My Care My Way

Navigating the Australian aged care system can feel like trying to find your way through a maze without a map. Where do you start? What funding are you eligible for? And how do you ensure your choices are truly respected?

Cynthia Payne is a distinguished leader, director, and 35-year veteran of the Australian aged care sector. Her career has been singularly defined by an unwavering commitment to the Older Person Experience. As her “true north”, this dedication has driven her focus on identifying, mitigating, and providing groundbreaking insights into harm-related risks for providers across Australia.In 2018, Cynthia founded the Anchor Impact Group which, through its key brands-Anchor Excellence, Sage Study Tours, and Impactful-Leaders-swiftly became instrumental in shaping contemporary best practices and governance in the sector. Over the past seven years, the group has impacted over 45% of the Australian aged care market, establishing Cynthia as a formidable authority and advocate for safe, high-quality care. Her work directly addresses the complexities of regulatory compliance, governance and ethical leadership required to safeguard individuals’ lived experiences in residential, home care, NDIS and retirement living settings.

Cynthia’s academic qualifications include an MBA and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Nursing. Her governance credentials are extensive: she is a Certified Aged Care Board Advisory Chair, a Member (MAICD) of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Fellow (FGIA) of the Governance Institute Australia. Professionally, she is a Certified Practitioner of Balanced Scorecard, a Certified Practitioner of Team ManagementSystems (TMP, Quotient, LLP), a Fellow of the Manager and Leaders Institute, and a long-term member of the Australian College of Nursing. Additionally, she is a Cert IV qualified Yoga teacher (800HrRYT). Her current board roles include Independent Non-Executive Director (INED) for Painchek (a Listed Entity; since 2022), and INED for Abergeldie Complex Infrastructure.

Irene is a distinguished aged care scholar and researcher with over 40 years of experience in the sector. Irene holds a Doctorate in aged care and a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Arts with an emphasis on aged care movement patterns. Additionally, Irene holds tertiary qualifications in nursing, education and theology. As a former Professor of Aged Care, Irene has published widely and supervised postgraduate students in the field of aged care service compliance outcomes and clinical safety and governance.

The lived experience of the older person resonates with her personal experiences as an advocate for individuals who felt their voice was not being heard by their service providers. Passionate for excellence in care for these individuals, Irene has developed educational resources to support them along their journey.

One of her mantras is ‘it just should not happen to an older person receiving care’. The prevention of harm to an older person that could be prevented has been a recurring theme in the resources she has developed since joining the Anchor Excellence team.

Carla is a devoted Registered Nurse, Leader and advocate for the wellbeing of older Australians. As the Risk and Assurance Lead at Anchor Excellence, she brings over 20 years of senior management experience, combining clinical expertise with a proactive approach to safety and quality. Carla’s work is defined by a focused mission: helping older people to flourish and thrive within funded care settings. She is inspired by the people she serves and works tirelessly to create an aged care future in which she would be proud and happy to receive care herself. Carla is recognised for her ability to transform services and navigate complex challenges.

Her impact has included:

• Regulatory Guidance: Directly assisting aged care services through critical compliance challenges to ensure residents receive high-quality care.
• Proactive Oversight: Leading programs that focus on identifying risks before they impact the lives of older people.
• Mentoring: Developing the next generation of leaders, instilling values of empathy, strategic clarity, and clinical excellence.

Carla pairs her nursing roots with advanced professional credentials to ensure the best outcomes for the community: Registered Nurse (RN) with qualifications in Clinical Governance, Business and Management; and Certified Aged Care Chair and Qualified Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Lead.

Her leadership philosophy centres on aligning strong governance with the daily happiness and dignity of every individual in care.

Shae is a multi-disciplinary leader and advocate dedicated to bridging the gap between complex clinical governance and the lived experience of vulnerable Australians. As the Practice Lead for Policy and Academy at Anchor Excellence, Shae leverages a unique professional background spanning medicine, law and government, to ensure health care is both safe and accessible. Shae’s mission is centred on the empowerment of the older person through clarity and transparency. Driven by the belief that high-quality care begins with high-level health literacy, Shae is passionate about translating complex regulatory requirements into accessible, person-centred practices. For Shae, “compliance” is not just a checkbox; it is a vital tool for safeguarding those who are most at risk.

At Anchor Excellence, Shae’s focus is dual-faceted. Through Anchor Policy, Shae guides providers to develop robust, compliant frameworks that place the older person at the heart of every process. Through Anchor Academy, Shae helps to create the educational tools and structures necessary to ensure aged care staff are not only compliant but truly capable of delivering safe, high-quality care for older Australians.

Shae’s diverse academic and professional foundation provides a sophisticated lens through which to view the challenges of the aged care sector. Her qualifications include a Doctor of Medicine (MD), Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice (BCCJ), and a Graduate Certificate in Child Health (GCCH).

With a professional history that includes frontline clinical experience as a medical doctor and four years within the government sector, Shae brings a pragmatic, holistic perspective to the Anchor Impact Group. Outside her professional focus, Shae is an avid traveller, a pursuit that fosters a global perspective on the universal importance of dignity and care for the vulnerable.