps you on the straight and narrow. It’s not about being reactive. There’s opportunity. Strategy can be your best friend in a time of uncertainty.”– Nicki Doyle, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, Residential Roadshow 2025 

Drawing on her work with boards, executive teams and government, Nicki outlined six strategic advantages in the new Aged Care Act and how they can help your residential care service stay ahead. 

1. Reimagine your model of care through a rights-based lens 

The new Aged Care Act is rights-based and focuses on redesigning care around what individuals want and need. 

But Nicki urged leaders to examine the entire care journey, not just the parts covered by legislation. 

“Think about your front door. Technically, it’s not covered by the Act. But how can we bring a rights-based approach to that moment?” – Nicki Doyle, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, Residential Roadshow 2025 

Every interaction with residents offers a chance to improve their experience. The Act’s care plans and advisory bodies require gathering insights, but what providers do with that data matters. Combining complaints, feedback, and incident data fuels improvement beyond compliance. 

What you might consider: 

• Are you applying a rights-based approach across the full care journey? 
• How are you using feedback, complaints, and incident data to improve care? 
• Are care plans and advisory bodies used for meaningful engagement? 
• What do your residents want and how are you responding? 

2. Involve consumers in shaping change 

Co-designing care gives providers a strategic edge by creating personalised services that improve satisfaction and outcomes. Nicki encouraged involving care recipients in testing and refining new approaches. 

Consumer advisory bodies are one tool, but providers should explore multiple ways to gather feedback and co-design improvements with families and communities. 

“It’s always really powerful to hear the voices of care participants and their families. It’s not one-size-fits-all. What people want is deeply local and personal.” – Nicki Doyle, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, Residential Roadshow 2025 

What you might consider: 

• How are residents and families involved in co-designing changes? 
• Are you testing changes with care recipients and acting on their input? 
• What other ways are you gathering feedback beyond advisory bodies? 
• Can technology help you better collect and respond to insights? 

3. Treat quality standards as your baseline 

A common pitfall, Nicki said, is treating compliance with the Quality Standards as the goal. These are minimum requirements, not the destination. 

“This is a time to reframe your thinking. Where do you want to exceed the standards? What does excellence look like for your organisation?” – Nicki Doyle, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, Residential Roadshow 2025 

You don’t need to exceed every standard. Focus on the areas that matter most to your mission, your residents, and your community. Be clear about where you want to lead and how you’ll measure success. 

What you might consider: 

• How will you exceed the standards? 

• What is your quality framework and standards? 

• How can you leverage different aspects of the Act and regulatory framework? 

4. Use reform as a trigger for operational improvement 

This wave of change is a perfect time to review internal processes, improve efficiency, and strengthen capability. 

Nicki encouraged leaders to ask: Are we doing the best we can? Where are the opportunities to improve how we work across systems, staffing, service delivery, and reporting? 

“Think about what skill set you need within your team to drive operational improvement. It’s not generally a skill set aged care providers have innately.” – Nicki Doyle, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, Residential Roadshow 2025 

What you might consider: 

• What skills does your team need to drive operational improvement? 
• How are you including process improvement and labour productivity in your plans? 
• In what ways are you using technology to boost back-office efficiency and care delivery? 

5. Understand your market and consider new opportunities 

As providers respond to the Act, Nicki expects market shifts and consolidation, but also new opportunities. There is room for growth if providers think strategically and stay close to community needs. 

“We’ll see exits and consolidation. But there’s room for everyone. Think outside the square. What are the opportunities in hospital partnerships or health services?” Nicki Doyle, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, Residential Roadshow 2025 

Understanding your market is crucial. Think about who you serve, where you can grow and how your offering compares.  

What you might consider: 

• Where do you fit in the current market and who are your customers? 
• Where will growth opportunities arise as others exit? 
• What opportunities exist in areas like hospital and health services? 

6. Use technology to support your strategy 

Technology can be a powerful enabler when aligned with your strategy. Nicki advised providers to first clarify your needs, then choose technology that supports how you want to deliver care.  

Nicki mentioend the huge potential in artificial intelligence , especially generative AI , and believes the next wave of adoption will impact both frontline and back-office operations. 

“Generative AI is going to be the biggest game changer we’ve seen. There are significant opportunities, but only if you have the right infrastructure, planning, and change support in place.” – Nicki Doyle, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, Residential Roadshow 2025 

What you might consider: 

• How can technology help you implement the Act across front and back office? 
• Does your technology fit your existing workflows, or is it forcing process changes? 
• Have you explored new technology on the market, including emerging tools like generative AI? 

A final message   

Nicki closed her session with a thoughtful question for providers and the sector: 

“How do you come together, both within your organisation and collectively, to define the way forward? What are the next steps we need to take as an industry?” – Nicki Doyle, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, Residential Roadshow 2025 

If you haven’t had the chance yet, now’s a good moment to take a step back, think strategically, and consider the kind of provider you want to become. This is your opportunity to lead with intention and shape the future. 

Watch Nicki Doyle’s full session from the Residential Roadshow

Want to know how AlayaCare is helping residential providers get ready for the new Aged Care Act?