Please email me at john@badwater.com.au if you cannot find an answer to your question.
I was born and raised on the southern edge of London, England. After leaving school, I worked for a large sugar company. During the nearly eight years I was employed there, they sponsored my college education and I qualified as an accountant.
I decided to travel and came to Australia on a working holiday. I started working for a bank in Perth and travelled to every Australian state and territory. When I ran out of money I worked for a telecommunications company in Sydney. After returning to England, I travelled some more then emigrated to Australia, where I stayed for 12 years before living in The Netherlands for four years.
In my early forties I decided to change careers and completed a Certificate in Social Sciences at the UK Open University. I then found employment with the National Health Service (NHS) where I worked on projects that focused on preventing hospital attendances. I was invited to join the public health team, where I worked with epidemiologists on several projects and developed relationships with primary care (GP practices) to build collaborative commissioning teams aimed at improving patient services.
I returned to Australia in 2008. Since then I have lived and worked in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. Much of my work has been related to improving patient care, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island health, aged care, dental health and community services. I have worked in metro, regional, rural, remote and very remote services and have broad working experience with senior clinicians and within executive leadership teams.
I established my business in 2006, while delivering consultancy services to the NHS in England. This gave me autonomy from the health service structure and enabled me to develop professional relationships with GP practice staff, who were often reluctant to engage with NHS staff at the Primary Care Trust.
On returning to Australia I continued the business as a sole trader, but also took on salaried and contractor positions, depending on the role and my circumstances. In a competitive market, it is sometimes easier to be an employee with a guaranteed income, or an agency contractor.
I ceased salaried work in 2021 to concentrate on building my business from my home office. I have been developing my services based on my experience in health and community services and my own experiences of living with a disability and using those services as a customer. I have taken responsibility for my work/life balance and have built flexibility into my schedule. This enables me to work at the times when energy levels are at their peak. This leads to the best level of service I can offer clients.
I am constantly looking for ways of improving my services, in line with evidence-based leading practice, but as an independent concern. I spend much of my time researching, learning, networking and developing services.
I regard myself as a freelancer or independent service provider and do not use the term "consultant", nor do I charge consultancy rates. Business clients can expect to pay something similar to a contractor, depending on the type of engagement and level of service required. Rates are negotiable and confidential. I provide a discount to not for profit organisations and registered charities.
I operate under my own name and bring my personal experiences and business skills to every piece of work I undertake. It is important, to me, to be ethical and transparent about my pricing. I can charge daily, hourly or per presentation, with not additional costs if services are delivered online.
I do not accept per diem payments when travelling. Business travel is charged at cost to me, with reasonable steps to travel economy class and stay in self-catered accommodation. I am happy for business clients to book and pay for travel on my behalf. Check with me for details.
My disability is not usually visible and is a combination of conditions that affect my immune system, central nervous system and blood. Living with multiple conditions impacts my mental health, so I also have a psychologist in my care team. This helps me to deal with everything going on with my health, and enables me to cope with the demands of running a small business.
I specifically designed my business to be based at home, with services delivered online. While my disability does have some impact I am able to remain ambulant, with use of a walking stick for occasions where I have to stand or queue. My work space at home is set up, so I can sit partially reclined as I can only work for short periods at a regular desk. I book specialist appointments in advance, and block out those days. My morning routine is the worst part of my day, so I generally start working after 10am or even in the afternoon. On busy days I stagger appointments, so I don't become overwhelmed. Other days are quieter and I start later in the day and work into the evening.
Since I work independently, I have no core working days or hours. This means I am available to provide services any day of the week, including evenings and weekends. There is no extra charge for working out of normal business hours.
I have been living with my disability for many years, and have become an expert in management of my symptoms and abilities.
Being an NDIS support worker gives me the ability to provide services directly to NDIS participants. I looked at registering with the NDIA, but found the process to be prohibitively expensive. This limits me to only providing services to NDIS participants who either use the services of a plan manager or are self-managed.
This isn't a problem for me because I generally provide supports to NDIS participants who are independent, already have a work history and are looking to pursue, or continue, a career in their chosen field. My role is to support them in achieving their goals. My work with this group of participants is aimed at enabling them to navigate mainstream methods of finding and keeping open employment, rather than through a Disability Employment Service (DES), soon to be known as Inclusive Employment Australia.
As an NDIS support worker I charge the price determined by the NDIA. This is delivered through a service agreement with the NDIS participant, who must have available funds in their plan for finding and keeping a job. If the funds are not available, then there are options to use core funds. This may result in the participant being required to pay a nominal amount to receive the full services.
See the Testimonials page on my website. Contact me directly if you would like to view my character or professional references.