Governance
Dougherty Management
Effective Corporate Governance is a feature of Dougherty’s management. Dougherty has a committed Board of Directors comprising members from Willoughby City Council, and Housing NSW.
The Board meets each month and reviews both the day-to-day operational management and the strategic direction and issues of Dougherty. Overall day-to-day management is vested in the General Manager of the facility.
At Dougherty we encourage our residents, families and friends to provide as much feedback as possible in order to make positive changes.
Self Care Committee
Dougherty has a Self Care Committee comprising interested and committed residents from the resident funded section of self care residents.
The Committee meets monthly and these meetings are attended by the General Manager, who keeps the Committee up-to-date with issues at Dougherty.
Any items of concern to the Committee are also raised with the General Manager, so there is a mutual cross flow of information between management and the self care residents.
There are several ways to ‘feedback’ to the Managers:
- Complete a Yellow form and place in the form box. These are located next to the Residential Care and Ground Floor offices and outside the Palmer Wing entrance
- Speak to a staff member who will complete the form on your behalf
- Attend monthly Residential Care Resident’s meetings
Speak directly to the Clinical Management Team or the General Manager
If the complaint is of a serious nature and you are not satisfied with the responses of the management you are advised to contact the Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au
- We appreciate this may take the form of a complaint, however we use your feedback as an opportunity to improve
Residential Care Residents Meetings
Residential Care Residents’ Meetings are held monthly. Here you and your fellow residents can have your say on various aspects of the management of the residential care – things such as food, cleaning, maintenance, care services and recreation activities etc.
Corporate Governance
Dougherty Apartments is the trading or operating name of the legal entity ‘Dougherty Apartments Retirement Housing Project’ (DARHP), a public company limited by guarantee and incorporated on 18 September 1989. Dougherty Apartments is a not-for-profit, community based, charitable organisation which services the aged care needs of its local community. It is also a deductable gift receipt (9AF1595C), meaning that donations of $2 and over to the organisation are tax deductable.
DARHP is governed by a Board of Directors comprising five (5) Directors, two each from Willoughby City Council and Housing NSW and the Chair.
Our Wonderful Directors
Virginia was a Councillor on Mosman Council for 16 years, including three years as Mayor and one year as Deputy Mayor. She has been the Administrator of Mosman Meals on Wheels, School Projects Officer for Australian Red Cross in NSW, taught English at Loreto Kirribilli, undertook Community Relations at Queenwood School and was the Executive Director of the Wenona Foundation.
She is a strong believer in social justice and respecting and helping two sections of the community who are often not listened to: teenagers and older citizens.
Melanie is a former Director, who re-joined the Board in late 2023.
He is the former Executive Director, Assets in the NSW Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC). George has held senior positions in Australia and the UK leading asset management divisions in various sectors including Energy, Transport and Community Assets. George has also worked as a State Manager across NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
She has a depth of experience across human services including social housing, child protection, out of home care, community development, commissioning, health, youth justice, disability, Aboriginal affairs and family violence. She has previously worked in Senior Executive roles in both Queensland and Victoria.
Michelle has a proven track record in leading high-performing aged care teams, embedding robust clinical governance systems, and driving quality and risk improvement initiatives. At her current place of employment , she successfully integrated older people from long-stay mental health facilities into residential aged care and significantly lifted staff education compliance from 29% to 99%. Her leadership earned the Centre five awards, including “Centre of the Year” in 2024.
She brings deep knowledge of regulatory compliance, including the Aged Care Quality Standards, clinical risk, continuous improvement, and consumer-directed care. She has also held consulting roles supporting strategic service improvement and mentoring new aged care leaders.
Her governance experience includes chairing the Northern Beaches Nurse Manager Committee for over a decade, and participating in numerous state-level advisory groups including with NSW Health, PHNs, and the Australian College of Nursing.
Michelle holds multiple qualifications in nursing, management, leadership, human resources, quality auditing, and clinical governance. She is deeply committed to person-centred care, ethical leadership, and improving aged care through strategic collaboration and compassionate service delivery.
