March2017
Aged Care’s new era
Seniors in the heart of the community
Beginnings at Bupa
Our latest parents on the team
Combining two loves
Forging a career as a dementia expert
Connecting our people across Australia and New Zealand
healthier at work
recycle logo goes here
I do a quick set of full body stretching three times a day. I suffer from tennis elbow so I also incorporate stretching/ strengthening with the use of an aid that I bring with me from home! Harry, Bupa Medical Visa Services.
I look for opportunities to help and be kind to ensure I stay mentally healthy. I bring my colleagues drinks and snacks, make genuine connections with our members and always lend a hand or listening ear. Rosemarie, Customer Service I love to bring laughter and fun into my work space. No matter how busy or stressful our work environment can get I always find a way to share some laughter with my team members. A healthy work tip is an awesome team environment!
I’m healthier at work because I prepare my snacks and meals for the day, and by doing this I no longer have afternoon cravings for donuts. My wallet also thanks me! I also have a task reminder in Outlook that reminds me every hour to get up and stretch. James, Customer Service I make sure to pack my lunch so I have easy access to healthier options, have a bottle at my desk to drink 2L of water and make challenges with my work colleagues on reaching a step goal to keep our bodies moving!
Carmelina, Bupa Medical
Jacqueline, Customer Experience
I take 10-15 minutes every afternoon to plan my following workday. This gives me an opportunity to assess how today went and put an efficient plan in place for tomorrow. This removes any stress from today and tomorrow! #HealthyMind
Living in beautiful Perth, I ride my bike to work everyday along the Swan River. A great chance to get some fresh air and think about the day ahead, while the ride home is fantastic for clearing my head after a busy day in-store and having some me time!
Rocco, Customer Experience I do my best to ensure that my team is happy at work by having a happy team - we have an amazing culture. With an amazing culture we have happy members. This ensures “healthier” mental health for all involved. Jennifer, Customer Growth
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What are our people doing to be healthier in 2017?
I have created a happy notes jar out the back and am encouraging the team to write anything happy that has happened at work or in their personal lives and at the end of each month we will read out the happy moments from the month. Amanda, Customer Growth Weekend rounds is how I do ‘healthier at work’. We finish off every weekly team meeting with what we call ‘weekend rounds’. Sharing the big and little things going on in each others lives helps the whole team to stay connected and regularly laugh together. Rebecca, Customer Experience #wequitsugar how I am healthier at work is sharing experience, recipes and ideas! My team quit sugar and by talking about it and sharing, we have all gotten so much out of the experience and are healthier for it! Renee, Customer Growth.
The best way to perform at your peak everyday, both physically and mentally, is to ensure that you get enough sleep. I like to hop on the spin bike about an hour before going to bed so that I get a good night’s sleep!
How I do ‘healthier at work’? I ride/run to work everyday, aim for three gym visits a week and I have a standing desk everyday. I do walking WIP meetings with my teams & join in activities like Tour Down Under & our team days involve rock climbing or trampolines.
Elise, Bupa Optical
Damien, Customer Growth
David, Marketing
With the shower and towel services provided, I run at lunch time - it not only improves my fitness but also freshens up the mind for a productive afternoon! I also get off the train a station early to walk further.
I do ‘healthier at work’ by making sure I get out of the office and into the fresh air for a walk around the block at least once a day. Even if it’s just for 5 minutes! This energises me and gets me back on the ball to smash out some work!
How I do ‘healthier at work’? Every alternate day before coming to work, I often hit the gym first. I find a good workout will enable you to feel empowered and get through the day easily!
James, Corporate Affairs
William, Customer Experience
Ching, Bupa Aged Care Australia
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Entering a whole new era of aged care
Rhythms Richard Bowden, CEO A&NZ
Getting married at Mum’s
Ask the Doc Seasonally sad
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Valuable reward and recognition for vital research
Health and Wellbeing Helpful tips and advice
Day in the Life Janice Petty
When the beginnings happen at Bupa
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Support and advice prove a winning formula
Making health & care more affordable
Bupa Medical Visa Services Fit for purpose
More little gestures making big differences
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Bupa Bites Information from the world of Bupa
When preparation meets opportunity
It never hurts to ask
Years of service Memorable milestones beat | 3
living the purpose
At a glance
Entering a whole new era of aged care Fittingly, Bupa’s vibrant new aged care ‘campus’ is on the site of a former TAFE, right in the heart of the Sydney suburb of Seaforth’s shopping village and next door to the local library. This is a new kind of multidisciplinary centre that will produce many exciting learnings of its own.
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“When I got a call from Ian Burge, the Director of Operations at Bupa Aged Care Australia, asking whether I wanted to be a ‘pioneer’ in managing a new model of aged care, it was an offer too good to refuse,” laughs Emma Kerr, the General Manager of Bupa Seaforth. “We’re putting Bupa right into the heart of the Seaforth community and have created an environment that specialises in the health and wellbeing of senior people. Over time, it will provide a full continuum of care for older members of the community.” Bupa Seaforth opened in November 2016, and is a totally new build, incorporating a Medical and Wellbeing Centre with a range of GP and physiotherapy services specialising in senior care, a residential Aged Care Home and a Community Centre shared with the local citizens. “In the original plans there was a high wall between the Community Centre rooms and our Aged Care Home, which our senior leaders said just simply had to go and it was never built. We want to be as open and connected as possible with the local community and I think that is one of most exciting parts of what we’re creating here at Seaforth,” says Emma. One way the new facility is building its connection with the local community is by holding regular open days, which have proved to be very popular. Many of the visitors once studied at the old TAFE and are intrigued by the site’s transformation. Emma and her team also make presentations at the local Probus Club and Seniors Week events, as well as building strong bonds with the Seaforth Anglican Church just across the road. “We see ourselves
as so much more than just another business in the area, and really want to be an integral part of the local community, especially being here on such a prominent, central site.” The Aged Care Home itself offers residential, respite and specialised dementia care, with 76 single rooms, a hairdressing facility, private dining room for special family occasions and many different communal areas for relaxing. For new residents Jim and Naomi Duffy, Bupa Seaforth doesn’t feel like an Aged Care Home at all, but more like a private luxury apartment. “We just love the space here. You can move around easily and there are so many different lounges that you feel like it’s your own apartment,” says Jim.
“ We’re putting Bupa right into the heart of the Seaforth community and have created an environment that specialises in the health and wellbeing of senior people.” With the Medical and Wellbeing Centre on site as well, Emma refers to the overall facility as the ‘Seaforth Campus’ to promote a ‘One Bupa’ feel for team members, preferring not to single out any one discipline. General Practitioner Dr Poonam Sharma says working in the Aged Care home in the morning and the Medical and Wellbeing Centre in the afternoon feels like ‘the best of both worlds.’ “Sometimes as a GP you can feel very much on your own, so it’s great to be part of a bigger team and also
Bupa Seaforth opened in November 2016 and, in a first for Bupa, combines an Aged Care Home with a Medical and Wellbeing Centre open to the public The Medical and Wellbeing Centre will offer the residents of Sydney’s northern beaches access to Bupa’s expertise in health and aged care
be able to visit the residents in the morning, who you get to know so well, and then do your appointments in the afternoon in the clinic,” says Poonam. “Being part of the home, and being able to provide that continuity of care, is really a wonderful model for aged care.” In another reflection of the One Bupa approach, Tim Hughes, the Practice Manager of the Medical and Wellbeing Centre, meets with the rest of the Bupa Seaforth Core Leadership Team every week. “It’s fantastic to work as one team, and having the support of the broader Bupa business behind the clinic really helps us provide great care for the general community, as well as the home itself,” says Tim. One of Emma’s proudest achievements in the three months since opening has been creating a fully engaged team who are living and breathing the new model. “It was quite a stressful time trying to recruit more than 100 new team members in one go, but being a nurse myself, I would often go with my gut feel as to whether someone was right for the position or not,” says Emma. “And the very positive feedback from the residents and their families has made it all worthwhile, from those who bake biscuits and bring them in for the team, to those that simply say ‘I’m so glad my parent is living here.’” The vision for Bupa Seaforth is that it will become a centre of excellence in caring for older Australians, and that the model of combining specialised Medical and Wellbeing Centres with Residential Aged Care – and, in time, Community Care – will be replicated in further communities in the future.
