Care managers are among the most sought after positions in healthcare at the moment, particularly in the aged care sector. Due to the ageing population, aged care facilities are rapidly being built and the demand for in-house care is increasing month by month. Are you a healthcare professional with the ambition to make a real difference? In this post, you will learn what an aged care manager role entails, as well as some of the key qualities needed to be successful.
Facility manager. To clarify, we are referring to managers in charge of care homes and elderly care facilities. For New Zealanders, the titles Facility manager and Care Manager are often interchangeable. Other job titles that you may find advertised include:
- Care Home and Village Manager
- Care Home Manager
- Unit Manager
- Care Services Manager
- Clinical Services Manager
- Clinical Nurse Manager
- Nurse Manager
- Clinical Nurse Lead
- Clinical Coordinator
Further reading – 5 Reasons to Consider Aged Care Jobs
Browse our current vacancies for care management jobs.
Responsibilities of a Care Manager
Taking care of the clinical management of an aged care facility, you may report to the facility manager*. You will be responsible for providing clinical oversight to residents across the residence and ensuring a high level of quality care for all residents. You may also work in collaboration with other care managers.
Other day-to-day responsibilities would include:
- Daily clinical oversight of the facility and work across quality indicators.
- Oversight of sales and marketing aspects of the facility.
- Providing support & direction to staff members.
- Providing excellent quality care and service delivery.
- Ensuring accreditation guidelines are met.
- Actively promoting a culture of excellence and leading by example.
*What is a Facilitator Manager?
In New Zealand, the titles ‘Care Manager’ and ‘Facility Manager’ are often interchangeable. Facility Managers have oversight of the financial and operational running of the care home or elderly care facility.
Responsibilities and reporting lines will vary depending on the management structure and size of the company, so make sure you look carefully at the job description. Generally, Care Managers in Australia are likely to report to a Facility Manager, whereas in New Zealand may have the responsibilities of both roles. Facility Managers would usually report to a Regional Manager.
The responsibilities of a Facility Manager may include:
What Makes a Good Aged Care Manager?
Care homes need a great aged care manager to ensure that outstanding care is upheld. Care managers combine the pressures of motivating a staff team and adhering to the standards set by the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) in Australia and the Health Quality and Safety Commission in New Zealand.
So, what makes a great aged care manager? Experience is of course vital. But, after speaking with residents and aged care professionals, it appears that the right personality and motivation to be successful are two key qualities.
What Motivates An Aged Care Manager?
Aged care managers are tasked with meeting the needs of their clients. They should thrive off the satisfaction of succeeding in this by providing consistently high-quality care. Amidst the challenges added by the pandemic, motivation levels need to be high to succeed. Do you have the level of passion required to lead a team into caring for communities of people who need it the most? Most health care workers have an innate desire to help others. Those with ambitions to work as aged care managers may have the additional thirst to make a difference across a health care facility.
Beyond this, you should also have a strong motivation to provide a duty of care to society as a whole. Excellent care managers should be among the most valued professionals due to the importance and positive impact of their work.
What Personality Traits Should A Care Manager Have?
If you have experience in aged care and are considering moving up to the role of manager, you might wonder whether you are the right kind of person for the position. Below, we have compiled a few of the key qualities that we believe can make great care managers.
1. Detail-oriented
It’s important that you are strict with the details. You’ll be in charge of ensuring quality indicators are met by a range of carers throughout your facility. You’ll also need to be…
2. Adaptable
Things can change day-to-day with new challenges arising. New residents arrive, staff become unavailable, medical emergencies can occur. You’ll need to be able to proactively adapt to meet these changes ensuring that excellent care is maintained. Similarly, you should be…
3. Calm and measured
You should be adept at remaining calm under pressure. To lead with warmth and authority, you should maintain a balance between being friendly and being able to listen to others. This will ensure that you are approachable but also respected within your facility.
4. Resilient
Importantly, you should be able to stay calm and focused when faced with conflict or workplace stress. Ideally, you’ll know how rewarding it feels to successfully de-escalate stressful situations. You’re likely to be someone who is quite sensitive to the needs and emotions of others, and therefore should be equipped to manage your own wellbeing and risk of burnout.
5. Enjoys collaboration
You’ll have professional ambition, in a care manager role, but you should still value collaboration and valuing others’ needs professionally too. You’ll reflect on the pressured and daily realities of those who work with you and strive to improve team wellbeing and work-life balance. The ability to work diligently with the facility manager and other care managers is also key.
What Level of Experience is Desirable For an Aged Care Manager?
Ideally, you will be a well-seasoned care manager with recent experience in a similar position and be a strong team leader across this residential site. Your primary responsibility will be to lead the team and provide continuous clinical care of this facility while maintaining a positive, collaborative culture and environment across the site.
- AHPRA Registered Nurse OR Registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ).
- Working experience across residential Aged Care.
- Recent experience in a Care Manager capacity.
- Experience managing staff and providing support to teams.
- Understanding of quality & accreditation standards.
- Ability to support a multi-disciplinary team.
- Experience and understanding of the ACFI process (the Aged Care Funding Instrument) NOTE: This is not applicable in NZ.
- Excellent communication skills.
- InterRAI Trained if working in NZ – https://www.interrai.co.nz/
Thanks for reading our post on aged Care Manager jobs, we hope you found it informative!
Browse our current vacancies for care management jobs. Or if you’d like to have a chat with someone from our healthcare recruitment team then register your interest. A friendly member of the Health and Social Care team will soon be in touch!
