The Challenge: Manual Reviews with No Visibility
Twilight Aged Care's multi-facility operation was managing performance reviews through a manual process that created blind spots across the organisation. Their "catchups" (appraisals) were tick-box exercises filed away with no visibility, no analysis, and no connection to staff development.
Fiona, Organisational Development Manager, recalls the frustration:
"Our catchups were all paper-based. Some would get lost and we really wouldn't understand where the actual staff member's education was up to. There was no follow-up, no analysis of the catchups at all."
When asked for feedback from facility managers about staff reviews, the response was telling: "We've got bits of paper everywhere in files. To actually pull it all together would be a massive amount of work."
Madelyn Dupriez, HR Administrator, describes the process:
"It was a physical form being completed by the facility manager, sent to myself, then recorded on our rostering system. That date wouldn't flag anywhere. There was no system where facility managers could see due dates, so they couldn't organise catchups themselves."
The impact was significant:
- Training needs were missed or delayed as HR manually reviewed each form
- Career aspirations buried in files went unactioned
- Compliance was inconsistent with no systematic way to track completion
- Facility managers had no visibility of their team's review status
- Staff felt unheard, with conversations "left on the shelf for next year"
HR was chasing facility managers for overdue forms while career development opportunities remained locked away in disconnected systems.
The Digital Shift: From Administration to Development
Twilight partnered with Ausmed to implement Perform, transforming their approach to performance management. They rebranded appraisals as "catchups" to make the process more approachable, and created a centralised system that connected performance, compliance, and development:
Electronic reviews accessible anytime
Staff and managers can access catchup records through the Ausmed app or website. "Staff can go in and review that information. If they're wondering 'what did I speak about with my manager a few months ago?' that information is right there," Madelyn explains.
Live compliance integration
During catchups, managers see staff training status in real time.
"Now that information is sitting there. That discussion can be had in person. They can directly address it: 'Hey, I can see you've got two modules overdue, what support can we provide?' Or we can really praise the employee and provide positive feedback that they're keeping up to date. Just that recognition alone can be really empowering."
Structured probation cycles
Twilight introduced 3-month and 6-month checkpoints for new starters, giving staff feedback early and supporting retention.
Year-round feedback capture
Performance notes and feedback are logged throughout the year.
"When you're completing the catchup, you can see things that might have happened through the year – feedback and perform notes that have been logged. That information is right there at your fingertips. You're not having to dig through all the information through Teams, through all the paper. You're looking at one page."
Manager dashboards and accountability
Facility managers gained full visibility of their teams with clear ownership of the review process.
The Transformation in Action
The impact was immediate and measurable. Fiona highlights the cultural shift:
"It's building capacity in the leadership team, giving Facility Managers ownership of managing their teams, not just relying on HR."
The feedback from facility managers has been overwhelmingly positive. "They absolutely love it. They find it so much easier. They're using it not just for scheduled catchups but for other discussions as well."
Madelyn describes the difference: "Staff engagement in answering the questions has improved dramatically. Staff are really reflecting on their practices. Being able to collaborate when completing the answers has been really good. In the past, the person would have to come in and get that form prior or get it sent to them. Now they can go into their Ausmed app and have a look at that information beforehand or during."
The integration between performance and learning proved particularly powerful. As Madelyn noted:
"Education and performance really feed into each other. Whatever education you're providing to your staff, you're seeing its effectiveness through their catchups, through their performance on the floor. Having the Ausmed learning and development platform and the perform platform together – it's a match made in heaven because it works so well together."
The Outcome: 90% Less Admin, 95% Staff Satisfaction
The impact on staff development has been transformative. Fiona shares a powerful example:
"We have staff coming to us as volunteers initially. They find they like working with Twilight, might do an admin role. We ask about their interests, support them through training. We have a staff member who started in the kitchen, did cleaning, worked as a PCA – now they're an RN and have become a clinical care manager."
The system's impact on compliance has been equally dramatic. "It's about accountability and monitoring. Before, visibility was really hard. Now we can actually see it. Managers are really owning it and getting on top of their reviews. It's not reliance on HR reminding them," Fiona explains.
Most importantly, the impact extends beyond processes to resident care.
"Staff are being heard and we're investing in their development. That flows onto resident care and safe, quality care. In the last two external surveys, staff development feedback was 94–95% positive, and we've won industry awards for staff support."
Why It Worked: Twilight's Advice to Other Providers
When asked what they'd tell other organisations considering Ausmed Perform, Madelyn's response was clear:
"If you're an organisation like us that decided we don't want to deal with paper anymore, and you're doing a lot of things manually, it's an amazing user interface and platform. Even if you're not using Ausmed already, it's a great platform to start with. If you're looking to jump to a less paper-based system, it's really easy to integrate."
Fiona emphasised the ease of adoption: "It's easy to use. It's not hard to use. The team to work with have been really supportive. If we're just looking at L&D and that functionality, it's really easy to use and worth trying."
The integration between systems proved crucial. As Madelyn noted: "Having the Ausmed learning and development platform and the perform platform together – it works so well. Education and performance feed into each other."
The Bottom Line
By moving from manual, time-consuming reviews to Ausmed Perform, Twilight turned compliance risk into an opportunity for staff growth, career development, and stronger leadership accountability – while freeing HR to focus on strategy instead of chasing paperwork.
Key success factors:
- Reframing "appraisals" as "catchups" to make the process approachable
- Integrating performance and learning data in one system
- Shifting ownership from HR to facility managers
- Making information accessible to staff anytime
- Capturing year-round feedback, not just annual reviews
The result? Staff who feel heard, managers who feel empowered, and an organisation that's won industry recognition for how they support their people – with 90% less administrative burden.
Key Takeaways
- 90% reduction in HR administrative workload by eliminating manual form processing and follow-up
- Shifted accountability to facility managers with dashboards providing full visibility of team performance and due dates
- Improved compliance through real-time training status visible during performance reviews
- Enhanced staff engagement with 94–95% positive feedback on staff development and learning opportunities
- Supported career progression by capturing development conversations and aspirations in an accessible system
- Won industry awards for staff support following implementation of integrated performance and learning approach
- Enabled year-round feedback rather than relying solely on annual review conversations
- Created seamless integration between education completion and performance management for better workforce capability