living the purpose
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Emma Kerr is helping to create a ‘centre of excellence’ in caring for older Australians
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Bupa Seaforth’s private dining room for residents and their families
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A look inside the on-site hairdressing service
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For residents Jim and Noami Duffy, Bupa Seaforth feels more like a luxury apartment
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Putting Bupa right at the heart of the Seaforth community
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Rhythms After four years as Managing Director of Bupa UK, Richard Bowden returns to Australia as CEO, Australia and New Zealand, and is looking forward to a good cup of coffee, permanently turning off his Seasonal Affective Disorder light and continuing to build strong and diverse teams to tackle future challenges.
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rhythms
Richard Bowden I can’t start the morning without Definitely a good skinny flat white. After four years of living in London, where there wasn’t much of a caffeine culture, it’s wonderful to be back enjoying Melbourne’s great coffee. Personal philosophy If I were to write a book, it would be titled ‘The only way is we’. I’m a strong believer in the power of teams, and that the only way to make things better, is for people to work together to solve a problem. And always ensure you have diversity within a team, to bring different perspectives to the table.
My team would be most surprised by The fact I take public transport to work! One of the biggest changes I felt coming back to Melbourne was the congestion and traffic now affecting the city, so I’m determined to avoid it by catching the train into Bupa. Being inspired by a team member in London who enjoyed classical music to totally switch off and clear her mind, I put on my earphones and listen to music on the train. Although it’s not classical music I listen to, but an eclectic mix of anything from ACDC and The Killers, to Daryl Braithwaite and John Denver.
Reading patterns I’m definitely a fiction buff and do most of my reading on holidays. I tend to follow authors and try to consume their entire body of work. With modern publishing, you sometimes find authors will outsource the writing of chapters to others, and I can typically pick when that happens, so I then move onto another author. I most recently followed David Baldacci, who has written more than 30 thriller novels. Early management inspiration Early in my career I was inspired by the writings of Tom Peters, especially his thoughts around change management and the importance of getting people to understand the ‘necessity to act’ and then to calmly look at the options around them. Since then, I’ve been attracted to situations where change was required, or where the company was experiencing a changing environment, like Australia is now, as we face a ‘low growth’ economy.
Straight to the pool room Every time I visit a new city, I buy a shot glass with the town’s name it. I never use them, but they are on display and remind me of our travels and the places we’ve seen. Over time, my wife has suggested I should stop collecting them, to which I reply “I’ll stop collecting shot glasses when you stop collecting your favorite things!”. Needless to say, I’m still buying shot glasses! Master Chef I love cooking when it’s not a just a ‘task’, but something to enjoy preparing during the weekend. My current signature dish is Mediterranean Vegetables, cooked slowly and inspired by the good advice of my many Greek friends.
Richard and his wife Sue enjoying the sights of Italy (and perhaps another memento for the collection!)
Overseas posting I loved my time living and working in London. I was very proud of the team we built and their belief that we could make things better in a very tough healthcare market. I also loved living in Central London, where we could forget about the car and walk, or catch the tube, everywhere.
Father of the bride I have two daughters, Bianca who is 27 and Shanai who is 23. Recently, Bianca got married and I found it a very humbling experience as she moved onto the next stage of her life. On the wedding day itself, I had many flashbacks, reliving key moments in her life, such as her first day at school and dancing lessons.
“ Arriving back in Australia in summer, I was most looking forward to the sunshine and light in the sky.” Nice to be back During our time in London, the grey, dark days got to us so much that we installed a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) light in our kitchen to transmit a positive glow. Arriving back in Australia in summer, I was most looking forward to the sunshine and light in the sky and the chance to turn off the SAD light forever!
A very proud father of the bride at daughter Bianca’s wedding in December 2016
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everyday hero
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Getting married at Mum’s 3
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What do you do if you’re worried your elderly mother won’t be able to attend your wedding because of mobility issues? Well, if you’re like Scott Walker from Melbourne, whose mother Elaine lives at Bupa Aged Care Croydon, you bring the wedding to mum! “My mother had attended all of the weddings in our family, and I’m the last one to get married, so mum is a bit older now, lives in a Care Home and needs a wheel chair to move around,” explains Scott Walker. “But there was no way she was going to miss our wedding, so we started looking for venues that were relatively simple and affordable and had easy access for a wheelchair.” 8 | beat
After seeing a few birthday parties held at Bupa Croydon, Scott’s sister, Sue Hayward, was hit with spark of inspiration and suggested ‘why don’t we hold the wedding at Bupa?’ And so the seed of an idea was sown. “First of all, my fiancé Joann and I thought ‘what a great idea’. The wedding was only going to be for close family and a few friends, so we didn’t need anything large and we started asking the Bupa team whether it might be possible,” explains Scott. Karen Cole, Bupa Croydon’s General Manager, similarly thought it was a great idea. “It’s really important for some of our residents that we continue to bring the outside world into their lives so they don’t feel like they’re missing out on things,” explains Karen. “This was the first wedding we’d ever held here, so we did some calculations and worked out a small fee that would be appropriate for the catering and the organising of the room and put that to Scott and Joann.” For Scott and Joann, while the financial cost was secondary to the emotional benefit of having mum
Elaine attend, he was nonetheless very happy with the deal! “If you have a relative living in a Care Home, I’d absolutely recommend holding a wedding or special occasion there,” says Scott.
“ If you have a relative living in a Care Home, I’d absolutely recommend holding a wedding or special occasion there.” The two hour ceremony and reception went off without a hitch, except for a slightly emotional Scott and Joann forgetting a couple of their lines during the exchanging of vows, and the guests were also very happy with the few of bottles of champagne that were brought in... just for the toasts of course! For Karen, the wedding was also a special occasion for her team as well. “It was wonderful how excited the team were about the wedding and
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Scott and Joann with best man Robert Warren (far right) and Robert’s wife Sorina (far left)
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Scott with his sister, brothers and mum Elaine in the garden at Bupa Croydon
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Bride Joann with Scott’s proud mum, Elaine Walker
they put in a big effort to decorate the room and make it really special for Scott and Joann,” says Karen. And how did mum Elaine feel about having Scott and Joann married at her very own home? Well according to Scott, she was ‘absolutely stoked’!
ask the doc
Dr Tim Ross is our resident Bupa Beat doctor. He works for Bupa Aged Care as Director of Medical Services, and continues to moonlight as a practising GP. Each Beat edition, Dr Tim answers a question about looking after yourself and others. Email Tim with your own question at askthedoc@bupa.com.au
Seasonally sad I hate the shift from summer through to winter; it seems to affect my energy and my mood. Do you have any tips on how I might manage these changes?
