Lucinda’s practice centres on mergers and acquisitions and major health service delivery, including the development of hospitals, care facilities and retirement villages. That transactional work is supported by a deep understanding of the regulatory and funding environment in which her clients operate: the Aged Care Act, public and private health regulation and retirement village legislation across jurisdictions. She advises boards and executives on governance, fiduciary duties and regulatory response, and helps clients navigate enforcement proceedings and advocate for change in a sector undergoing significant reform.
Lucinda acts on transactions and projects where regulatory complexity, community impact and governance exposure intersect. Her matters include multi-jurisdictional portfolio acquisitions, landmark public-private hospital partnerships and sensitive regulatory response. She is engaged where the funding model is complex, the regulatory environment is intense and the consequences of getting the structure or the compliance wrong are significant.
Lucinda combines transactional depth with sector-specific regulatory knowledge that is rare in M&A practice. She understands the commercial drivers that shape decisions in health and care: funding constraints, community obligations, workforce pressures and the weight of public and regulatory scrutiny. That combination of legal and sector expertise positions her to advise not just on the transaction, but on the operating environment clients will face after it closes. She is an active contributor to aged care reform consultations and a published commentator on regulatory change across the sector.
When the Call Comes: A Crisis Workshop for Aged Care Boards and Executives
Aged care providers are increasingly required to navigate scenarios where complexity, consequence and scrutiny converge. A single incident or decision can trigger overlapping legal, regulatory, operational, financial and reputational pressures. Serious complaints, adverse care events, whistleblower allegations, media scrutiny, Commission engagement, transaction stress and lender concerns can all place immediate pressure on boards, executives and operational leaders to make sound decisions under intense time constraints.
This interactive workshop will step delegates through a series of realistic hypothetical aged care crisis scenarios. Each scenario will test how organisations respond when legal risk, stakeholder expectations and regulatory scrutiny collide. Participants will be guided through the practical questions that arise in the first hours and days of a crisis: what must be escalated to the board, what management should handle, how legal risk should be assessed, how to preserve privilege, how to engage with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, and how to communicate with residents, families, staff, funders, counterparties, lenders and the media.
The session will focus on the role of the board and executive in crisis governance, including oversight, decision-making, accountability and the boundary between governance and management. It will also examine how organisations can manage competing stakeholder relationships while maintaining trust, meeting regulatory expectations and protecting reputation. We will also address transactional and lending risks that may emerge when a crisis affects funding, covenants, acquisitions, disposals or broader strategic activity.
Delegates will leave with clearer insight into the legal and governance risks that arise in high-pressure situations, a better understanding of regulator, stakeholder and financier dynamics, and practical strategies to build resilience and effective governance.