A final quarterly update on icare’s improvement program says the NSW state insurer has delivered a “significant undertaking” in addressing 107 recommendations.

Independent assurer Promontory Australia says the program has delivered on all three of its objectives: improving risk and governance, lifting performance, and driving an accountable culture.

The program was established after the McDougall review and consultant PwC’s 2021 governance, accountability and culture review.  

The update says icare delivered on the recommendations between February and April, including 63 “initiatives” – only five of which, deemed complex, are still to be finalised.

Promontory, a business unit of IBM Consulting, has praised the strengthening of governance and accountability at all levels, with clearer ownership of risks, decisions and actions.

There has been a “commendable cultural turnaround” and a new set of organisational values, creating an “open, constructive and accountable” workplace.

“The voice of the customer now resonates strongly across the organisation and across all governance forums, with a clear focus on improving customer outcomes,” the update says. “icare has demonstrated a robust commitment to continuous improvement, actively responding to learnings, insights and feedback.”

To sustain the improvements, Promontory recommends program achievements are incorporated into icare’s “operational fabric” and kept front of mind by staff and leaders, who must continue to “walk the talk”.