BEAT
SEPT2015
CONNECTING OUR PEOPLE ACROSS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
Caring for our greats Creating many memorable moments
When the doctor calls A night of surprises for one customer
Our journey of reconciliation Bupa launches Reconciliation Action Plan
first word RECYCLE LOGO GOES HERE
Nervous laughter Bupa Dental As a complete nervous wreck when it comes to dentists, I found the service and procedures that were carried out focused not only on my mouth, but also on my wellbeing. This extends from the reassurance and kindness at the reception desk to the calmness and clever sense of humour of the dentist and his assistants.
Completely covered Health Insurance They provide good cover over a wide amount of services. I am happy to recommend Bupa to anyone looking for quality health care insurance.
Money matters Financial Services I have health and car insurance with Bupa. It puts my mind at ease to know that I have two policies with a great company and the fact that I get discount for having both.
Get motivated Bupa Medical TeleHealth I congratulate you on your coaching program. It’s good to see that my health company, Bupa, is taking the steps to make us have an overview of our health and help us put it in place so that as we age we’re going to be better off for it. Thank you very much and please keep up the good work.
Sight & sound Bupa Optical They were very helpful, they listened to my needs and what I wanted and were just very caring.
Care fully
Smile therapy
Bupa Care Services NZ - Care Homes Fantastic people that do a sensational job in challenging situations. I have the utmost respect for all they do and am incredibly grateful.
Medical Visa Services Loved the entire process with Bupa. Good location, not too crowded, clean and tidy, quick process friendly people and doctors, I enjoyed my health assessment :)
Bupa Dental I was very pleased and impressed with the whole experience - from making the appointment, to the confirmation call the day before my appointment. The dentist was very nice and very thorough. He explained exactly what he was doing and what treatment was required going forward. He made my next appointment and gave me a quote of how much the treatment would be. The girls on the reception desk were very nice and I claimed and paid the balance. Very professional.
No worries
Well connected
Bupa Care Services Australia My dad is in the best of care and I never feel worried having him there. They constantly keep us up to date with any problems no matter how small.
Bupa Care Services NZ - Medical Alarms I have found all my connections with all Bupa people very satisfying - friendly - helpful and I enjoy getting a birthday card each year from Bupa. Thank you.
Clean bill of health
10 BEAT 11 15
SEPT2015
CONNECTING OUR PEOPLE ACROSS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
Caring for our greats Creating many memorable moments
When the doctor calls A night of surprises for one customer
Our journey of reconciliation Bupa launches Reconciliation Action Plan
Our cover: Sheila Williams, a Nursing Assistant at Bupa Banora Point, plays a key role in Bupa’s Reconciliation Action Plan (see page 15) Cover graphics designed by Marcus Lee Design
Another win for our Traralgon ‘Greats’ Appearing in front of a crowd of 60,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was just the ticket for the residents of Bupa Traralgon.
Doctor in the house
A house call from the doctor was only the first in a night full of surprises for one Bupa Health Insurance customer.
Our first steps on a journey
Bupa’s first Reconciliation Action Plan was launched in June this year, during National Reconciliation Week.
4 Making a difference
20 Reap more than is sown
6 A day in the life
21 Hearing aids the world
7 Awake to every possibility 22 Thinking on our feet 8 Mission Impossible
24 Rhythms
12 Health & Wellbeing
26 Bupa Brain Trainer
14 Everyday Hero
27 Bupa Doctor
16 A healthy partnership
28 Bupa Bites
18 Positivity, passion & Chinese music
30 Community connections
contents
31 Years of Service
You can also read Beat magazine online at bupabeat.com.au
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Making a difference in health & care Our new brand communications program in Australia showcases the breadth of what we do and reflects the different aspects of care we offer the whole community. We know that when customers understand our range of services, they stay with us longer and trust us more. That’s why we are sharing this story, featuring over very own people, residents and customers.
Watch the stories online You can find all the commercials and some extra info about each of the four care strategies at bupa.com.au/healthandcaring
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Preventing a second heart attack
Putting people first
“The scary thing about heart disease is that it can happen to anyone at any age,” says Bupa dietitian Christine Wong. 54-yearold John Langdon found that out the hard way. As a fit, keen cyclist and triathlete, he was understandably shocked both to have a heart attack following a training ride and subsequently discover that one of his arteries was 90% blocked. Now Christine is John’s Bupa health COACH as part of his rehabilitation program. “We have a chat,” John says, “so she’s not lecturing me. But she’s certainly checking how I’ve been going since the last time.” Christine’s encouragement and advice has helped him lose nine kilograms, and John’s wife Ursula appreciates her support: “It’s been good for him to have someone to talk to that’s not his wife!”
Another approach the campaign illustrates is the emphasis in Bupa care homes on getting to know residents as individuals. That ‘person first’ approach starts with creating a map of each resident’s life: a ‘storyboard’ that puts their current selves into a broader context. The board may include photos of their families, where they used to live or some of their hobbies – all cues to help the Bupa team talk to them about the things they value. This approach takes on an added dimension when it’s applied to residents who are living with dementia. As Margaret Ryan, our Head of Dementia, explains: “Knowing a person’s background helps us to understand what the person may be trying to tell us. If we try to understand the person first, then we can come up with ways of giving them the support and comfort they need.”
The power of music
Helping to break down isolation
Pauline Collyer is a great believer in the therapeutic value of music and her work as the Lifestyle Co-ordinator at Bupa Aged Care in Tugun, Queensland is helping to prove her point. Hearing one of the Tugun residents singing to himself prompted Pauline to encourage him to sing for other residents and led to the formation of a choir that now practices every week, puts on concerts and leads rousing singalongs. “I think music is very important in everyone’s life,” Pauline says. “But when you’re talking aged care, it can trigger so many memories. There are some residents who can struggle to put their words together, but if you sing a song they know, they can sing along and know all the words. I see them come alive.”
One TV commercial opens with a sign that welcomes travellers to Trangie, “Population 1000”, in central New South Wales. Growing up in a small country town can be idyllic, but it can also be a struggle if you’re a little boy who has trouble making himself understood because of a speech impediment. You can become isolated from your schoolmates and family as well as the wider world. The new campaign shows how the Bupa Health Foundation is helping young Riley and Troy grow in confidence through its support for a telecare program run by Royal Far West that gives them lessons from a speech therapist based in Sydney. “Once he started speaking better and his mates could understand him,” says Riley’s dad, Steve, “he started mucking around with his mates more and participating in class more. His confidence has just gone through the roof.”