If you’ve had the same symptoms for two or more years, have a word with your doctor to rule out SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is a recognised medical condition. Affective disorders are those involving mood including depression and anxiety.
As the weather gets colder and daylight hours get shorter, depressionlike symptoms can appear in response to the change of season. Those of you living in warmer areas will not notice as much of a change but the new seasons and quick march from summer weather can affect anyone. To help manage your response to the change, my top tip is to try to keep a regular exercise routine, even if you don’t feel like it. This gets you outside to hopefully soak up some rays and have some fun. Or if it’s too cold, do something with a group inside, such as exercise classes. This can assist motivation and help get you out of bed on those darker days. I also suggest you plan to take some leave when you get to the middle of winter and go somewhere warmer and sunnier if you can.
As the weather gets colder and daylight hours get shorter, depression-like symptoms can appear in response to the change of season. In the case of SAD, there’s a seasonal pattern to mood disturbances and the symptoms, such as fatigue and feeling miserable, really take hold. SAD is not common in Australia but it’s important to ask your doctor about it if you find lifestyle changes aren’t enough to help reset your energy and mood levels.
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corporate responsibility & sustainability
further their research careers. The winner, Associate Professor Gail Garvey, received $25,000. Assoc. Prof. Garvey is an Aboriginal research leader based in Brisbane whose work is aimed at closing the gap by creating improvements in cancer treatment for Indigenous Australians. Gail’s research focused on the potential for reducing deaths from cancer for Indigenous people through earlier detection and appropriate treatment. That work was done on behalf of the Menzies School of Health Research and she was nominated for the Award by Professor Joan Cunningham, a Senior Principal Research Fellow.
Valuable reward and recognition for vital research Since 2012, the Bupa Health Foundation has been running the annual Emerging Health Researcher Awards, aimed at celebrating the great work of researchers who have been awarded their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) within the last five years.
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“We felt that there was a real need to provide an extra level of support for early-career researchers to recognise the great work they do and give them extra funding as a reward,” explains Alana Fisher, Operations Manager of the Bupa Health Foundation. “The award is by nomination, so the senior researcher or project lead nominates one of their team members for the Emerging Health Researcher Awards, and the prize money they receive can be then used however they want, to help advance their knowledge in a particular field.” In 2016, 105 nominations were received – up from 40 for the first Awards in 2012 – and each of the five finalists received $5,000 to help
“ We felt that there was a real need to provide an extra level of support for early-career researchers to recognise the great work they do and give them extra funding as a reward.” “My research is focused on cancer and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and I’m doing that because cancer has impacted on my family and my community and it’s an important issue that requires addressing,” says Gail. “The research involves looking at Indigenous people’s participation in prevention strategies such as cancer screenings and investigating the support needs of Indigenous cancer patients and how that can impact on their uptake of services.” Assoc. Prof. Garvey hopes her award will “keep cancer and Indigenous people high on the agenda and be another way to demonstrate to the wider community that cancer is indeed an issue that needs addressing.” Alisha Mete, Bupa’s Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Manager for Australia and New Zealand, was delighted that the
awards highlighted the growing thought leadership around Indigenous health issues. “Two of the finalists in the Emerging Health Researcher Awards were focused on Indigenous health issues, including Assoc. Prof. Garvey, who was the ultimate winner, and Dr Laura Dagley, whose work is focused on creating more accurate ways to identify acute rheumatic fever in Indigenous children.” Dr Dagley is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and her Laboratory Head, Dr Andrew Webb, nominated her for the Awards. “I was very proud to nominate Laura because she has put in an enormous amount of work that will potentially lead to very significant outcomes for the Indigenous community of Australia,” says Dr Webb. Dr Dagley explains, “there is currently no definitive test for the diagnosis of rheumatic conditions, so if we’re able to identify a more reliable way of diagnosing acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease among children, we can prevent the disease from becoming life-threatening”. Left: Associate Professor Gail Garvey hopes her award will keep cancer and Indigenous people high on the agenda. Right: “And the winner is…” Assoc. Prof. Garvey is announced as the winner of the 2016 Bupa Health Foundation Emerging Health Researcher Awards.
At a glance The Bupa Health Foundation Emerging Health Researcher Awards recognises the work of researchers who have completed their PhD in the last five years 105 nominations were received in 2016, with five finalists receiving $5,000 each and the winner, $25,000
List of 2016 Finalists Associate Prof. Gail Garvey Menzies School of Health Research Area of research: Improving cancer treatment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Dr Laura Dagley The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Area of research: Innovating more accurate ways to identify acute rheumatic fever in Aboriginal children Dr Johana Paola Tello Velasquez Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University Area of research: Preparation for a large-scale trial that aims to repair spinal cord injury following recent successful restoration of partial function in a human Dr Emily Reeve Kolling Institute, Royal North Shore Hospital Area of research: Guidelines to withdraw low-value medication for people with dementia Dr Joseph Doyle Department of Infectious Diseases, The Alfred Area of research: Improving Hepatitis C treatment in highly vulnerable patients to ultimately eradicate the disease from society
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Cultural competence is critical Whether we’re holidaying or employed overseas, or working in a diverse team or organisation in our home country, we need to know how to interact with other cultures to help create the best outcomes – for ourselves, others, and the business.
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health & wellbeing
Cultural intelligence is about rationally understanding the cultural reasons behind people’s behaviours rather than jumping to conclusions and making judgements that rely on stereotypes.
With over 21,000 people in Bupa Australia and New Zealand, there are different cultural perspectives. To create a truly inclusive organisation, where all our people love working together towards our common purpose, it’s important to discuss and leverage this diversity. We need cultural competence to do this effectively – it’s a significant part of eliminating barriers to being one Bupa; one team.
3 tips to help improve your cultural competence 1 Remember that the definition of what is polite and rude is very different in different cultures 2 Read books such as ‘Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands’ to help you understand cultural differences 3 Set up a ‘diversity calendar’ to celebrate different cultures’ traditions and events
What is cultural competence? Put simply, cultural competence is the ability to interact appropriately and effectively with people from different cultures. People who are good at this are said to have high “cultural intelligence” (CQ), which means they are attuned to the values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours of people from different cultures. We’re not only talking about different nationalities and ethnicities, but also different departments, ideological organisations, political and age groups. Why does it matter? Cross-cultural understanding, communication and cooperation are workplace essentials for businesses and individuals to succeed in today’s world. Cultural incompetence can cause misunderstanding, offense, and even conflict at social events and in meetings, particularly international meetings. Enhancing our cultural competence helps improve our ability to effectively communicate, collaborate, and negotiate with people from a diverse range of backgrounds and can mean the difference between creating problems and solving them. Research suggests inclusive cultures are higher performing, with greater productivity.
Add CQ to your IQ Cultural intelligence is not something we’re born with; it’s something we can all develop. Dr David Livermore has outlined four key factors that contribute to cultural intelligence: Desire to learn about and adapt to different cultures General knowledge of how culture shapes people’s behaviours, values and beliefs Strategically incorporating culture into long-term planning Behaving in a culturally sensitive way and thinking quickly in difficult situations. We don’t need to become an expert in every culture, but rather simply learn to observe situations and read people then act with cultural empathy. It’s about rationally understanding the cultural reasons behind people’s behaviours rather than jumping to conclusions and making judgements that rely on stereotypes. Language matters How we speak to, and about, each other influences our workplace culture. Search on #WordsAtWork on the internet to read more.
