2026 WA Rural Health Excellence Awards finalist: Older Person Complex Care Team
L-R: Richard Arnold (Senior Social Worker), Ashlen Cuthbert (Aged Care Liaison Officer and Registered Nurse), Milly McDermott (Senior Social Worker), Nicola Josey (Aged Care Liaison Officer) and Nik Booker (Acting Regional Aged Care Manager).
A small but mighty team providing a lifeline for vulnerable older people across the South West has been named a finalist in the 2026 WA Rural Health Excellence Awards.
The Older Person Complex Care team – one of 17 finalists from WA Country Health Service – is in the running for the Health Team of the Year Award.
Since 2019, this highly skilled multidisciplinary team has been supporting older people in the community who are at risk of harm or hospital admission due to complex medical, social, cognitive or environmental factors.
Providing support outside of traditional service pathways, they specialise in situations where people are isolated, experiencing abuse, lacking safe supports or unable to navigate services due to cognitive impairment, mental illness or social vulnerability.
They coordinate care across a wide network of health, aged care, mental health, justice and community services, preventing homelessness, abuse, medical deterioration and crisis outcomes.
The team’s advocacy and collaboration has improved the safety, wellbeing and autonomy of more than 600 older people across the South West.
Senior Social Worker and team member Richard Arnold said it was an honour to be shortlisted in the WA Rural Health Excellence Awards, which celebrate the dedication, compassion, skills and ingenuity of exceptional health professionals.
“We are an extremely passionate and dedicated team who are very proud of the work we do on a daily basis,” Mr Arnold said.
“To be acknowledged genuinely means a lot to us and validates our efforts and hard work over the years.”
Richard said there were many rewarding aspects of being part of the team.
“Firstly, the camaraderie is very special; we all work together sharing information and problem-solving complex situations, ensuring the best and safest outcome for our clients,” he said.
“We take great pride in building trusting relationships with our clients to ensure their safety and dignity is maintained. It’s a privilege to achieve positive outcomes and promote safety on a daily basis.”
The team previously won the 2020 WA Country Health Service South West Patient Safety and Quality Award and was a finalist for the 2025 WA Country Health Service South West Values Award.
The WA Rural Health Excellence Awards are hosted by WA Country Health Service and Rural Health West. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony during the WA Rural Health Conference on Saturday, 14 March 2026.