Some shots from our new campaign: The power of music (main) Helping to breakdown isolation (top) Preventing a second heart attack (centre) Our people first approach (bottom)
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7.00am What is the first thing Health Coach and Dietitian, Natalie Opasinis does after jumping out of bed in the morning? Eat breakfast of course! “I never go without it and always have muesli, yoghurt and fresh fruit… every morning without fail!” 8.00am Natalie catches a train into work each morning, but jumps off one stop before the city to walk the remaining distance into town as one of her ‘energy bursts’ of the day. 8.45am Natalie has a quick check of emails first up and then organises a rousing burst of games and energising activities to get her fellow Health Coaches in a positive and happy frame of mind. “It’s important to get the Health Coaches in the right mindset so they can positively help others,” explains Natalie. 9.30am Health Coaching activities begin and Natalie starts contacting her regular customers with advice and motivation, ranging from weight loss and cholesterol improvements, to exercise and diet. Natalie can speak to as many as seven people in
the first few hours of the day, so between calls she stands up and walks around to keep her energy levels high.
3.45pm A quick one-on-one with her manager provides ongoing feedback on Natalie’s performance at an individual level.
12.30pm Lunch is in the kitchen with the whole team, and always a stand-up affair – “because we’ve been sitting down a lot during the morning,” says Natalie. “Coming from an Italian family, there is always plenty of food at home, so my lunch is typically left-over pastas and salads.”
4.00pm Daily team huddle in the kitchen with all Health Coaches to analyse customer progress and discussions during the day.
1.30pm Natalie undertakes a round of calls to potential customers, explaining how they might benefit from Bupa Medical TeleHealth’s services.
4.45pm Natalie spends the last 15 minutes of work on professional development and uses the time to read the many resources and materials on hand.
3.00pm Back to the ‘games corner’ (a dedicated space for Health Coaches to re-energise) for a quick pick-me-up that might include undertaking a word jumble or mindfulness colouring-in.
6.00pm Big welcome home cuddle for her beloved Cavoodle, Stella, and then off for a walk with her.
3.15pm Natalie hosts a meeting of the Health Coaches Social Committee to brainstorm ideas for activities that can further build team morale and motivation, such as getting a footy tipping competition up and running amongst the coaches.
4.15pm Respond to regular customers who may have missed their planned morning session and provide instant feedback or reschedule a future appointment.
5.00pm Head back home.
6.30pm Yoga sessions two nights a week to help both body and mind. 7.30pm Natalie enjoys a typically big family meal with her mum and sister. 9.30pm Bedtime and Natalie listens to music while writing in her diary before drifting off to sleep.
A day in the life Natalie Opasinis Not only does Bupa Medical TeleHealth Coach Natalie Opasinis have to keep herself motivated to help her many customers, but as head of the team’s social committee, she also has to help motivate all the other health coaches during the day as well! First time you’ve heard of Bupa Medical TeleHealth? Learn more on page 29. 6 | BEAT
Customer Story
Awake to every possibility David Norcross doesn’t confine his interest in his patients’ health to fixing problems with their teeth. Like many dentists, Dr David Norcross of Kelmscott Dental in Perth recognises the relationship between oral health and other medical conditions and is keen to gain a better understanding of those links. That interest has just turned Gerry Hart’s life around. “I’d seen Gerry for the past two years and always struggled to treat him because he has a big tongue and a narrow jaw,” says David. When David also saw signs that Gerry had been grinding his teeth, he put two and two together and came up with the right answer. “I knew something was wrong with me, but I put it down to age,” says Gerry. His doctors had been trying to find a cause for his high blood pressure without success. Then Gerry went to see David. “Just by looking he said: ‘You’ve probably got sleep apnoea’ and offered to call my doctor.” While he had known for years that narrow jaws can contribute to breathing problems, David had only recently learned of the link between patients grinding their teeth and sleep apnoea. That was on a course Bupa is encouraging dentists to take to help them understand the latest treatment innovation: a dental device similar to a mouthguard called a mandibular advancement splint.
Not all doctors take kindly to being given advice about their patients by dentists, but Gerry’s GP duly referred him to a sleep clinic. A monitoring device then revealed that Gerry stopped breathing an average of 60 times an hour all night. No wonder he felt exhausted all the time. “I knew I snored, but I used to fall asleep when I was driving. It was terrible.” Often Gerry also had to be nudged awake after dozing off in the audience at the theatre, but a health problem wasn’t the only possible explanation. Gerry gets up at a quarter to three each morning and works split shifts. Most of us would be a bit prone to dozing off with a routine like that. Nevertheless, relieving his sleep apnoea has made an enormous difference. “I’m so grateful that David took it on himself to tell me,” says Gerry. “It’s made my life so much better.” And Gerry isn’t just better company at the theatre. “The doctor said to me: ‘You could have had a stroke or heart problems or just died in your sleep.’” “Dentists are really on the front line sometimes with issues like this,” says David. “It was good to be part of such a great outcome.”
Dr David Norcross, Kelmscott Dental, Perth
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One Bupa
2015 Global Breakt Award hrough Finalis t Being One B Catego upa ry
It was a very white Christmas for Jo Powell at the Cambridge Manor Care Home, UK in December 2014
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Two New Zealand care home team members were dreaming of a quiet Christmas rather than a white one until they were parachuted into the Bupa UK network in early December last year to lend a helping hand. It sounds like a tough mission: fly across the world at a moment’s notice to help out a care home network in need of some extra firepower. It’s a tribute to the spirit and practicality of “One Bupa” that both the crack operatives who made the journey – Jo Powell and Jackie Mackenzie-Howe – found it a very rewarding as well as a very intense experience. “We came away so invigorated by the work, and glad that we were able to support the local team,” says Jo. “While initially surprised by the arrival of the Southern Hemisphere imports, the local teams made us feel very welcome and soon got in behind us, including additional support from Rebecca Pearson and Julie Stephens from the broader Care Services UK team.” What Jo and Jackie found when they arrived was that a number of the British managers had left and morale was low, leading to a high level of team absenteeism in certain homes. The remaining people were run off their feet trying to support and cover the homes in the region. British Care Homes chief Andrew Cannon spoke to Grainne Moss, the NZ MD, who identified Jo as an ideal troubleshooter based on her success running big teams in New Zealand. Jo suggested Jackie, one of her Care Home Managers, go too as she believed that more could be achieved with the two of them working together. There wasn’t a lot of time for second
thoughts. “Before we knew it, we were on the plane,” says Jackie. They flew out of New Zealand just five days after first hearing about the problem. “We arrived in England on Sunday and started work on the Monday,” Jo recalls. “We just got in our cars and got on with it.” Jo had been told she would be looking after seven homes – five fewer than in New Zealand. “I thought ‘this will be a walk in the park.’ Then I discovered there were only three managers in place and had a few sleepless nights.” Jo installed Jackie to manage Wentworth Croft, a multi-site facility in Bretton Gate, Peterborough that had been embargoed – meaning it was suspended from admitting new residents. “They were in a bit of a mess,” says Jackie, “but there was a core senior team who made it so much easier for me. I need to give a shout-out to Kate, my secondin-command; Janet, a senior co-ordinator; Nicky, the financial administrator; and Andy, the head chef.” For Jackie, the “disheartened and disillusioned” team needed to see some leadership. “It wasn’t rocket science, it was pure management. Every morning we had a strategy meeting to decide what we were going to do for the day.” Jackie says it was largely a matter of rebuilding confidence, but Jo also pushed the recruiting of new managers into overdrive so she and Jackie could bring them up to speed before they came home again. When Jo and Jackie flew back to New Zealand just eight weeks later, there had already been a huge turnaround. Since then, the whole network has gone from strength to strength and the embargo on Wentworth Croft has been lifted, which Jackie describes as an “amazing result.” No medals were awarded for Jo and Jackie’s valiant efforts, but their readily transferable skills have since been recognised with promotion. Jo was quickly invited back to the UK as Area Director. Jackie has just become the Central Operations Manager of
Jo Powell (far left) with the Bupa team from Cambridge. Bupa Villages in New Zealand. Jackie was also delighted when Kate, her deputy at Wentworth Croft, was recently confirmed as the permanent Manager there. Jo and Jackie are also quick to acknowledge that they were only able to leave at such short notice because the teams they left behind in New Zealand are so stable and efficient. For both of them, the whole adventure illustrates how much can be achieved when good people are given strong support. And that principle applies on both sides of the world. “
Supporting Bupa’s world team “ While initially surprised by the arrival of the Southern Hemisphere imports, the local teams made us feel very welcome and soon got in behind us.”