This article was written by Helena Kuo, Managing Director, En Masse
En Masse is a behaviour change company. It delivers programs that build positive results in the areas of mental health and wellbeing, workplace culture, productivity, values and ethics, equal opportunity and psychological health and safety.
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health & wellbeing
I can help reduce my risk of cancer
Eat it to beat it
It is estimated that 1 in 3 cancers can be prevented. Bupa Accredited Practising Dietitian, Bec Hall, highlights some key nutritional areas you can focus on to help reduce your risk of certain cancers.
Interested in trying a colourful easy salad to help boost your vegetable intake? This is a great salad to have as a side dish to any main meal or it could be used in a wrap for lunch.
I can increase my intake of fruit and vegetables Fruits and vegetables are packed full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and fibre. Evidence suggests these nutrients can be beneficial for reducing your risk of some cancers.
4 Bec’s top tip Experiment with adding more veggies to your dinner recipes. For example, make a chunky bolognese sauce with carrots, mushrooms, capsicum, zucchini, eggplant, beans, peas and broccoli. I can make healthy food choices to support a healthy weight Being overweight can increase your risk of some cancers. A healthy diet and being active over the day, are key strategies to reach or maintain a healthy weight.
4 Bec’s top tip Be aware of portion sizes, try serving your meals on smaller plates.
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I can moderate my intake of processed and red meats Most red and processed meats contain carcinogenic chemicals. Some of these are added and others are naturally occurring. These carcinogenic chemicals have been linked with bowel and stomach cancers. This link is particularly strong for processed meats.
4 Bec’s top tip Avoid (or limit) processed meats such as sausages, salami, bacon and ham. I can moderate my alcohol intake Alcohol increases your risk of certain cancers, particularly those of the liver, mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, bowel and breast. And remember, plain water is the best choice to quench your thirst.
4 Bec’s top tip If you choose to drink alcohol, try to limit your intake to no more than two standard drinks in one day.
Dietitian Tip The Australian Dietary guidelines recommend at least five serves of vegetables a day. This recipe includes different vegetables in a range of colours. Try and incorporate as many different coloured vegetables across your day – they all contain different types of nutrients.
Rainbow salad Ingredients 1/4 Chinese cabbage 1/4 red cabbage 1 red capsicum 1 yellow capsicum 1/3 cup spring onion 1 medium carrot 1 cup bean shoots 1 granny smith apple 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds 1/2 cup tahini 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 cup orange juice Method 1 Shred the cabbages and thinly slice the capsicums, spring onion, carrot. 2 Combine all vegetables with sunflower seeds and bean shoots in a bowl. 3 Slice granny smith apple and add to the bowl. 4 In a separate bowl, make dressing with tahini, rice wine vinegar and orange juice. 5 Pour dressing over salad ingredients when ready to serve. For some extra crunch you can add in a handful of crunchy Asian noodles or a handful of unsalted nuts.
day in the life
Day in the life Janice Petty is the Facility Coordinator at Bupa Rehab Gisborne, NZ a residential rehabilitation center idyllically located next to the Taruheru River, with 21 current ‘live in’ clients ranging in age from 30-65. While no two days are the same, Janice’s morning routine ensures she is prepared to tackle whatever is thrown her way, and just as importantly, enjoy relaxing evenings at home after work.
6.30am Getting up for the day, it’s time to get the house all in order and well organised for a relaxing return after work. This morning, it’s placing the beef stroganoff into the slow cooker ready for a scrumptious evening dinner ahead. Janice has three adult children, who no longer live at home, and husband Ian is an early starter, having left by 7am for work most mornings.
7.00am Coffee and toast for breakfast and time to get ready for work. 7.50am As Gisborne is a relatively small town of 33,000 people, Janice’s commute is a nice and easy 10 minutes in the car to Bupa Rehab. 8.00am Arriving at work, and first off every day Janice walks through the facility to check on clients and team members to make sure everyone and everything is ok. 9.00am Clinical Team Meeting with the facility’s Occupational Therapist, Registered Nurse, Clinical Support Team and Duty Leader to discuss any issues from the previous 24 hours, such as incident or accident reports that have been filed. 10.00am With 26 team members at Bupa Gisborne, Janice proudly has an open door policy for people to come and discuss any issues. This morning, it’s a team member who appears unhappy at work, but after discussions, Janice identifies the core issue is stress around before and after school arrangements for her children, which is alleviated through tweaking the roster and identifying government support that is available. 11.00am Bupa Gisborne holds regular team member education sessions, and today it’s basic training in fire emergencies delivered by the local fire brigade (which should come in handy for the total fire evacuation drill Janice has planned next week!)
5.00pm Finish up for the day and back in the car for the short trip home.
12.00 noon Janice takes two of her team members to lunch at a nearby café. “It’s important our team members take a little break from the high support needs of our clients, so it’s nice to get some exercise in by walking along the river to a local café, and having a relaxed conversation during the lunch break,” says Janice. 1.00pm Janice checks in on one of the many courses and exercise programs that are held for the residential clients. Today is a Maori Language course in one room, with painting classes in another. “Our clients lives have changed quite dramatically and our role is to help them maintain independence and provide a range of support and training programs to help with integration back into the community,” says Janice. 1.30pm It’s very hands on at Bupa Gisborne, and Janice now heads off to a GP appointment with one of her clients to provide support and assistance. 3.00pm Back at Bupa Gisborne and Janice has a meeting with the mother of person just about to be admitted, to discuss his interests at home in an effort to ensure his stay is as comfortable and familiar as possible. 4.00pm Meeting with a Case Manager from the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) to review a client’s six month Rehabilitation Plan. Janice and her team review these plans each week to ensure goals and milestones are being met, which are then reported in person to the ACC every six months.
5.30pm Time to relax and unwind. Most nights, this involves turning up the music and enjoying preparing the evening meal with husband Ian. “We both love music and cooking, so most nights we have a bit of a yarn about the day just gone either in the kitchen or around the BBQ outside,” says Janice.
6.30pm Tonight it’s the slow cooked Beef Stroganoff for dinner that has been on the go since the morning. 7.30pm Pottering in the garden, Janice and Ian still enjoy listening to music with the outdoor speakers Ian installed. “I love rock and blues, especially female lead singers, so tonight it’s Melissa Etheridge playing.” 9.30pm Time for a final wind down over a Wilbur Smith novel, one of Janice’s favourite authors. 10.00pm Lights out, and ready for another unpredictable, but very rewarding, day ahead.
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people love working here
Left: Bupa employees, Nicholas Jackett (who helped develop Bupa Beginnings) and Shona McInnes with baby Lachlan
Resources
Below: Savita Kadam, with baby Aamyra, used Bupa’s online tools for diet and exercise tips while pregnant
Bupa’s online tools to help new and prospective parents include: Bupa Beginnings pregnancy.bupa.com.au
When the beginnings happen at Bupa Bupa has a wealth of information for new and prospective parents to access. And it’s not just our customers and the wider community who benefit – our Bupa employees can feel the love as well!
