A Real Success Story: Safety Management Systems

Client Context

Healthcare Australia (HCA) is a leading national healthcare provider delivering a wide range of services, including primary healthcare in immigration detention facilities managed by the Department of Home Affairs. These services operate under contract within a broader, government-managed framework that involves multiple independent agencies and service providers.

As outlined on the Australian Border Force website, HCA plays a key role in delivering healthcare to detainees, including general practice and nursing, mental health and allied health services, medication management, illness prevention, and referral pathways to specialist care.

In 2023, Organisational Risk Consulting (ORC) provided strategic WHS support to HCA in preparing tender documentation for these immigration health services. This initial engagement laid the foundation for a deeper collaboration the following year.

Operating in a highly regulated and complex environment, HCA required specialist guidance to enhance its WHS documentation and ensure a consistent, standards-aligned approach across its national operations.

Project Overview

In October 2024, following the successful 2023 tender support engagement, ORC, led by Principal Consultant Andrea Paynter, commenced a substantial workplace health and safety (WHS) improvement initiative with HCA. Over a six-month period, which concluded in April 2025, ORC developed a comprehensive suite of high-level Safety Management System (SMS) documents. These were designed to ensure compliance with Australian WHS legislation across all jurisdictions and alignment with international standards: 

•  ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
• ISO 45003:2021 Occupational Health and Safety Management, Psychological Health and Safety at Work

Our Comprehensive Approach
The SMS development was delivered through a structured, four-phase methodology:

1. Project Initiation: Clarified objectives, deliverables, and engagement parameters in collaboration with HCA’s leadership.
2. Analysis and Design: Assessed existing materials and regulatory context to shape a tailored SMS architecture aligned with national WHS legislation and ISO standards. 
3. Development and Integration: Produced high-level documentation to embed safety, leadership, and psychosocial principles across the organisation’s operational footprint. 
4. Review and Finalisation: Completed a thorough review cycle with internal stakeholders to ensure clarity, alignment, and implementation readiness.
   

Project Extension: WHS Support for operational healthcare services in Immigration Detention Facilities.  

Building on the SMS engagement, ORC was retained for a follow-on WHS project (April–June 2025), focusing on:

• Developing site-specific WHS Plans for seven immigration detention facilities, including Alternative Places of Detention (APODs)
• Creating central and site-specific WHS Risk Registers, and
• Ensuring alignment with the new SMS and government stakeholder expectations.

Outcomes Achieved

• National Compliance: Delivered a full suite of WHS documentation aligned with legislation and ISO standards
• Operational Readiness: Enabled consistent, safe service delivery across complex, multi-site healthcare environments
• Strategic Integration: Strengthened HCA’s ability to meet contractual obligations and foster a proactive safety culture.

Client Feedback

“Andrea was incredibly collaborative and consultative, always considered and balanced. She was very reliable, responsive, and clear in her communication, and the project phases and outcomes were clearly articulated and tracked. Andrea’s work is thoroughly researched, extremely comprehensive, and demonstrates an exceptional grasp of our organisation’s context. Her approach fostered trust, and her professionalism was evident throughout the engagement. I highly recommend her consultancy.”

— Kirsty Cadusch, Head of Human Resources, Healthcare Australia (Primary Health Services)

“As the new WHS Manager at HealthCare Australia, I was grateful that the organisation had the foresight to engage Andrea (before I started) to document the Safety Management System framework. The draft framework, policy, and management standards produced by Andrea have positioned the organisation to comply with national legislation, align with international standards (ISO 45001 & ISO 45003), and made my job a hell of a lot easier! Andrea’s work is thoroughly researched, extremely comprehensive, and shows a wonderful grasp of the organisation's context. I highly recommend her consultancy.”

— Adrian Quintarelli, National WHS Manager, Healthcare Australia (Primary Health Services)

“Thank you for all your support Andrea Paynter. The deliverables exceeded expectations and as a result we are in a great position as a business.”

— Cheyne Woolsey, Chief People Officer, Healthcare Australia

Continuing Partnership

What began as a brief engagement supporting HCA’s WHS tender documentation has evolved into a trusted partnership, with ORC delivering two major WHS initiatives across national operations. The success of these projects demonstrates ORC’s ability to support high-compliance, high-impact environments.