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#CaringForOurGreats
Another win for our Traralgon ‘Greats’ As six residents of Bupa Traralgon stepped out onto the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in front of more than 60,000 people in June, they were redefining the concept of a ‘Great Day Out’. The Traralgon residents were there as an extension of Caring for our Greats, the Bupa initiative designed to encourage people to connect and spend time with their ‘greats’ – mums, dads, nannas, grandads, older neighbours or mentors. The theme has also been adopted by Australian Football League (AFL) Club, Hawthorn, which is sponsored by Bupa, to honour past players. On that very memorable Saturday afternoon, the families of the Bupa residents were able to watch their Greats get a heroes’ welcome as they stood on the sacred sporting turf. While some of the mighty roar they heard may have been for the players who ran through the guard of honour rather than the residents who formed it, we like to think the presence of the Bupa Greats helped inspire the Hawthorn Hawks to their victory over the Essendon Bombers. For resident Ted Lane, just being out there with his beloved Hawks was an
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Our Traralgon ‘Greats’ arriving at the MCG for the Hawks v Bombers clash incredible treat. “Being on the field at the MCG was an amazing experience for me,” he says. “I grew up watching the games and never thought that one day I would actually be on the field.” “We care so much for our residents that we’d go to the moon and back to help them in any way we can,” says Lorraine Fancke, the Lifestyle Co-Ordinator at Bupa Traralgon. “Caring for our Greats is really an extension of our ‘people first’ approach to resident care, and now it has also provided us with an opportunity to create even more special moments in the lives of our residents.” One part of the Caring for our Greats initiative is a social media campaign encouraging people to upload a ‘selfie’ with their ‘greats’ and then share a story online for a chance to win tickets to the 2015 AFL Grand Final. The team at Bupa Traralgon used this
initiative as the catalyst for their own very special day at the MCG. “We packed our lunches and then jumped on the bus for the two-hour drive into Melbourne,” explains Ruth Ryan, Lifestyle Co-Ordinator at Bupa Traralgon. Ruth even bought a Hawthorn jumper to wear for the day to make it more special for the residents, despite being a passionate Collingwood supporter! But as well as creating great, new moments for the residents, the team at Bupa Traralgon make sure previous great moments are celebrated. “Our residents have lived such full lives and have so much to offer, that we want them to remember and celebrate the positive aspects of their past,” explains Lorraine. “So once a week we hold a Reminiscence Group, where a volunteer encourages residents to reminisce about the great things in their lives as well as running old-time quizzes and group activities.”
Customer Story
For Bupa Health Insurance customer Theona Ebutt, a sore and swollen finger on the Saturday of a long weekend meant a night of surprises. But luckily the last surprise was a very welcome one!
Doctor in the house “Basically I had a sore finger, and coming from a Greek family, everyone had either a strange remedy to offer, like putting Windex on it, or convinced me ‘it will be fine, just leave it alone’,” explains Theona. But late Saturday evening, the finger started to swell quite badly and Theona took action into her own hands. “I jumped on ‘Dr Google’ and determined that I most likely had an infection in my finger. Also, most of the information suggested that if I left it untreated, it could become quite bad and I might even risk losing my finger, which was quite a shock,” says Theona. As the mother of two young children, Theona has a strong network of friends on a Facebook ‘Mother’s Group’ and they were the next source of advice. “My friends said to call the National
Home Doctor Service, which I had never done before. I was very reluctant to call, thinking I would be taking up the time of the Doctor who should be treating someone much sicker than me,” says Theona. But her friends convinced her that was just the point; to keep you out of hospital emergency rooms if you don’t need to be there. Once she called the National Home Doctor Service, Theona was told that a General Practitioner could be at her door within three hours, and they would keep in touch with progress reports during that time. “My husband was away and I was worried about how I would get to the pharmacy with my two young children asleep. So it was a very pleasant surprise to find out my Bupa membership allowed the medication to be brought to my home by
the Doctor. And, the best surprise of all, the medication didn’t cost me anything more because that was covered by Bupa as well.” Jonathan Spiers, Head of Customer Value Proposition, explains that this exclusive agreement with the National Home Doctor Service is another part of Bupa’s ambition to make health and care services easy and personalised for members. “This arrangement is unique to Bupa members, in that they are automatically covered for the cost of the medication brought to their door by the National Home Doctor Service.” “I’ve been with Bupa forever,” says Theona. “I was delighted to find out I got such a bonus for being a member. The Doctor who arrived was lovely and he had the appropriate medication so I could start the treatment for my infected finger straight away. And now it’s all fixed, and it didn’t cost me a thing!”
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Health & Wellbeing
Spring 1 2 Health & Wellbeing content provided by Bupa’s Health Content Team
into Spring
As we shed the winter woollies and throw open the windows, it’s a great time to have a think about some health and wellbeing goals to help you clear out the cobwebs. So here are four positive actions you can take to help you greet spring with a healthier, happier you!