As soon as Nicholas Jackett’s (Information Services) partner, Shona McInnes, told him she was pregnant, Nicholas (who, like Shona, works at Bupa) knew exactly what to do. As an Information Services business partnership manager, Nicholas was involved in the original development of the Bupa Beginnings website, so jumping online to get information seemed natural. Bupa Beginnings is a free, interactive guide to the Australian health system, with tools that provide information on health and care options and costs - from the moment people start planning a baby, through to pregnancy and childbirth, and into the early months of baby’s life (visit pregnancy.bupa.com.au) “Because we were new to Melbourne, having recently arrived from Sydney, I accessed Bupa Beginnings and found it incredibly helpful in understanding the different financial arrangements between the various hospitals, as well as using all of the interactive tools that were available,” says Nicholas. Deciding to be as upfront as possible about his new situation, Nicholas told his team about Shona’s pregnancy as soon as he could – “at 12 weeks and one day”, as he puts it. “The team have been incredibly supportive and I think it took 30 seconds for my manager to respond to my email saying ‘congratulations and do what you need to do’,” he says. Baby Lachlan was born on 29 December 2016. Shona, who is a
Wellness Product and Operations Manager for Bupa, has taken 10 months maternity leave, while Nicholas took two weeks annual leave immediately after the birth. “I have also been considering taking some paternity leave later in the year when Shona returns to Bupa,” says Nicholas, “so I can be the primary carer for Lachlan and have some solid bonding time before he’s 12 months old.” One of the advantages of having both parents work at Bupa is Nicholas can keep Shona up to speed with what’s happening at work while she’s away. They are also both sharing their experiences with the Strategy Team to help inform Bupa’s prenatal and perinatal offerings.
“ The team at Bupa really feel like family to me, so I was looking forward to returning to work after seven months’ maternity leave,” Likewise, Savita Kadam, Sales and Service Consultant in Customer Growth, had baby Aamyra on June 28, 2016 – just on 12 months after starting at Bupa. “Initially I was very worried about whether I’d be covered for maternity leave if my baby arrived early,” says Savita. “However my manager was very supportive, telling me not to worry about it and that she could look into it, which was a huge relief at the time.”
mummatters bupa.com.au/mummatters The First 1000 Days theblueroom.bupa.com.au/ first-1000-days
Savita also gives Bupa a ‘ten out of ten’ when it comes to the information she was able to access during her pregnancy. “Not only did I find out exactly what I was covered for in terms of my private health insurance, I also discovered some really good information and downloads on the Bupa site regarding diet and exercise,” she says. “The team at Bupa really feel like family to me, so I was looking forward to returning to work after seven months maternity leave,” says Savita, whose mother looks after Aamyra while she’s at Bupa. “It shows to me Bupa really cares by providing the information they do, on a whole range of topics, for team members. Also, when my mother was not well recently, I felt terrible asking for a day off so soon after returning to work. But, again, my manager was very supportive.” Sean Silvey, Bupa A&NZ Head of Wellbeing, Health and Safety, believes creating a positive and supportive environment for people before and after pregnancy is vital. “At Bupa, not only do we want to provide all the tools and information people will need during this time, we also want to really embrace our purpose, and ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to supporting new and prospective parents,” says Sean. “We’re conscious that in our diverse business, there’ll be policies and procedures that need to be tightened up, but hopefully our people feel the spirit of our purpose is still being embraced during one of the most exciting times of their lives.” beat | 17
performance
Above: Megan Roberts loves helping people on the Aged Care Support Line and finds it a very rewarding extension to her normal health coaching role Far right: Andrea Darcy feels that having health coaches on the Aged Care Support Line provides a highly valuable service in what can be a true ‘moment of need’ for the caller
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performance
Support and advice prove a winning formula If the time comes to look at aged care options for your parents or your loved ones, it can be a very emotional and stressful process, with many people not knowing where to start. By putting a call into the new Bupa Aged Care Support Line, you’ll get access to expert information to help you navigate the aged care system.
Customer chatter “ They’ve been most helpful… I needed the help so urgently, thank you.” “ …the task of getting mum into residential aged care is very stressful so I’ve found it very very helpful for me.” “ Everything was very positive, very easy to understand and very happy with the outcome.”
If you call Bupa’s Aged Care Support Line, you will speak with a trained health professional, who also provides Health Coaching services as part of their broader role at Bupa TeleHealth. The big difference for our coaches when they work on the Aged Care Support Line is that people are calling them, rather than the other way around for their regular coaching services. “It is very rewarding to be able to give people the exact information they need” says Megan Roberts, Health Coach, Bupa Telehealth. “What can seem like a simple piece of information to us, can actually make a huge difference to the caller, and that’s why I love answering the Aged Care Support Line.” In fact, that moment of need can come during very stressful situations, such as when one caller phoned from their hospital bed, when they were told by doctors they’d need to go into a home, and with no access to a computer, the Bupa Aged Care Support Line provided the information they urgently required. “In developing the Bupa Aged Care Support Line, we realised that good, information on aged care was desperately needed, and as one of the aged care market leaders in Australia, we didn’t require it to be a sales channel. You don’t have to be a Bupa member to access the free service, it’s open to everyone and we discuss the best options for callers to consider, not just Bupa solutions,” says Scott Georgeson, Propositions Consultant, Bupa Aged Care.
The Bupa Aged Care Support Line was initially modelled on Bupa UK’s ‘Elderly Care Support Line’, and adapted to the Australian Market “When people call the Bupa Aged Care Support Line, they can be in a serious ‘moment of need’,” says Andrea Darcy, Head of Strategy & Operations, Bupa TeleHealth Customer Experience. “So having a health professional on the line, allows them to think in a clinical nature about what the best options are for the caller and consider all of their requirements, from physical and emotional, to their well being and social needs as well.”
“ One of the strengths of having Health Coaches taking calls for the Bupa Aged Care Support Line is that they can take the time to fully discuss people’s needs...” Most callers find out about the Bupa Aged Care Support Line through online search as well as some advertising being placed in GP Clinics and word of mouth referrals from healthcare professionals. Since its launch in August 2016, the Bupa Aged Care Support Line has taken more than 1000 calls, with overwhelmingly positive feedback generated through the ‘post call’ survey. “Because the line wasn’t set up as a sales channel, we’re measuring its performance
based on people’s feedback and reviewing if it’s providing the right kind of support and information,” says Scott. “Of course it’s still important that it positions Bupa as a leading health and care partner and delivers positive word of mouth, so we’re delighted with the response so far, especially with the strong ‘net promoter scores’ the service receives.” Not one to rest on the success of the initiative to date, Scott and his team are looking to continually evolve and enhance the offering. “One of the strengths of having Health Coaches taking calls for the Bupa Aged Care Support Line is that they can take the time to fully discuss people’s needs, and ensure they balance offering practical information, with the emotional needs of our callers.” Scott also envisages broadening the information provided by the Bupa Aged Care Support Line into areas such as home and community care, so it can offer advice across a person’s whole ‘continuum of care’ as their needs change over time. Aged Care Support Line 1800 780 038 beat | 19
Making health & care more affordable It’s the time of year when Private Heath Insurance premiums come under the spotlight in Australia, with annual rate increases generating plenty of publicity. So what do you say to family friends when you’re asked why rates are rising higher than inflation? Dwayne Crombie, Managing Director of Health Insurance, and Rebecca Cross, Head of Government, Policy and Regulatory Affairs, explain the reasons behind any increases, and what Bupa is doing to make them smaller each year.
