Our Story
This is Candice's vision
Candice Thompson is a Registered Nurse and the Founder of Preferred Care, and this is her vision.
Mother of two children, lover of Labradors, and an outdoorsy type, Candice is passionate about changing the nursing industry and how we work.
Bridging the Gap in aged care
Preferred Care was founded on the realisation that the aged care sector needed more support
Preferred Care is a nursing agency that is unique for being both nurse owned and nurse led. Our founder, Candice Thompson, a registered nurse has a passion for aged care.
During her time working in the industry, she saw a widening gap. Facilities were struggling to find quality nursing care for their aged and vulnerable residents. A lot of nurses felt that hospitals were the best and only places to work. This left quality nursing staff in short supply at aged care facilities and a gap in the aged care industry that needed to be filled by expertly trained and fully supported nursing staff.
At Preferred Care, it’s our mission to fill that gap.
We’re proud that since our founding in 2020, Preferred Care has become a beacon in the healthcare staffing sector, known for excellence, compassion and a genuine commitment to the success and satisfaction of both healthcare providers and the dedicated professionals who make our agency what it is. We are looking forward to continuing to provide this light into the future.
A new way forward
Nursing agencies existed before us, but we set out to be different. We didn’t want to just fill shifts. We wanted to create positive partnerships with both our members and our clients to work collaboratively to create a better tomorrow in aged care and healthcare overall.
We also wanted to create better transparency in the industry – something we knew would benefit the patients and residents in our clients' organisations, as well as our clients and members.
At the time of Preferred Care’s founding, nursing needed a cultural change. There were a range of issues in the working culture for nurses. Nurses were – typically – overworked, undervalued, and pushed well beyond capacity.
Preferred Care set out to be the change. We wanted to be a nursing agency where nurses feel valued, appreciated, and, importantly, recognised for their hard work.
Today, we empower our clients & members to make a difference across the healthcare sector
While our story starts in aged care, today, we’re focused on making a difference across the healthcare sector. And our goal is to empower everyone in our network to make a difference as well.
Making a difference in the industry is crucial to our success. We have built a culture around support, learning and accountability, and we couldn’t be more proud of it.
Our values
- Holistic Interactions: We are bigger than our words, and value our residents, patients and participants beyond their care plans. All our clients, members, and employees are valued for their unique selves.
- Challenges are Opportunities: We believe there’s a silver lining in every challenge and are resolute to seeing it through and delivering what you need.
- Striving for Better Cultivating Tomorrow, Today. From our Mentor Program for our nurses to our Corporate Volunteer program; we are committed to understanding your perspective.
- Leading with Kindness Routine not random acts of kindness, we are dedicated to being the change we want to see in our community. Through training, education and example.