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Put a spring in your step
Enjoy seasonal delights
If you hibernated over winter to hide from the chill, your exercise habit might have taken a bit of a back seat. As the days start getting longer and warmer, why not take the opportunity to get it going again?
Beat food fatigue by clearing out the fridge and pantry, and stocking up on new healthy recipes that take advantage of the great spring produce available.
Start by keeping a diary of the activity you do each day to build awareness of how active you are now. This becomes a benchmark that you can try and improve on. If you trade just 30 minutes of sitting time for active time each day, that’s more than three hours of extra activity in your week. Find fun, new ways to start moving more. If you’re not sure you can stick with a new program, find a friend to be your exercise buddy, and make a plan together — that way you can motivate each other!
Bupa dietitian Rosalyn D’Angelo reminds us that eating seasonally not only supports our farmers, it’s also good for our health. “Local seasonal produce is harvested at its peak, when it has the most flavour and nutritional content,” she says. Not only that, she adds, but the variety of seasonal fruit and veg can help ensure we get a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals. In spring, make the most of vitamin C-rich citrus fruits like lemon, and veggies like woody asparagus and flavoursome fennel that add fibre to your diet. They are great ingredients as a base for tasty seasonal combos – try fennel with cabbage and ruby-red pomegranate; or grill some asparagus then top with feta, a splash of olive oil and lemon juice, and add a handful of pine nuts or slivered almonds.
3
Clean out the clutter
If you’re facing a desk piled high with unfiled paperwork, wardrobes full of clothes you never wear, and cupboards full of items you don’t remember buying, it might be time for – you guessed it! – a spring clean. Start with a checklist of all the areas you want to clean or tidy, then prioritise them in an order that suits you. You might want to work from most visible messes to least, or tackle them from hardest to easiest to clean (or vice versa!), or go room by room until you’ve completed every task. The great thing about planning first is it can help you stay motivated by being able to see your progress as you tick items off your list, and you’re less likely to waste your time and effort.
4
Stop being sneezy & wheezy One of the most common health issues people deal with in spring is hayfever, although it can affect some people all year round. If you have hayfever, you may notice symptoms such as a blocked and runny nose, coughing, blocked sinuses, and generally feeling unwell. Health professionals often recommend antihistamines for mild symptoms of hayfever, along with nasal sprays which can help reduce inflammation and clear nasal passages. Sometimes, however, these treatments don’t work, especially for people new to Australia and not previously exposed to the allergens. If that’s true for you, talk to your doctor about other treatments available that may help treat your allergies. Whatever you’re planning on doing for better health and wellbeing this season, don’t delay – spring to it!
A protein-packed start to the day Poached egg with smoked salmon, avocado and lemon Are you working hard at the gym on a spring body transformation? In order to maximise muscle recovery and growth after yesterday’s strength training, the body needs 20-30g of protein every few hours. A typical serve of cereal with milk, or a couple of slices of wholegrain toast with your everyday spread, will provide far less than this (approximately 10g). Even if you aren’t taking part in regular physical activity, increasing your protein intake at breakfast may have benefits for weight management, as the protein helps you to feel fuller for longer, which can help control your appetite. Try this protein-rich recipe to kick start your day. It will help you get some essential omega-3 fatty acids too! By Nick Green — Bupa, Accredited Practising Dietitian
Ingredients 1 extra large egg Vinegar 1 slice thick wholegrain bread 30g slice smoked salmon 1 tbs avocado 1 lemon wedge Pepper (to taste)
Method Boil water in a small saucepan or frying pan. Once the water reaches boiling point turn the heat down to a simmer, add a splash of vinegar and crack an egg into the water. Toast the bread. Once toasted, spread the avocado on the toast, squeeze the lemon over the avocado, and place the salmon on top onto the avocado. Place the egg on the smoked salmon and season with pepper.
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Mel Fletcher (second from left) at the Forgotten Blind Orphanage
“ Local children born with disfiguring medical conditions can be seen as a source of shame by their families, who often don’t register their births and may try to prevent their children even being seen in public.”
EverydayHero Mel Fletcher
Mel Fletcher is passionate about helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives; and this commitment isn’t just extended to the residents that she cares for at Bupa Bellarine in Victoria, it also stretches internationally to those in need across the globe. 14 | BEAT
Mel and her husband spend their holidays supporting causes that are close to their hearts. The most recent charity they have started supporting is Lombok’s Forgotten Children, which helps children with disfiguring and life threatening medical conditions. So far Lombok’s Forgotten Children has raised more than $20,000 for its cause. “Local children born with disfiguring medical conditions can be seen as a source of shame by their families, who often don’t register their births and may try to prevent their children even being seen in public,” Mel said. “Lombok’s Forgotten Children tracks down these children and registers their births, which then gives them access to free care through the Indonesian health system. That simple step paves the way for surgery to manage problems like hydrocephalus, which is fluid on the brain that can cause massive swelling and result in brain damage or death.” Mel has also helped out on the program’s monthly food runs to remote villages and visited its Forgotten Blind Orphanage. “It’s a fantastic cause,” says Mel, “it really is.” One aspect of it that really appeals to her is the multiplier effect of using donations to help children access public aid. “The $20,000 raised so far has created $250,000 worth of aid. It gives you a real kick that $20,000 can do so much,” Mel said. Now the whole community around Bupa Bellarine, through holding various fundraising initiatives, is sharing that feeling of satisfaction in helping disadvantaged children lead longer, healthier, happier lives. As well as supporting the ongoing work with $200 a month, Bupa Bellarine has paid for the prosthetic limbs that have transformed the lives of five children. “Some of our residents at Bupa Bellarine are involved with the charity and some of their families are even coming along to the fundraisers that we host,” Mel said. “It’s great to know that our money is being put to such good use. And it’s good for the residents to know one of their carers has been on the ground seeing the work in action.” If you would like any details about this organisation please email scottandmelfletcher@hotmail.com
Our first major step on a journey of reconciliation Bupa’s first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) was launched in June this year, during National Reconciliation Week. It is Bupa’s vision for reconciliation to see the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health closed. To achieve this vision, Bupa is using its health and care expertise and working together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations. Sheila Williams, a Nursing Assistant at Bupa Banora Point, is the first Aboriginal member of the Working Group and feels “privileged to be part of the process at Bupa”. With a deep understanding of her culture, Sheila worked at the Minjungbal Aboriginal Culture Centre for 10 years and is from the local Gumbaynggir people. Sheila recently secured a full-time position at Bupa Banora Point after a successful work experience placement. “A deep part of Aboriginal culture is our respect and care for the elderly. I love looking after the elderly and wanted to make a difference to their lives and that is why I was so happy to get the position at the Bupa Banora Point Care Home.” And it seems
that Sheila is settling in very nicely with the residents – so much so that one particular gentleman always sings songs to her during the day, including his favourite “It’s a long way to Tipperary”! Whilst the initial RAP is a two year plan, it is only just the beginning of a much bigger journey. For Sheila, there are many other areas that can benefit from reconciliation. “It is also valuing justice and equality in education and employment.” For Wurundjeri Tribe elder, Aunty Diane Kerr, the RAP is “very important and says that you care and that you are willing to assist us”. “Because if we can show that we truly understand each other, then because of that understanding, we can live in harmony and peace,” concluded Aunty Diane at the launch.