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Dwayne Crombie (left) feels it’s human nature not to be as concerned about the ultimate costs of things if you’re insured for them
health insurance affordability
For Rebecca Cross (right), Bupa has an important role to play as a thought leader in the market
Fast Facts Australian health funds paid more than $6b in benefits for individual claims over $10,000 in 2015 More than 13 million Australians rely on private health cover 87% of Bupa health insurance customers felt it was important that the Government take action to reduce premiums by reviewing the cost of prostheses
“There are three main reasons why private health insurance premiums may need to rise each year,” says Dwayne Crombie, Managing Director, Health Insurance. “Firstly, staffing costs for hospitals regularly increase, and typically by more than inflation, as doctors and nurses are highly valued and demand good wages,” explains Dwayne. “Secondly, we have a ‘community rated’ health system, which means everyone has to pay the same premium for their health insurance, despite their age, health or claims history, so the costs are spread equally across all members and with an ageing population, the number of claims each year are increasing, as are the costs. And lastly, ongoing advances in technology, which can make medical procedures far less invasive and therefore more popular, are very expensive to implement, again pushing up the costs of health care.” So the annual costs of premiums are determined by the total number and value of claims in any year, and then based on that, the prices are set for the year ahead, with any anticipated increases spread evenly across all private health insurance customers. Bupa, however, takes its role as the Australian market leader very seriously, and part of this responsibility is to look for reforms in the overall health system that can make the cost of health and care services more affordable, with any savings passed
“ Bupa is in a unique position, because of our size, range of services and global footprint, to really take the lead on pushing for change in the health system to deliver improved and more affordable health and care services.” directly on to private health insurance members. Bupa recently advocated strongly for Government pricing reform on prosthetic devices (pacemakers and lenses for hip and knee replacements) that were costing private health insurance members thousands of dollars more than public patients, sometimes for the very same device. “It’s just plain silly that private health insurance members have to pay so much more for the same device than public patients,” says Dwayne. “So along with the four other biggest health funds, Bupa undertook a rigorous analysis of the cost savings that could be generated through pricing reform, as well as determining the public’s view on this, and then started lobbying government ministers accordingly.” This process ultimately proved successful, with the Australian Federal Government announcing in October 2016 reforms to the regulations that set the price of prosthetics, reducing the cost of thousands of such medical devices by half a billion dollars over the next six years. “Bupa is in a unique position, because of our size, range of services and global footprint, to really take the lead on pushing for change in the health system to deliver improved and more affordable health and care services,” explains Rebecca Cross, who is Bupa’s Head of Government,
Policy and Regulatory Affairs, and who previously worked for the Department for the Prime Minister and Cabinet. “The Government recognises we are a market leader, and as a result we hope they will really listen to us on issues such as pricing reform, and see Bupa as thought leaders in this area,” says Rebecca. Bupa will also be looking to make health and care more affordable by pushing for more care in the community. For example, encouraging rehabilitation, post hip joint replacement, to be undertaken at home, rather than in more expensive hospital settings, and recommending alternative treatment for back injuries, rather than simply defaulting to surgery. “Often, expensive back surgery doesn’t always make the patient any better, and the medical literature supports this, so we will be pushing
for more affordable treatments, that could be in the patient’s best interests and lower the overall costs to the health system,” says Dwayne. Ironically, however, it can be health insurance members themselves that ultimately push up the costs paid by health funds, through subconsciously accepting the most expensive treatments available, rather than considering more affordable options. “It’s human nature not to be as concerned about the cost of things once you’re insured for them,” says Dwayne. “The same goes for doctors recommending less costeffective treatments. Everyone might be more cost-conscious and not be as tempted to run up what can be very large bills, that ultimately all health insurance members have to pay through our ‘community rated’ system.” beat | 21
expanding in health & care
Fit for purpose Applying your core expertise into new areas is a classic business growth strategy. For Bupa Medical Visa Services, this meant taking their skills in determining if someone’s healthy enough to enter the country, into assessing people who are about to start a new job.
At a glance BMVS began providing pre-employment medical checks for Bupa Aged Care Australia as a pilot program in March 2016 Starting with two care homes, it expanded to 17, and then rolled out to all 70 by January 2017 BMVS is now ready to provide the pre-employment medical service to other organisations beyond Bupa
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Understanding a new employee’s health and wellbeing requirements is an important part of helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives. So when Bupa Aged Care Australia was looking for a better and more cost-efficient way of assessing people’s health before starting work, Bupa Medical Visa Services (BMVS) put their hand up to help. “Pre-employment medical assessments, although different to the visa medical assessments we do here at BMVS, require some of the same basic skills such as history taking and physical examination,” explains Nicola Collins, Lead Physician at BMVS Sydney. “So it was great to be able to apply some of that expertise in helping our team members at Bupa Aged Care Australia.” What initially started as a trial in March 2016, with a handful of Aged Care homes using the BMVS pre-employment medical checks, moved into a full rollout across all 70 homes by the end of 2016. The pre-employment medical checks start with people completing an online questionnaire that identifies any potential health risks that may need to be followed up.
If this is the case, the user’s information will then be reviewed by the BMVS Central Support Office, who will determine if more information needs to be provided, or if a face-to-face appointment with a health professional is required.
“ We’ve been talking to major companies in industries that are really suited to this service, such as airlines, and we think there will be a lot of interest in this new approach because it really is pioneering when combined with the breadth of Bupa’s services.” “This predominately online approach is much easier for candidates, as they can complete it on their smart phones in their own time, and it’s much quicker and cheaper than sending everyone into a doctor’s office to start with, like the more traditional approach,” says Ben Woodward, Commercial Manager, BMVS.
For Mark Metcalf, the Business Administration Manager at Bupa Aged Care Baulkham Hills, the peace of mind knowing someone is fit for the job is invaluable. “Getting a heads up on new team members’ health is great, especially if something ever happened down the track, and this process is very straightforward and easy to use,” says Mark. The pre-employment medical service has been continually improved through the initial trial and the full rollout across Bupa Aged Care Australia, and BMVS is now ready to service other organisations. “We’ve been talking to major companies in industries that are really suited to this service, such as airlines, and we think there will be a lot of interest in this new approach because it really is pioneering when combined with the breadth of Bupa’s services.” And for the BMVS team, applying their skills for preemployment checks has been very well received. “It’s great for our people to expand their knowledge into this new area that not only opens up a breadth of opportunities for them, but also adds extra variety to their day,” says Nicola.
expanding in health & care
The pre-employment medical service has been continually improved through the initial trial and the full rollout across Bupa Aged Care Australia, and BMVS is now ready to service other organisations.
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The pre-employment medical checks start with an online questionnaire and this makes the whole approach quicker and more cost efficient
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Ben Woodward and his team have been working hard to continually improve the service during all stages of its pilot
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Nicola Collins from BMVS enjoys the added variety in her day by working on pre-employment medical checks
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For Mark Metcalf of Bupa Aged Care Baulkham Hills, the service is very straightforward to implement
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helping hand
More little gestures making big differences Bupa Health Insurance’s Helping Hand program underwent a refresh in August 2016, which has seen a doubling in the number of customers now getting special gifts during difficult times.
Making it easy Customer-facing team members now only have to complete three questions when nominating someone for a Helping Hand gesture: 1 What is the reason for the gesture? 2 What type of gesture did you want to send (e.g. sympathy card, flowers, EFTPOS voucher, spa voucher) 3 Is there a different address (than on file) for delivering the gesture? (e.g. are they in a hospital?).
