Care Opinion Australia is run by a small team of passionate and experienced people, with the support and guidance of very many more.
Tina Janamian, Chief Executive Officer
Tina is the CEO of Care Opinion Australia, a not-for-profit charitable organisation launched in 2012 for the benefit of users, carers, staff and the public.
Her background is in academia (primary care), health services research and public health. Tina has extensive experience working across the healthcare landscape and with multidisciplinary teams to improve integrated health care through patient feedback, continuous quality improvement, and innovative models of person-centred care.
She is an adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Queensland and a Director of a number of not-for-profit Boards.
As CEO, Tina focuses on sharing Care Opinion’s mission with peak body organisations, policy makers, people in health and social care, and with health professionals in training, emphasising the importance of the consumer voice or patient stories in improving service delivery, patient experience and outcomes.
Alicia Reid, National Operations Manager | Patient Experience Lead
I am a creative and dedicated individual who believes in developing capacity and capability amongst the health care workforce to achieve sustainable outcomes. I do this by being a lifelong learner and supporting and nurturing a growth mindset that is focussed on solutions rather than deficits and problems.
My years of professional engagement in a range of settings has developed excellent relational communication and influential writing skills. I believe in making every interaction a meaningful one and strive always to communicate with purpose, relationally and with authenticity.
I thrive in an environment that is challenging and provides me with the ability to navigate the strategic landscape to generate implementation experiences that are positive and innovative on the ground.
At Care Opinion Australia I am working more closely with the consumer voice, in the neutral space between the patient and the health service to support constructive health systems improvement and dialogue. I feel this brings all my skills to the fore and I look forward to seeing relational feedback complement existing engagement channels in every State and Territory in Australia in the next five years, making the Care Opinion platform the primary showcase of what matters most to consumers in their experiences of care.
Rebecca Somerville, Client Liaison Lead
I am your ‘go-to person’ for assistance with questions around stories posted on Care Opinion. I am here to help anyone having trouble with how to reply to a story, needing advice regarding the appropriate resources for their facility and guidance with what is done elsewhere that may be useful to you. You will find me at the end of the phone giving you support and encouragement, as there are times when everyone needs to know that they are on the right track and doing well. So, consider me your guide, your champion, your trouble-shooter and the one who tries to keep it real, knowing that a bit of understanding and a good laugh go a very long way on a stressful day.
I have a Bachelor of Professional Communication (Management) with Distinction.
Sarah Higgins, Administration and Communications Officer
I manages our social media and engagement activities for Care Opinion Australia. I specialise in collaborating with subscribers to sing praises and promote the stories about your service that demonstrate the dedication and efforts of your hardworking staff, as well as congratulating them on their wonderful responses – even to those really tricky stories. This really gives staff a boost to receive that well-earned recognition. While you may hear from me about potential collaborations, questions about stories or even looking to feature you in our newsletter, you are always welcome to reach out to me with your own ideas and requests to highlight your staff’s achievements.I am so excited to have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with your service. I am eager to explore how the Care Opinion platform can reach right down to the ground level, bringing real feedback to the staff and how we can share those stories with your community.
I have a Bachelor of Business (Public Relations).
Ellen Margaret, Moderation Officer
When stories or responses are submitted to Care Opinion, they need to be reviewed before we can publish and share them publicly online. This is where I comes in! My role is to take care of the many stories we receive through the platform to not only ensure they are in keeping with our philosophy of being safe and constructive for everyone, but they are also heard by the right people.
During the moderation process, I will make sure the story is assigned to the correct healthcare service, passes our publication criteria and is tagged for searching and reporting purposes. There are times when will need to make minor changes to an author’s story to protect their anonymity and fit within our policy. However, I work hard to only alter what is absolutely necessary so as to not detract from the author’s meaning or authenticity. I will often need to contact authors and health service providers over the course of a story’s journey, so keep a look out for my emails in your mail inbox!
I wholeheartedly value the trust that authors place in our platform to handle such significant moments in their life. Whether detailing their most special time or the time they felt the most vulnerable, I regard all involvement as no small feat and of equal importance. This is their experience, their feedback, their voice and I feel honoured to play a part in enabling them to be heard.