“ Reconciliation to me as an Aboriginal woman means bridging the gap between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians and to have a respect and an understanding of our people and culture.” Sheila Williams
Reconciliation is everyone’s responsibility. We are calling for more Indigenous employees to join Bupa’s reconciliation journey. For more information please email corporateresponsibility@bupa.com.au
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Sydney’s largest development project since the 2000 Olympics is also the site of Bupa’s latest important innovation in workplace health.
A healthy partnership for thousands of work Bupa is leading the charge in understanding the issues surrounding workplace health as well as providing tailored services to major employers to help them improve the overall health and wellbeing of their teams. “Most major corporations believe a happy and healthy workforce will actually drive increases in productivity,” explains Dean Holden, the Managing Director of Bupa ANZ. “But very few, only about 20%, actually do anything about it. And that’s a huge gap. Bupa is well positioned to work with companies to provide health and wellbeing
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services for their entire workforces to help bridge the gap between belief and action.” One such company is the major global property developer, Lendlease. Since late 2012, Bupa has developed a strong health insurance and wellness relationship with Lendlease across Australia and New Zealand. And in April 2014, Lendlease presented a partnership opportunity to Bupa that was beyond the scale of anything that had been previously handled by the Australian team. As the developer revitalising Sydney’s former container precinct at Barangaroo
South, Lendlease will have approximately 3000 workers onsite this year. Bupa was asked to deliver a world-class health and wellbeing program for the project and its employees. Drawing on the expertise of the Workplace Health Consulting and Bupa Wellness teams, a highly customised solution was created for Lendlease. Its centrepiece is the Barangaroo Wellness Clinic that opened last October. “As part of the Wellness Clinic, Bupa offers First Aid and Wellness services to all of Lendlease’s employees working on the Barangaroo South site,” explains Dean. The
2015 Global Breakt Award hrough Finalis Health t ca
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to Milli re Partner on Categos More ry
collaboration has achieved outstanding results to date, with approximately 780 number of workers visiting the on-site clinic since October last year. It has been discovered that some of the more mature workers on the building site had been living with chronic health conditions and illness for many years, without seeking medical help. Workers have really embraced the Wellness Centre and many now have an enhanced understanding of their health status and what they need to do to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. The Barangaroo Wellness Clinic also
provides first aid, with more than two-thirds of the injured workers being treated on the spot and able to go straight back to work. In conjunction with Lendlease, Bupa is gathering information on the context in which these injuries occur, like the times of day they are most likely to happen and any associated dietary or safety issues, to help Lendlease take preventative action in the future. Bupa is also exploring how further services such as a nutrition review and dental screenings, can be brought into the the initiative to further improve the health and wellbeing of Lendlease’s employees.
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Mychelle McArthur, Store Manager, Bupa Chatswood
Positivity, passion and Chinese classical music
Denise El Deeb. Health Insurance Customer Relations Specialist, Adelaide
The surprising ingredients of amazing success Two very different Bupa business success stories have one thing in common: the passion of the individuals who are helping their respective teams reach new heights.
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Mychelle McArthur says her peers ask her for the ‘secret’ of her amazing success as the store manager of Health Insurance’s Bupa Chatswood branch, where the team has achieved 60% growth in her first year. She thinks they probably expect her to mention a new management technique or sales system she’s put in place. But for Mychelle, it’s not about a process, it’s about the people: “I’ve walked in to find this wonderful group and just sorted out what they needed. This massive lift is all down to them.” What they probably needed most – and what we could all do with a daily dose of – is Mychelle’s irresistibly positive approach to her whole life and other people’s. She is a single mother of six trying to learn a bit of Chinese in her spare time while studying for an MBA. Yet she dismisses surprise at her own achievements and is full of admiration for her team members’ accomplishments. Most of them are bilingual, one of them speaks three languages and their latest recruit is one of the country’s leading players of the guzheng, a Chinese plucked zither. When Dondon Li happened to have the guzheng with her at work one day, Mychelle took the chance to have her play it in the store. That unusual recital is emblematic of her approach to engaging with the community at every level – and having fun. “I don’t think you have to be successful to be happy,” says Mychelle, “but I think you have to be happy to be successful.”
Another example of Bupa seeing extraordinary business performance through an individual’s passion to achieve amazing results is because of Denise El Deeb. Denise is one of seven Health Insurance Customer Relations Specialists based in Adelaide whose own extraordinary success has been in resolving and reducing the number of ‘escalated complaints’ – difficulties with Bupa customers that can’t be sorted out by the first or second person who deals with them. It’s no easy task. “By the time they get through to us, people are often quite upset,” she says. And there’s a real danger that the problems will get out of hand. “We’re the final team within the business with the chance to resolve issues, so we act on behalf of the Leadership Team as well as the customer. You’ve got to get that balance right.” On the other hand, the scale of the challenge makes reaching a successful outcome even more worthwhile. “You get a real sense of satisfaction.” The starting point for Denise is seeing the problem from the customer’s point of view: “I always like to stand in the customer’s shoes to see how they might perceive it. We understand health insurance, but it is very complex. So sometimes we have to educate members about why they’re not getting a benefit.” When it’s simply a matter of educating members, you’d hope a dispute wouldn’t escalate in the first place, and that has been a key to the team’s spectacular
The wisdom of Mychelle “ I don’t think you have to be successful to be happy, but I think you have to be happy to be successful.”
results in the first six months of this year, with complaints down by 20% overall and disputes that are referred to the ombudsman falling by 49%. “My main passion is to investigate the problem and drill down to the root cause,” says Denise. “If you don’t get to the root cause, the error’s going to happen again and again.” It’s not just a matter of finding out what went wrong, but giving Bupa people positive feedback to help them avoid repeating mistakes. “We treat it as a learning and coaching opportunity rather than making them feel they’ve done something wrong,” she explains. Like the sales team at Chatswood, Denise and her fellow Customer Relations Specialists now have the score on the board to show they’re doing nearly everything right.
