From regional towns to capital cities
About Optimum Allied Health
We deliver physiotherapy, occupational therapy and exercise physiology across clinics, homes, workplaces and aged care facilities. Referrers work with us because we pick up the phone, turn up with consistent staffing, and get the reports in on time.
Our story
From one gym to 1.8 million consultations
Optimum Allied Health started in mid-2013 with one exercise physiologist and an admin desk in a small gym in Yamba, the coastal town on the NSW North Coast where Dane Mitchell grew up.
The mission from day one was to improve access to health services in regional Australia. More than a decade on, we're helping well beyond it, but the reason we do this hasn't changed. It's the people and stories of the clients we work for that get us out of bed every day, and we're proud of the careers this work creates for good clinicians in the towns and cities we serve.
What started as a regional mission now reaches the capitals too, with aged care teams working across Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. And we are not done. We are hiring clinicians who want real responsibility early in their careers, and we are always open to a conversation with aged care and NDIS providers looking for a partner who delivers.
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2013
One exercise physiologist and an admin desk
The business opens in a small Yamba gym, trading as Optimum Health Solutions, with a mission to improve access to health services in regional Australia.
The team outside one of the original gym spaces. -
2014
First aged care partners, first physio
The first residential aged care facilities come on board, and Jacob Hughes is hired as the company's first physiotherapist. Aged care has been part of every working day since, and Jacob is now a director of the business.
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2016
A team of ten
The first growth milestone: 10 team members and 35,000 consultations delivered across the Clarence Valley.
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2017
Two clinics, five disciplines
20 clinicians working across two clinics and a dozen aged care homes, with 90,000 consultations on the board.
From the cover of our first culture book, 2017. -
2019
Basecamp reached
The three-year plan the team called Basecamp lands: 45 people and more than 400,000 consultations delivered.
Case conferencing in the early clinics. -
2022
The floods
Northern NSW floods hit the communities we serve, and our Ballina clinic with them. The team kept treating and kept training while the clinic was rebuilt around them. In the middle of it all, the one millionth consultation was delivered, two years ahead of the goal set in 2016.
Training in the Ballina clinic mid-repair after the 2022 floods, bare concrete and all. -
2023
Ten years in
A decade after the Yamba gym: five clinics from Tweed Heads to Coffs Harbour, 70 people, and growing aged care teams from Brisbane to Sydney.
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Today
Six clinics, three states
6 clinics across Northern NSW and SE QLD, aged care physiotherapy teams across NSW, QLD and Victoria, 100+ team members, and 1.8M+ consultations delivered and counting.
Our values
How we work
Four values guide everything from how we treat patients to how we hire and manage our teams.
Solve the problem
We are here to solve problems for our clients and partners. That takes persistence, new thinking, and a willingness to take on big challenges. We look for opportunities and act on them.
Take responsibility
When things do not go to plan, we take responsibility and look for ways to fix it - even when it is not our fault. We follow through to the finish line and do not pass the buck.
Contribute to the team
We communicate with honesty and empathy, value input from others, and stay respectful even when we disagree. Better outcomes come from working together.
Respect everyone
A small thing on our list might be the only thing that matters to a client or team-mate. We show up on time, do what we say, and remember that every interaction counts.
Leadership
Leadership team
The team responsible for strategy, operations and clinical quality across the business.
Dane Mitchell
Managing Director
Dane founded Optimum Allied Health in Yamba in 2013, growing the business from a single gym in a small coastal town to a team of 100+ allied health professionals servicing locations across NSW, QLD and Victoria. He oversees the strategic direction of the business, partnerships with aged care and community care clients, and Optimum’s expansion into new service regions.
Outside of Optimum, Dane sits on the Board of Directors at St Andrew’s Village Ballina, an independent not-for-profit aged care and retirement living provider in the Northern Rivers. He also hosts the Time Well Spent podcast - an aged care focused show produced in partnership with Paynters, where Dane has honest conversations with leaders across aged care, health and human services about the ideas, reforms and stories shaping how we age and how we care.
Daniel Willoughby
Operations Director
Daniel oversees the day-to-day operations of Optimum Allied Health, from service delivery and scheduling through to systems, processes and quality. Before joining Optimum, Daniel held senior leadership roles in workers’ compensation and return-to-work services, as well as health management for emergency services. That background gives him deep experience in managing health services at scale, across complex operational environments where reliability and clinical outcomes matter.
At Optimum, Daniel works across all service lines - clinic operations, residential aged care, community care, workplace health and NDIS - ensuring the operational infrastructure keeps pace as the business grows into new regions.
Jacob Hughes
Director - Team Leader, Grafton Clinic
Jacob is a dedicated physiotherapist who graduated from The University of Queensland in 2014 with a Master of Physiotherapy Studies. As the first physiotherapist Optimum ever hired, Jake joined the team in 2014 and has been part of the company’s remarkable growth from three people to 100+. Now a partner in the business, he leads the Grafton clinic team. Jake has a strong interest in musculoskeletal and sports physiotherapy, helping clients return to the activities they love with confidence through practical, evidence-based care tailored to each individual.
Michael Harders
Residential Aged Care Operations Manager
Michael is a physiotherapist who leads Optimum’s 50-person residential aged care team through a network of locally based team leaders. He brings a sharp focus on clinical documentation and training, and is responsible for implementing new facility partnerships, delivering manual handling train-the-trainer programs, and developing the next generation of aged care leaders within the business.
Ben Gwilliam
Physiotherapy Director
Ben graduated from the University of Sydney in 2009 and began his career at Prince of Wales Hospital before working internationally in Mongolia, Malawi and sub-Saharan Africa in clinical and teaching roles. He joined Optimum in 2016 and brings broad physiotherapy experience across hospital, community and international settings.
As Director of Physiotherapy, Ben oversees physiotherapy services across all locations, working closely with team leaders to hire, train and lead the physio team. He mentors and supports clinicians from diverse backgrounds. Ben is active in the local sports community and enjoys staying active with his wife and three children.
What we do
Our services
Delivered across our clinics, your home, aged care facilities and workplaces.
Physiotherapy
Musculoskeletal, sports, post-surgical rehab, falls prevention and reablement for aged care. Available at all 6 clinics and via home visits across all service regions.
Occupational therapy
Functional assessments, home modifications, equipment prescription, NDIS support and daily living skills. Clinic and mobile services across Northern NSW and SE QLD.
Exercise physiology
Chronic disease management, cardiac rehab, strength and conditioning, and NDIS exercise programs. Available at select clinics plus home visits.
Workplace health
Pre-employment medical assessments, injury prevention programs and return-to-work rehabilitation. On-site at your workplace or at our clinics.
Coverage
Where we operate
Six clinics in regional NSW and QLD, with aged care physiotherapy teams in metro centres across NSW, QLD and Victoria: Tweed Heads, Ballina, Casino, Grafton, Yamba, Coffs Harbour. Aged care physiotherapy teams cover Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast, Brisbane and SE QLD, New England and North West NSW, Central West and Orana NSW, and the NSW North Coast from Tweed Heads to Port Macquarie.
Careers
Work with us
We are always looking for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and exercise physiologists. Our regional clinics offer lifestyle and clinical variety across private practice, aged care, NDIS and workplace health. Our metro aged care teams in Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle and the Central Coast offer the chance to specialise in residential aged care physiotherapy with a provider that is growing fast.
Competitive salaries, mentoring, professional development, and a team that is here to support your career.
Ready to get started?
One referral form. A call back within two business days.