Managing the Human Impact of Change: Insights from Cabrini Health and RDNS Transformation Journeys

At Dakin Partners, recently merged with Choice Australia and now known as Choice Dakin, we’ve had the privilege of supporting leading not-for-profit health organisations through significant operational changes. Cabrini Health and the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) are two such organisations whose restructuring journeys reflect a deep commitment to their people and communities during times of transition.

The Business Context

Cabrini Health, a Catholic not-for-profit healthcare provider, sold its subsidiary business, Cabrini Linen Service (CLS), to Spotless, a large public company. CLS had a strong culture, high-quality service, and a diverse, close-knit workforce of 132 employees. Spotless offered roles to only a few managers, leaving uncertainty for the majority, particularly the 120 shop-floor employees—many of whom were culturally diverse, long-serving, and deeply attached to CLS.

Similarly, RDNS, operating across metropolitan Melbourne, consolidated 14 offices into four regional hubs. This operational restructuring affected approximately 30, mainly long-serving, female employees—many anxious about leaving an organisation they cherished.

In both cases, the human impact was clear: sadness, uncertainty, and the need for sensitive, personalised support.

Working With Caring Organisations

Both Cabrini and RDNS demonstrated exemplary leadership in ensuring their people were treated with respect and dignity throughout the transition. They engaged Choice Dakin to provide tailored career transition and outplacement support to all impacted employees.

Our programs focused on:

• Empowering employees with job search tools and confidence.
• Providing individualised attention to employees with diverse needs and language backgrounds.
• Supporting leaders and managers with confidential, goal-oriented coaching.
• Ensuring fairness, transparency, and emotional support at every step.

Planning For People

For Cabrini Health, we delivered:

• Group workshops for all staff covering résumé writing, job search strategies, networking, and interview preparation.
• Individual coaching for the CEO to redefine his career goals, pivot sectors, and secure a senior executive role in Aged Care.
• Management team sessions to explore options, update résumés, roleplay interviews, and plan next steps—whether with Spotless, Cabrini, or externally.
• One-on-one, interpreter-assisted sessions for shop-floor employees, drafting résumés, clarifying entitlements, and connecting them to agencies and job opportunities.

For RDNS, we focused on:

• Building trust through relaxed, empathetic initial meetings close to home or workplace.
• Supporting employees’ personal goals, whether returning to direct patient care, pursuing flexible work, starting a business, or contracting.
• Helping employees turn redundancy into opportunity and regain confidence.

Putting Plans Into Action

Both organisations approached the change process with compassion and professionalism. Our consultants tailored their approach to individual needs, meeting employees multiple times when needed, and adapting to different levels of readiness and confidence.

Support programs included:

• Career transition coaching and planning.
• Résumé preparation and job application support.
• Networking strategies and agency referrals.
• Interview coaching and resilience-building.
• Entrepreneurial advice for those wishing to start their own businesses.

Lessons Learned

From these experiences, key insights emerged:

• Trust starts with care – Employees chose our program because they felt genuinely supported, not rushed.
• One size does not fit all – Tailoring support to the cultural, linguistic, and emotional needs of each person is critical.
• Leadership commitment matters – Organisations that visibly prioritise people foster better outcomes and goodwill.
• Opportunities can emerge from change – Many employees discovered new passions and career directions they may not have otherwise considered.

Outcomes

The results speak for themselves:

• At Cabrini Health, 112 of 132 employees secured ongoing employment, with others retiring, and several managers redeployed within Cabrini.
• At RDNS, most employees successfully transitioned to new roles or started their own businesses, with many expressing renewed purpose and optimism.

Both organisations demonstrated how treating employees with dignity and providing the right support can transform a challenging situation into a positive one—for individuals and the broader community.

About Choice Dakin

Choice Dakin helps organisations manage the human impact of change and assists in building human capability. We are also the Australasian partner of OI Global Partners.

From regional site closures to corporate restructures, we work alongside organisations like Cabrini Health and RDNS to ensure people are supported, respected, and ready for what comes next.

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