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Team Member
Reaping much more than is sown Gary Cleghorn
Gary’s reward “ Several of the residents spoil me and my team with their home baking to say thanks. And that’s about the best recognition anyone can get.”
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Gary Cleghorn from the Cashmere View Retirement Village in Christchurch, New Zealand started his career as a mechanic, but a change of heart drove him towards gardening a number of years ago. Since then, Gary has won multiple awards for his Retirement Village gardens as well as enhancing the lives of the many residents who share in the beauty of the surroundings he creates. “I’m not a trained gardener, but I’ve always loved it since I was very young, following my mother around the garden picking up her skills,” explains Gary. “And a lot of the residents here are very knowledgeable about gardening, so I learn from them as much as hopefully they gain from me.” Starting work at the Cashmere View Retirement Village in 2011, Gary found the gardens to be in a very sad state, as well as the neighbouring old care home site, Ashgrove House, that was about to be demolished after the Christchurch earthquakes. “I was determined to move as many plants and bulbs to the new site as possible, as well as saving the heritage fruit trees by replanting them to provide that connection with the old property,”
explains Gary. Building on the edible garden theme, Gary has also created six raised vegetable gardens and two herb gardens for the residents to use and enjoy, as well as planting over 90 different roses. “I try and encourage the residents to get out and about in the gardens, and to do their own gardening if possible, as it’s good for the mind as well as your overall fitness,” explains Gary. But apart from being the Village Gardener and Maintenance Person (where his former mechanical skills come in very handy) Gary has also organized two social groups, a Garden Club and a Men’s Club, that provide invaluable friendship opportunities and support for the residents. “Gary does the rounds and reminds the men before the meetings,” enthuses resident, Trevor Higgins. “The Men’s Club has been of huge benefit and has been paramount in the men getting to know each other. Our Gary is one of the finest.” Gary is very proud of the numerous awards his gardens have won in the Bupa Retirement Village Garden competition, including ‘Best in Show’ in 2014 and runner up in 2015. But it’s the heartfelt gestures from the residents that provide Gary with his greatest rewards.
Customer Story
Bupa Hearing aids the world
Bupa Hearing launched in May this year with a pilot in three Bupa Optical Melbourne stores. And as one Bupa customer illustrates, improved hearing can not only make a big difference to him, but also to those he helps. Neil Allan is, in his own words, ‘a typical male who kept putting off getting a new hearing aid for as long as possible’. But Neil’s reason for needing a new hearing aid was anything but typical. “My wife and I are travelling to Cambodia to undertake a course in teaching English as a Second Language,” he explains. “And after completing the course, we will be volunteering for three months in a school for disadvantaged children teaching English.” It took a direct marketing letter from Bupa, explaining that Audiology Services were now available at Bupa Optical, to spur Neil into action. “I needed to talk to Bupa about my cover while I was away, and when I found out they did hearing services as well, I made an appointment. Because if I’m going to Cambodia to teach small children, I really need to be able to hear them.” Neil visited Bupa Hearing in Chadstone, where he was looked after by Bupa Audiologist, Emma Wilce. “I tell my clients that the relationship between us is like a marriage,” says Emma. “To be successful, we have to communicate and you have to tell me how you’re feeling and exactly what’s happening so I can help.”
Emma explains that it’s very important that audiology clients don’t feel like they’re being ‘sold to’ but are receiving professional advice. “The hearing journey we undertake with clients is often a large investment for them,” says Emma. “But the quality of life improvements are huge, because our clients subsequently feel like they can re-engage in many different social situations that they may have previously withdrawn from.” Neil was surprised by how quick and easy the whole process was. “When you put something off for such a long time, the hardest part is just working out where to start to get it all done. But making the appointment was easy and then the whole process was much quicker than I thought. It only took about 10 days from the first appointment to fitting the hearing aids.” While Neil is a satisfied customer, there will be many more people who will benefit from his improved hearing. “There is really no way my wife and I could have volunteered to teach English and been effective with my hearing the way it was. In terms of being confident to take on this big challenge, the hearing aids have made a huge difference.”
Neil Allan’s improved hearing has enabled him to travel to Cambodia to teach English to underprivileged children
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The team at Cedar Manor Care Home in Tauranga, New Zealand, threw a Mid Winter Christmas Ball and put on a dance routine for the residents (left)
Always thinking on our feet
Making Bupa better together Bupa’s Global People Survey (GPS) is our annual employee engagement survey that gives us an understanding of how people are feeling about working at Bupa.
This year’s Global People Survey will run from September 10-30. People will receive an email from IBM, an independent company who runs the GPS survey on behalf of Bupa, detailing all the information you need to complete the survey.
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Christine Gannon, General Manager of Bupa Maroubra in New South Wales is very proud of her home’s low turnover rate, reflecting a high level of team satisfaction that also typically results in strong GPS scores. But Christine isn’t one to rest on her laurels. “If you don’t keep up and make sure you’re always improving, you’ll slide backwards,” she says. The 2014 GPS results for Bupa Maroubra identified three areas where Christine felt some tweaks might help achieve even higher levels of job satisfaction. She felt she could foster a greater sense of teamwork and co-operation, and that her team would appreciate improved access to information on processes and procedures. That could be complemented by enhanced team rewards and recognition. Christine’s team-building initiatives involved moving people around the different departments to give them a greater sense of what each other do, but also to multiskill
them and create flexibility among the team. Another improvement was simply to ensure that her team, especially the registered nurses, had easy access to the processes and procedures applicable to their jobs with online log ins. And finally, enhancing the reward and recognition of her team members involved creating on-the-spot ‘thank yous’ called Personal Best High Fives. “We thought it was important to reward the extra things that our team members do above and beyond their job descriptions by awarding on-thespot Personal Best High Fives, which is a big congratulations in front of the team as well as a gift voucher to say thanks.” Like Christine, Rosanna Stevens from the Health Insurance Hospital Risk and Program Development team in Adelaide identified the value in moving team members around different departments as an action to address from last year’s GPS results. “We found that, while we worked
strongly as a team, we might not understand other teams that well – especially the impact some of our decisions might have on them,” explains Rosanna. So Rosanna encouraged members of her team to go and sit with other departments such as Customer Service for a day, as well as inviting their team members to sit with hers. Ebony Ellis, a Team Manager for Bupa Medical Visa Services Central Operations based in Melbourne, and her team embraced the new Bupa values launched since the last GPS so wholeheartedly that they wrote them into every team members’ scorecard. “We were determined to make a real connection amongst the team with the new values, and didn’t want them to be something we just talk about, but make them something we actually live and breathe as well,” explains Ebony. “So we put the values into everyone’s scorecard and developed action plans around these accordingly.” A vital part of this initiative, however, was
to allow each person to determine the specific values they wanted to put into their scorecard. Ian Dunthorne, Manager of Cedar Manor Care Home in Tauranga, New Zealand, faced a very different picture after last year’s GPS. “We had just gone through significant changes to the roster, which resulted in a number of team members leaving and low morale, and that timing corresponded with the GPS in 2014,” explains Ian. “The survey painted a clear picture that we needed to build team engagement levels, improve reward and recognition programs and draw a closer connection to Bupa’s 2020 goals.” Ian introduced a number of initiatives to build on the findings. These included: a monthly ‘quality theme’ for the team to rally behind; encouraging everyone to join the B-Fit health and wellbeing program, introducing the ‘Caught Being Awesome’ awards nominated by team members; a
team suggestion box and finally, very open and frank team meetings where Ian himself was reviewed with a ‘stop, start, continue’ recommendation of what to do from his team. With a 100% enrolment in the B-Fit program, the team used the funds to undertake dancing lessons before throwing a Mid Winter Christmas Ball for the residents, where they put on a dance routine. Jane Verry, Cedar Manor’s Administrative Assistant, says the dancing lessons were a great team bonding exercise as well as being hilarious. “At the start, we all had two left feet, but we all felt like we had improved enough after two weeks to put on a show for the residents at the Ball. So we invited our dance instructors along as well, and the looks on the faces of the residents during the show was priceless. At the end of the day, all we want to do is make our residents happy, and if we can do that while also having fun bonding with the team, then that is brilliant.”
