General Manager – Clinical Services

The organisation

Established in 1985 as a charity (not-for-profit), Very Special Kids (VSK) provides palliative care for children and young people across Victoria.  The services are tailored for children and young people with life-limiting conditions.  They support families through life, death, and bereavement.  Services are provided at no charge to children, young people, and their families.  

For many families the diagnosis and ongoing treatment can be very confronting. VSK offers much-needed family support in the form of healthcare professional services such as counselling/psychotherapy for families, sibling support programs, and activities where families can meet other families experiencing similar challenges, which can be of great assistance during these times.  Support is also provided when a child dies from a life-threatening condition, always ensuring an understanding of the individual circumstances affecting the family.

Tailoring an integrated approach to include emotional, clinical, and practical support, VSK strives to improve the quality of life and create positive, lasting memories. By providing paediatric palliative care with a team of doctors, nurses, care staff, therapists, counsellors, and trained volunteers, VSK gives ongoing support from diagnosis until adulthood.  The VSK Hospice provides respite for families and provides medical care at the end of a child’s life including pain and symptom management.

Brooker Consulting was asked by the Director of People and Culture, to submit a proposal in relation to the search and selection of a General Manager of Clinical Services, reporting to the CEO. This key leadership role in the executive team is responsible for leading and overseeing all operational aspects of clinical services at VSK.

The brief

Working in collaboration with the CEO, the General Manager – Clinical Services will participate in the strategic development of VSK including the commissioning of the purpose-built new hospice. They will also ensure the provision of high-quality interdisciplinary services through leadership, strategic direction, solid operational management of service delivery staff, and effective resource and revenue management. VSK wished to appoint a seasoned professional with the experience, capability and emotional intelligence to lead a large number of clinicians including nurses, medical officers, psychologists and volunteers to deliver high-quality community palliative care to children. 

The process

After a proven record of successful placements within VSK, Brooker Consulting was engaged to conduct an executive search and selection process to identify an outstanding candidate to be VSK’s next GM. An extensive strategy was outlined, and the campaign was launched by Brooker after a detailed briefing with key stakeholders. A comprehensive combination of external advertising and targeted executive search generated an impressive level of interest and a high-quality shortlist.

The outcome

After the presentation of fifteen worthy applicants to the Selection Panel, it was decided to interview nine candidates. From these interviews, one person emerged and was taken through reference checking and a final presentation to the panel. Consensus was reached and Julia McAlpine was appointed as the next GM of Clinical Services. Julia brings more than 18 years of broad healthcare leadership experience in oncology.