Key People
David Hamer - Managing Director
(Master of Management, Post Graduate Diploma Rehabilitation, Post Graduate Diploma of Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts, Certificate in Teaching, Lead Auditor Certificate)
David has worked in the health and disability sector for many years as a provider of services to people with disabilities and as a manager of health and disability services. He is a vastly experienced auditor and is currently a Director of Health and Disability Auditing New Zealand which is the leading health and disability sector agency in New Zealand. David is a qualified Lead Auditor with considerable experience in auditing health and disability services and his passion enabling quality development in health and disability services.
Cathy Mitchell - Finance Officer
Cathy is the Finance Officer for HDAA. Cathy has an extensive experience of bookkeeping and financial administration having been employed as a bookkeeper and finance officer for several years. Cathy has worked with both large and small companies as the sole financial administration person and as part of finance teams. Cathy holds an Associate Diploma of Business (Accounting) and Certificate IV in Financial Services. Cathy is also a member of the Australian Bookkeepers Network.
Suzanne Le Huray - Operations Manager
Suzanne has considerable leadership and management experience of health based project management and health promotion programme management. Suzanne has also provided extensive consultancy to primary care service development. With a passion for maximising people's potential, Suzanne has led the development of staff training guidelines for a national organisation and has lectured to post graduate medical students. Suzanne has managed research in randomised control trials on behaviour change and has acted as an advisor to a governmental strategy group for health promotion design. As a trained health auditor Suzanne functions as a Lead Assessor for HDAA's Diagnostic Imaging Accreditation Scheme. She also has experience auditing public and allied health services.
Nicola Aston - Programme Manager
Nicola Aston is the Diagnostic Imaging Programme Manager for HDAA. Previously Nicola was employed by a leading certification company to provide the management of a mental health service assessment programme. In managing the mental health programme, Nicola provided auditor oversight and quality management of auditor functioning and reporting. Nicola has worked as a business manager and consultant and this included supporting senior management in the day to day operations of a large tourist based organisation. Nicola also has extensive experience in staff training and development.
Tricia Dore - Lead Auditor
(Master of Business Administration, Master of Nursing, Bachelor of Education, Registered Nurse, Advanced Diploma Child and Family Health, Diploma in Teaching. Tricia is also a qualified Lead Auditor)
Tricia has been a senior lecturer teaching and developing graduate and post graduate courses in nursing and in organisation management. Tricia has also managed health and wellbeing services including primary health services. She has provided leadership for quality improvement for a large health service. Tricia's background in auditing in the health and disability sector is extensive. She is a lead auditor and has over seven years experience in auditing. Tricia has a very supportive style and has a tremendously positive reputation with service providers as an auditor who is enabling and constructive in her approach.
Ian Gimm - Audit Trained Service User
Ian is an Audit Trained Service User with considerable audit experience. He has many years experience working within the disability sector having worked as an auditor/technical expert/trainer as well as serving on his local disability council. Ian has also received numerous awards for services to various community groups including the Australia Day Citizen of the Year Award (2005) from his local community. Ian has a wonderful sense of humour and is known for his supportive and friendly auditing style.
Lisa Cochrane - Lead Auditor
(Registered Comp Nurse and Auditor Certificate)
Lisa's background and reputation in auditing in the health and disability sector is extensive and includes international standard assessment reviews and international surveying. As a Lead Auditor Lisa has developed supportive relationships with many service providers and this is because of her positive and guiding approach. Lisa is a Registered Comprehensive Nurse who has functioned in a range of nursing roles during her career as a nurse. This has included surgical, medical, primary care and high dependency services. Lisa is an experienced trained Lead Auditor.
Louise Lowe - Audit Trained Service User
Louise is an Audit Trained Service User who has over 45 years' personal experience of living with a significant disability. Louise has spent over 30 years working in the disability and community services sectors and has qualifications in Social & Community Work, Rehabilitation, and Management as well as in Training and Professional Development. Louise is conversant with disability legislation and their standards. She has comprehensive knowledge and experience in working with quality management systems as they relate to disability services and she is an auditor of considerable experience and a Service Provider.
Scott Douglas - Audit Trained Service User / Lead Auditor
Scott is a qualified Lead Auditor who is also an Audit Trained Service User. Scott has experience as a family member of a person who has a disability. Scott has considerable experience as a manager of disability services and as a consultant involved in assisting services to develop their quality management systems. Scott is a qualified Quality Management Systems Lead Auditor and he has qualifications in Management, Assessment & Workplace Training. Scott has a long association with disability and has been extensively involved in the provision of disability services.
Brian Amos - Audit Trained Service User / Lead Auditor
Brian has extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of aged care, disability, and palliative care. He has worked at various levels including senior management for both the private and the not-for-profit sector and currently as a Service Provider. Brian’s tertiary qualifications include auditing, management, counselling , workplace training and assessment. He also has post-graduate qualifications in health. Brian has previously provided care to a person with physical disability and is currently a carer of a family member who has physical disabilities.
Committee for safeguarding impartiality
To provide audit and certification of management systems we are required by international standards (ISO/IEC 17021) to have in place a committee to safeguard the impartiality of our functioning. We have established a committee and it is comprised of independent persons who have experience of disability and an audit trained service user.
The purpose of the committee is:
- to assist in developing the policies relating to impartiality of its certification activities;
- to assure the consistent objective provision of certification activities;
- to advise on matters affecting confidence in certification; and
- to conduct a periodic review of the impartiality of our audit, certification and decision making.
We have formalised terms of reference for the committee and the committee has been authorised by our managing director to ensure:
- no single interest predominates;
- the committee has access to necessary information enable it to fulfil its functions; and
- the committee can take confidential independent action.
As the committee develops we will ensure that it is a balanced and includes other interested parties such as a service provider representative.
Currently the members of the committee are:
- Paul Larcombe - Independent committee member representing people with disabilities.
- Louise Lowe - Audit Trained Service User representing people with disability who provide us with auditing services and is a Service Provider. Independent committee member representing people with disabilities.
- Fran Vicary - Independent committee member representing people with disabilities.
- Paul Harpur - Independent committee member representing people with disabilities.