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rhythms
In his downtime, Louis Dudley, Managing Director Bupa Care Services Australia loves nothing more than hitting the beach for some fitness and mindspace - like how to outsmart and outtech his teenage children! He also has some hidden talents, from rapping to a ‘beat box’ with his kids to running 10km in less than 40 minutes. Why Bupa? I’ve always had a passion for healthcare, even from my days at Deloitte where I naturally gravitated towards the healthcare clients. What I love about Bupa is that it exists purely to help customers and it has a passion for making that real and tangible everyday.
Book on my bedside table I’m currently reading ‘The Consolations of Philosophy’ by Alain De Botton. I feel that in our very busy days, not many people stop and think about what it really means to be human. This book presents the wisdom of the great philosophers in a way that’s relevant for daily life in a very entertaining and humorous way.
Signature dish for the family There’s only one dish that I’m reasonably good at, and the family is happy to eat, and that’s Jamie Oliver’s Fish Pie from his Naked Chef cookbook. Usually with my clothes on…
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My fitness regime I love getting out in the water and used to be a proficient windsurfer back in the day! These days I really enjoy soft sand running along Manly beach, where we live in Sydney, or just getting out and walking the dog.
Family activities My wife Renata, 18 year old son Nicholas and 14 year old daughter Sophie all like challenging each other and taking up new activities that we can enjoy together. Our most recent family activity was riding two wheeled Segway machines around Olympic Park.
Dream job If I wasn’t working for Bupa, I’d secretly like to be a filmmaker. I even undertook a course in Film and Television during my university studies.
Favourite movie
September 10 is the R U OK?™ organisation’s national day of action. The idea behind the campaign is that support for those struggling with life comes from our efforts to have meaningful conversations on a day-to-day basis. Asking, “Are you okay?” is a logical place to start. If you’re concerned that someone you know is doing it pretty tough, ask how they’re going. If they’re not okay, you don’t need to provide advice or solve their problems. Just prompt them to get support from a trusted source, such as the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), or even their local doctor. If it’s a crisis, call an emergency help line like Lifeline or get professional help straight away. Further information Lifeline 13 11 14 24hr Telephone Crisis Support
www.lifeline.org.au
Employee Assistance Program 1300 687 327
www.ruok.org.au
My current favourite film is Safety not Guaranteed, starring Aubrey Plaza, who was also in the US TV series, Parks and Recreation.
‘Hall of fame’ moment Completing a 10km fun run in under 40 minutes. I won’t mention which year it was!
Social media tools Apart from Linked In, the social media tools I use are all photo-based, Instagram and Snapchat, both of which are vital if you want to keep in touch with your kids!
Secret talent Still trying to out ‘beat box’ my son, Nicholas. We have a game in the family where we create a ‘four/four rhythm’ rap that needs to be passed on, with each person building on the other, talking about the family. It’s hard to do this without riotous laughter – particularly in what the kids say about Renata and me!
Bupa Family Challenge The Bupa Family Challenge supporting Healthy Harold is an online program that provides the tools and encouragement for parents and children to develop healthy habits and behaviours together as a family. Families select a themed challenge to participate in for one week, with challenges designed to start and build healthy eating and physical activity habits and behaviour change over time. Since the Bupa Family Challenge partnership started in 2012, over 8,000 families (approximately 32,000 parents and children) have participated. In the last 15 months, 1,260 of these families were Bupa members. Talking to families who participated in the Bupa Family Challenge, more than 94% of families surveyed said that it helped them learn new ways to be healthy as a family, and 93% said that it made an overall difference to their health.
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Break out the coloured pencils and clear the mind with this very different kind of Brain Trainer. The Bupa Medical TeleHealth Coaches use mindfulness colouring in as a way to re-energise during breaks (see page 6). Here for all of us, we reproduce a page from Emma Farrarons’ upcoming book ‘More Mindfulness Colouring’. And as Emma says, the benefits of colouring in are clear to see: “In mindfulness, it is encouraged to break patterns in life by introducing variation to avoid the sensation of being on autopilot”. Illustration extracted from ‘More Mindfulness Colouring’ by Emma Farrarons. Pan Macmillan. $AUD16.00rrp Available October 1, 2015.
