Faces of Baptcare: Judy Pryse

Meet Judy Pryse, one of our most valued and long-standing home care staff members at Baptcare in Gippsland. Judy’s career reads like a history of home care growth in the Gippsland region. Never one to be behind a desk, her dynamic roles at Baptcare reflect her keen desire to help people and her hands-on approach to community care.

Sue Poyner, Change Manager in Baptcare’s Transformation team, who nominated Judy for this profile, sees her as a valued member of the team. She says, “Judy consistently impresses us with her contributions, adept navigation of Salesforce and problem-solving skills. She has taken to the digital changes like a duck to water and is a great asset to the Community Care Platform (CCP) continuous improvement team.”

Find out more about Judy and her work at Baptcare below.

What is your current role at Baptcare and what does it involve day to day? What do you like about it?
This is a hard question to answer. My role title is officially, Customer Liaison Consultant (CLC), but I’m not actually doing that role at the moment. I began the CLC role in 2017, this involved providing information to the community about home care packages and what kind of assistance Baptcare could offer them to meet their home care needs.

In 2020, I was asked to step into the Transformation team on secondment for six months to assist with the new CCP for home care. Four years later, I’m still in the Transformation team. Part of this secondment was to review the process of sign up for customers from lead to onboarding because we were starting with the new Salesforce program, CCP. The Transformation team has now moved to business-as-usual phase, so I’m back in my substantive role – not quite completely, though! I’m still working on the CCP enhancements and improvements for our customers.

No two days are the same in my job. You have a list of things to do but you may not get through them all, as things always pop up. There’s never a dull moment! Like any role, you never know what can happen in a day.

Was this your original role at Baptcare?
I started working at Baptcare in 2005. My first role was as a Care Manager. At that time, home care packages were not assigned to the customer but to the provider by the government. I worked from the old matron’s quarters, which had been converted into an office at the old St. Hilary’s Community site in Morwell. Liz, my colleague (and now dear friend and travelling buddy), and I shared the quarters. I also worked from the Bairnsdale office during this time.

Applications for home care packages with Baptcare grew so much that we became the largest provider of these packages in the Gippsland region. Then I moved to a Senior Care Manager role within the same regional team. I continued to move into different roles at Baptcare as the delivery and management of home care evolved over the years.

In 2017, I was working in the intake team, working closely with Care Consultants who looked after home care clients and their needs. When the home care package format changed from government to provider to government to consumer, this changed the way we did things quite a lot. The Customer Liaison Consultant (CLC) roles came into being at Baptcare. I didn’t go for it initially as I didn’t think it was for me. A little while later, the Home Care Manager of Gippsland advocated for a dedicated Gippsland CLC and put my name forward. That is how I came to be a CLC in Gippsland.

Have you had a favourite role throughout the years?
I think my favourite role throughout the years has been the Customer Liaison Consultant (CLC) role. I loved the networking, doing presentations to communities and talking about Baptcare, its services and enlightening people about what is available to them for aged care, especially when they feel like they’ve got nowhere to turn.

I really like being out in the community providing education and information about aged care options –  to the customers and the community and getting personal care workers excited about aged care work and the pathways available to them that they have never dreamed of.

Do you have a special memory from your time working at Baptcare that you hold particularly dear?
Many years ago, we were able to support people to go on holidays. We had a couple in Morwell – the husband was on the home care package. He was dying. When we asked, is there anything that Baptcare could do for you? His wife replied that they had honeymooned at Phillip Island, and they have never been back there, and they would love to go again. So, Baptcare organised a weekend away to Phillip Island for them, through their home care package. The program manager’s husband worked at the RSL down on Phillip Island and he organised some vouchers for meals. I organised everything else for the trip – I even googled a toilet map so they could travel well and easily without worrying.

It was only a weekend we were able to fund but we organised everything, accessible accommodation and delivered equipment for them too. The couple loved their weekend away and the husband talked about that weekend until the day he passed. It was wonderful to assist them with this trip and help create a lovely memory for them.

Did you always want to work within the home care space? What other roles have you had throughout your career? 
I completed my Nurse training in 1983. I trained in Bairnsdale and then worked for 12 years as a DIV2 (enrolled) nurse in Mildura.

After a while of working in nursing, I was looking for something new. I completed a disability course and moved into that industry. I worked with people with quadriplegia and with some clients with challenging behaviour. I then moved to a community care company and assisted in its growth. I learned a lot about the finances and how funding is used and managed in the organisation. I actually ended up managing that company as it grew.

Eventually I moved to Baptcare. You won’t find me sitting behind a desk for too long though! I’m a hands-on person and I really enjoy helping people.

Can you tell me two surprising things about yourself?
Until injuries stopped me, I played veterans badminton throughout Victoria. I hope to get back to playing soon.

I’m also an avid crocheter. I have crocheted blankets for my two granddaughters, and I have a grandson on the way who I’m making one for too. I make blankets for all the new members of my family. I learned to crochet when I was young and then I picked it up again whilst studying nursing and started crocheting doilies.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a nurse. Not sure why, but always a nurse. Initially it was a dental nurse, but then I was told no, don’t be a dental nurse, be a nurse and then you can do anything you want.

I did complete some work experience at a kindergarten thinking that I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher but then I decided it wasn’t for me.

Do you have a favourite saying or motto that you use in life?
Positive affirmations have helped me through some tough times over the years.

At one stage I had a board with them. I look at this quote every day:

"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things."

What are two things on your bucket list? 
New Zealand has always been on my bucket list and I’m heading there in a couple of weeks!

I also really want to go on Puffing Billy – I’ve never been! I’ve got a ‘big’ birthday coming up and I’m hoping my sons may take me away to the Dandenong's for a ride on Puffing Billy to celebrate!

Do you have a mentor or idol? OR if you could sit next to someone at a dinner party, who would it be and why?
Dusty Martin! I am a passionate footy fan, love the Richmond Tigers and would love to have Dusty over for dinner.

I am heavily involved in the local AFL football club. I volunteer every Thursday night at the canteen, and we serve up 100 meals at the footy club on Thursdays. I do all the chips! I like being involved in the local community. My family has always been involved in the local sports clubs.

My father was president of the football club and only one of a handful of people to play in three consecutive local grand finals. I played netball at this local club and my mum was the president of the canteen. I feel very connected to the club and it’s always a fun Thursday night being the chip lady! Perhaps Dusty could come to Thursday night at my local?