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Often in life, it’s the little things that make the most difference. A bunch of flowers to show you care, a sympathy card to say you’re sorry or a taxi voucher to get help someone home safely. And that’s exactly what Bupa’s Helping Hand program for customers is all about. “Helping Hand gives our customerfacing team members the power to make a real difference and create an emotional connection with our customers,” explains Larissa Kesby, Engagement Manager, Customer Service. “Sending a small gesture to a customer in a moment of need really sends a powerful message that we truly care.”
“ Helping Hand gives our customer-facing team members the power to make a real difference and create an emotional connection with our customers.” In August 2016, the Helping Hand program underwent a refresh to make it even easier for customerfacing team members to request a gesture to be sent. “Previously, we’d receive around 30 to 40 requests a month for a Helping Hand gesture but now we’re receiving around 100 requests a month.”
Approximately 80% of requests are approved, and there are guidelines around what is an appropriate situation for a ‘Helping Hand’ gesture to ensure the integrity of the program. “We really want the Helping Hand program to be a heartfelt gesture and therefore it can’t be used to say ‘sorry’ for a service issue, used to recognize loyalty or in any way as a retention strategy,” explains Larissa.
Larissa Kesby is delighted that the Helping Hand program now receives more than 100 requests for gestures a month.
‘ Sending a small gesture to a customer in a moment of need really sends a powerful message that we truly care.”
Helping Hand
moment Reason for Helping Hand Customer had just lost their partner and was talking with Bupa about a policy issue that triggered the Helping Hand gesture. The Bupa team sent out a condolence message and a large bouquet of flowers.
Helping Hand
moment Reason for Helping Hand Customer had just given birth to a baby girl and was sent a large bouquet of flowers after some issues during labour. Customer’s response Sent a lovely thank you note including a photo of their baby and the flowers through social media.
Helping Hand
moment Reason for Helping Hand Customer had just lost their partner through illness, and was left a single parent with a young child. The Bupa team sent out an EFTPOS card to say sorry and help out. Customer’s response Sent a note via social media saying how unexpected the gesture was, that the customer would now be loyal to Bupa for life and the money would go towards his child’s first bicycle.
Customer’s response Sent an email expressing her surprise at the gesture, saying how thoughtful it was and that their relationship with Bupa would be gladly continued.
Helping Hand
moment Reason for Helping Hand Customer had received a positive response post surgery for cancer and was about to begin radio and chemotherapy when the Bupa team sent a large bouquet of flowers. Customer’s response Sent an email expressing her delight at the flowers and how kind, thoughtful and beautiful the gesture was and saying that Bupa must be a very special Health Insurer.
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Bupa Bites Bupa Bites brings you information and insights from the world of Bupa to keep you up to date on Global, Market and Business Unit news. This issue we discuss how we continue to strive to build a Bupa our customers and people love, the reasons we have lobbied for accelerated prostheses price reforms, and look back at the highlights of 2016 .
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bupa bites
Strategy 2017
Throughout 2017, we’ll be sharing examples of what Bupa is doing to make a difference in Health and Care and the meaningful progress we’re making to help our customers live longer, healthier, happier lives.
At Bupa, we’ve already achieved a lot, becoming a leading Health & Care organisation, with our very own network of dentists, optometrists, GP clinics and aged care homes. And with our wealth of knowledge and experience we are pioneering important health system improvements for everyone.
$ Lessening rate rises Private health insurance premiums across the Australian industry will increase by an average of 4.84% on 1 April 2017. While it will vary according to policy and State, on average, Bupa health insurance premiums will increase by around $2 per week for singles and $4 per week for families (before any rebate or discount). The ever-increasing costs of medical technology, healthcare delivery, and Australia’s ageing population have contributed to this increase, and remain a challenge not only for Bupa, but the broader healthcare industry. We recognise the pressures these price increases place on many Australian families and that’s why we’re working very hard to address ongoing affordability concerns. This includes working with governments, hospitals, doctors and our broader networks to tackle these rising healthcare costs which we recognise are unsustainable. Find out more about what we’re doing to make health & care more affordable on page 20.
We know that there is still work to do to help support the needs our customers have, and play a transformative role in the health and care industry. That’s why we’re focused on building a Bupa our customers and people love. By understanding the common experiences that affect our people and customers we are focused on helping people start with us well, find it easy to connect with us, build a sense of belonging and play a role in their health. We’re passionate about continuing to evolve and transform our business through building contemporary experiences that allow us to know our customers better, enable our people through supportive and efficient tools, and make our residents experience the best in aged care. We want to expand what we deliver in health and care. Through understanding the needs of consumers we’ll adapt and grow our business in new, but complementary areas. Throughout 2017, we’ll be sharing examples of what Bupa is doing to make a difference in Health and Care and the meaningful progress we’re making to help our customers live longer, healthier, happier lives. Stay up to date workplace.bupa. com.au/bupastrategy
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2016 - It’s a wrap! On Thursday 2 March, Bupa announced its 2016 global financial results, including details of Bupa’s performance in each market unit. Here are some fast facts about what we did in 2016 in Australia & New Zealand: e grew to become Australia’s W largest health insurer for the first time e continue to be Australia’s W largest dental provider, with 237 Bupa dental practices ur Bupa optical presence grew O with three new stores opening in Australia, taking the total to 37 e remain the country’s leading W private aged care provider in Australia, caring for nearly 7,000 residents across 71 homes ur aged care business in New O Zealand grew, with four new homes opening in 2016 e’re the leading provider of W dementia care in New Zealand beat | 27
my career at bupa
When preparation meets opportunity Bupa’s Head of Dementia Services, Margaret Ryan, is a leading expert in aged care and sits on Bupa’s Global Leadership Group for Dementia. And while Margaret’s career has evolved, not so much by design but circumstance and a little luck, she couldn’t think of a better way of combining her two loves of nursing and teaching.
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““When I finished secondary school, I wasn’t totally sure what to do, so I decided to enrol in a nursing course,” says Margaret Ryan, Head of Dementia Services. It wasn’t long after completing her nursing qualification, however, that Margaret decided to pursue her growing passion around teaching. So it was back to university to study a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Drama, with a view to becoming a teacher. “To support myself through the Arts degree, I got a job in an Aged Care home,” explains Margaret. “What I really started to enjoy about working in this environment is that you could form lasting relationships with your residents, their families and your work colleagues in a way that would be difficult in an acute setting such as an emergency ward or operating theatre.” While Margaret never planned to end up working in aged care, she enjoyed the experience so much that she found herself in a learning and development role for the Amity Group, which at the time had more than forty aged care homes in Australia. “When I first joined Amity, it was quite small with only a handful of aged care homes and I was very hands on, spending a lot of time in the homes training team members on a wide variety of issues from compliance and regulation to clinical support,” says Margaret.
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“ ...the definition of luck is ‘when preparation meets opportunity’, a mantra that really has defined my career to date.”
When Bupa acquired the Amity Group in 2007, Margaret sensed new opportunities on a broader scale. “I was really excited when Bupa took over, as until then, we’d just been an Australian company and now we had the global resources of Bupa behind us.” It wasn’t long before Margaret experienced that global reach first hand, and it was during a speech in 2008 by Professor Graham Stokes, Bupa’s Global Director of Dementia Care when Margaret had an ‘aha’
my career at bupa
CV snapshot Margaret Ryan Head of Dementia Services, Australia Learning & Development Roles (Amity Group, Bupa)
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Margaret recently attended a Bupa Clinical Forum in Cambridge, UK
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Student nursing days at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst in Sydney
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Margaret graduated as Master of Science in Dementia Studies from the University of Bradford in July 2016
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Registered Nurse Bachelor of Arts Master of Science (Dementia Studies)
moment. “Graham started talking about dementia in a way that I’d never heard before and when he started explaining about the ‘Person First’ approach, I just thought ‘we absolutely have to do this’ and it really spoke to my passion around learning and development.” So when a temporary position in Dementia Services came up shortly afterwards because of a maternity leave vacancy, Margaret was straight into the People Director’s office applying for the role. “When I was offered the position, I said to the People Director that I felt very lucky, to which she replied ‘do you know what luck is?’. I proudly responded by saying the definition of luck is ‘when preparation meets opportunity’, a mantra that really has defined my career to date.” Since securing a position in dementia services, Margaret has never looked back, having undertaken a Masters of Dementia at the University of Bradford and becoming the only person outside of the university qualified as a Person First training assessor. This means Margaret can train Bupa team members as ‘Person First Coaches’, who in turn, can then train their own team members in the Dementia Excellence Program, a course specifically developed by Bupa and the University of Bradford. Margaret is now Bupa’s Head
of Dementia Services for Bupa Aged Care Australia and sits on Bupa’s Global Leadership Group on Dementia, and recently attended a Bupa Clinical Forum in Cambridge with sessions on Global Dementia Care. “The opportunities and possibilities available to you by working at Bupa are tremendous,” explains Margaret. “My advice is to be open to all opportunities that come your way, and if they feel like a good fit, then absolutely jump at them.”
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pilot program
At a glance Bupa’s Best Doctors pilot program ran from 18 July 2016 to 18 January 2017 A sample group of eligible members were phoned through an outbound call campaign from the 22 July to 6 October, and the level of interest far exceeded Best Doctors’ initial expectations
It never hurts to ask Bupa’s pilot program partnering with the global ‘Best Doctors’ service has just concluded, with very positive feedback received from customers, as well as some critically valuable second opinions being provided.
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Fabio Tiani, General Manager, Growth Channels A&NZ (right), first came across the Best Doctors service while attending a tour with the International Federation of Health Plans in 2015. “Best Doctors is an online second opinion service, where your medical history is analysed by global experts to either confirm, or suggest alternative, diagnosis and treatment options for an existing condition and we thought it would be worth trailing in Australia for Bupa members,” explains Fabio. The Best Doctors pilot started on 18 July 2016, with 30,000 eligible Bupa members being offered the program at no extra cost to their existing cover. “For the trial, Bupa covered the costs of the service as a
‘value add’, but if we roll it out more widely, we will consider alternative pricing options, like it being a separate product you might be able to purchase,” says Fabio.
“ We felt the pilot was a real success, with a number of members saying that offering this service really showed we cared about them...” Once members decided to use the service, they worked directly with Best Doctors, independently of Bupa, and allowed their medical records to be uploaded on an
online portal to be matched with an appropriate clinical expert for review. “Primarily, Best Doctors is about giving people choice and is complementary to their existing medical advice,” explains Fabio. The pilot program has now concluded, but with overwhelmingly positive feedback, Fabio and his team are now actively considering options for a wider rollout in the future. “We felt the pilot was a real success, with a number of members saying that offering this service really showed we cared about them, and Best Doctors themselves were also incredibly enthusiastic about being involved with Bupa,” says Fabio.
years of ser vice
Memorable milestones 40+ years
15 years
10 years
10 years
10 years
Valda Tyack Berardina Di-Milia Maree Worboys Maria Digiorgio
Marilou Eduardo Joy MacDonald Eva Guerrero Juliana Aly Denise Bayliss Anna Mazzone Antonella Borg Alicia Roldan Arlita Policarpio Denise Lehmann Anjalay Govender Prema Pathirana Diana Ahnau Ada Johansson Noreen Hannah Deanne Taylor Margaret Stewart Elizabeth Twaddle Ofa Lalakai Paramu Pio Karen Oldfield Georgina Carlisle Carolyn Phillips Wendy Gordon John Aitken Lynda Jacob Alison Denny Beverley Smith Marie Donnini Noeleen Henley Kate Hussey Hong An Hong Li
Angela Matthews Apha Curtis Glenys M Barker Lynette Willian Edwin Enriquez Jennifer King Yubo Anota Maria Dimech Robyn Smith Heather Mouritz Carol Legalloudec Ragina Kapondoro Kym Nicholson Ashma Shrestha John Kelroy-Yeomans Sangita Shrestha Rosalia Brown Beke Gemechu Mark William Metcalf Chandrika Sirimanne Navjit Kaur Tejal Vyas Sharon Rowe Marlita Twigg Subhadra Rajendra Prasad Esther Wangui Pauline Hooper Deborah Keys Sharon Remphrey Michael O’Keeffe Helen Brumby Binh Thi Doan Mohammad Fahim Tracey Danger Uma Kuppusamy Fatmata Fofamah Evelyn Mcintyre Natasha Schwarz Lorraine Dix Sharon Quick
Dale Amidy Cheryl Van Den Boogard Kylee Rossi Margaret March Pamela Reed Cristopher Flores Ranjani Wimalaratna Elsa Perkins Nena Caparros Marianna Hopper Daprosa Nucup Tanya Vallance Dewi Astuti Suryono Stephanie McCann Cecilio Jr Agra Jeanette Smith Jannene Watkins Chandra Ram Sheila McAdam Lisa Preston Petisi Nasilai Sonya Spence Sulieti Haunga Janet Lester Sushila Devi Surita Talo Janne Thompson Luzviminda Tagos Marie Marr Esme Labotsky Kellie Ford Madhur Kumar Suman Raj Nazia Hassan Susan Bishop Vicki-Lee McCoy Vera Kepa Nirali Patel Rholyn Estenzo Deborah Bryant
Nazmun Nisha Jocelyn Galela Rajeshni Prasad Parmilla Kumar Jenner Rubia Rosita Sesante Fiona Robinson Joebert Alcazaren Solotai Walton Sialasa Toatasi Theresa Dockery Chary Martinez Ngarie Bell Sameer Kadam Donna Cassar Lisa Zurcher Anthonia Nichol Griffith Gavan Rhonnda Cresswell Dianne Jamieson Thai Pham Ettore Cacciola Guy Williams Elizabeth Still Matthew Mahony Alison Wild Kate Harvey Desmond Kirkaldy Zoe Janda Michelle Webb Michael Mansell Gregory Halpin Natasha McCann Sabrina Gidley
35 years Mavis Hyndman Jennifer Wilke Janys Hill Tony Harkness
30 years Irene Mouranga
25 years Pauline Taualii-Tonutonu Judy Lim Julie Stepien Eliza Policarpio Debbie Lawrie Tamara Dale
20 years Kerry Maya Judith Marshall Rosemarie Blackburne Kerry O’Brien Felicity Peace Heather Peck Elizabeth Maxwell Tania Brown Matangaro Oraua Vekene Patricia Harper Linda Hutt Kathy Hyderiotis Gordana Stojanovic Elizabeth Cummins Jody Dann Jeremy Norris
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Bupa Week
Coming again in 2017 Sunday, 7 May Saturday, 13 May
#Grateful