26 | BEAT More mindfulness colouring V3.indd 94
07/08/2015 11:26
BupaDoctor Dr Tim Ross
With Spring and the warmer weather approaching, many of us feel like getting out and about more to embrace the spirit of season. In this issue of Beat, our resident doctor breaks down the myths on how much water we need to have each day to stay hydrated and tackles the rather sensitive issue of STIs. Do I need to drink 8 glasses of water a day? The eight glasses of water a day rule is popular as it’s easy to remember. But in reality, fluid intake needs depend on many factors, including your metabolism, how active you are, your age, your health, and the climate you live in. What I can tell you for sure is that up to 70 percent of the body is made up of water, so it is imperative to maintain that hydration. You can use 8 glasses as a benchmark but if you find that this has you running to the toilet to “pee” every couple of hours, you can probably back off a little. Speaking of urine, this is a thing to focus on – if it’s almost colourless or light yellow, you’re probably okay; if it’s dark yellow or has a strong odour, you’re likely to be dehydrated. Other signs of dehydration include headache, fatigue, fuzzy thinking, dry mouth and lack of bladder action. We do get some fluids from our food but the best way to top up is to drink water. Find what strategy works for you, whether it is a water bottle, or drinking a glass of water or
other calorie-free or low-calorie drink with each meal and between each meal. And watch out for caffeinated and alcoholic drinks, which have a diuretic effect. This is medical speak for the fact that they will increase your need to go to the toilet. Remember too that it’s even more important to drink regularly and sufficiently in warmer weather, with exercise, or if you have been ill with a fever or something like diarrhoea. Talk about STIs Why discuss STIs at all, you may ask? Well, spring is the season for the birds and the bees. To help you fully enjoy the season if and when the need arises, it is safer and easier to be armed with information. The two most common forms of STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) show no symptoms in 80% of people who catch them. One is Chlamydia, which can lead to infertility in women. And the other is human papillomavirus (HPV), more commonly known as the wart virus, which can lead to certain cancers.
Fortunately, we now have an HPV vaccine, recommended for young women and men, which can provide highly effective protection against many HPV-related cancers and diseases. For women, having regular Pap smears helps to detect early changes on the cervix that may lead to cervical cancer, and these changes have dropped dramatically since the introduction of the vaccine. And given how common Chlamydia is, particularly in young people, screening is recommended for all sexually active people aged 15-29 years. This infection is easy to treat with a single dose of medication so don’t hesitate to discuss your sexual history with your doctor, as it’s important to detect Chlamydia early in order to minimise potential complications. Protection against STIs is best with condoms, but they are not a 100% guarantee, especially with warts. So, to look after your health, communicate with your partner about safe sex and your sexual history – words before actions is the better play.
Got your own question for Dr Tim? Just email it to askthedoc@bupa.com.au BEAT | 27
Introducing Find Me Watch
Bupa joins NCD alliance
Bupa’s Medical Alarms team in New Zealand will be launching the very first find-me Bupa Carers Watch in October this year.
In May, Bupa announced a new partnership with the NCD Alliance (NCDA) to encourage employers to become more active partners in their people’s health and wellbeing. The NCDA is a network uniting over 2,000 organisations from 170 countries, which aims to prevent suffering and death caused by NCDs, noncommunicable, largely preventable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, chronic respiratory disease and dementia.
Building on the Medical Alarms team’s expertise in providing ‘in home’ monitoring and safety services, the find-me Bupa Carers Watch now allows for this same high level of support outside of the home. The watch has a number of safety features, including: GPS tracking, to allow for remote monitoring of the user; a SIM card that enables phone calls to be received; an SOS alert button that links directly to the Monitoring Response Centre and a fall sensor that alerts the response centre automatically should it detect a fall. The direct link to the Monitoring Response Centre is one of the unique features of this safety device, allowing for an exceptionally high level of personal service and response when required. The watch also links to a web site that allows for the carer to monitor movements outside of the home through the GPS functionality. The find-me Bupa Carers Watch also acts just like a normal timepiece showing users the time of day, as well as speaking it, for those with eyesight difficulties. T o find out more email info@bupa.co.nz
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Partnerships
Information and insights from the world of Bupa to keep you up to date on Global, Market and Business Unit news.
Launch
Bupa Bites
NCDs represent over two thirds of all mortalities, equating to 38 million deaths a year, and are the leading cause of death and disability in the world. The NCD Alliance coordinates global advocacy efforts, drawing upon the expertise and reach of its leading civil society federations, such as the World Heart Federation (WHF), Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), all with whom Bupa already has strong partnerships. Our purpose is longer, healthier, happier lives, and our ambition is to empower millions of people to improve their health. With these complementary goals in mind, NCDA and Bupa will deliver their shared ambitions through workplace health.
Awards
Launch Bupa Medical TeleHealth launch
Sustainability leader
Bupa Medical TeleHealth was launched in August, a new direction and rebrand for our Bupa Health Dialog business.
In August, Bupa ANZ was recognised as an ABA100 Winner for Sustainability in the Australian Business Awards 2015.
TeleHealth represents the delivery of health services and information through telecommunication and information technology.
This award acknowledges the significant investment we have made in carbon reduction initiatives, with the support of the Energy Saver Fund, as part of our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint by 20% by the end of 2015.
Bupa Medical TeleHealth sits alongside Bupa Medical GP Clinics, within our Bupa Medical business, led by Dr Ros Blakley, General Manager, Bupa Medical. Dr Ros Blakley said the rebrand is an opportunity to reposition Bupa as a leader of TeleHealth Services. “We are responding to a changing market, evolving technology and an opportunity to widen our reach to help more people improve their health.” Ros said. New coaching focus areas will include wellness, early intervention and integrated care. The business has already commenced transitioning, with an expanded coaching network to include dietitians, occupational therapists, pharmacists and exercise physiologists, to complement our highly experienced nurses.
To date, we have invested in more than 13,000 solar panels, positioning Bupa as Australia’s largest privately owned rooftop solar power generator in the country. Our Director of Corporate Affairs, Dieter Lehmann, said installing solar panels across care homes is just one example of our collective efforts to operate in an efficient and sustainable way. “We passionately believe that our health is intrinsically linked to a healthy planet and this is why we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint globally, whilst improving our business operations locally”. The award also recognises our efforts to empower our people to make simple sustainable changes to their everyday activities, through our Healthy Planet program.
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Community connections A recent program shows the power of direct connections, and meeting people face-to-face, to better understand the world of Bupa and how we can help our customers. Richard de Haast of the Health Insurance Sales and Growth team often uses technology to help bring the world of Bupa closer together. But for Richard’s latest project, he has replaced chat rooms with tearooms, and is leading the Connecting Bupa Communities program. Using Canberra, Australia as the pilot region, the leaders of the various Bupa businesses in town were assembled in the one place at the one time to help develop closer working relationships. “It was important for the leaders to connect on a personal level, so we kept it deliberately low key,” explains Richard. Sixteen leaders from Bupa Aged Care, Medical Services and Health Insurance sat
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down in the dining room of the new Aged Care facility in Canberra and undertook a facilitated discussion. “It was a fantastic meeting and everyone got to present,” says Katherine Dritsas from Corinna Dental in Woden, part of Bupa Dental. “I didn’t realise how big Bupa is and how many services it offers. I walked away thinking Bupa is really trying to put the customer first, and not just trying to make profits from referrals.” Katherine also got to meet in person the colleagues she might be referring customers towards. “It’s important to know that your patients will be well looked after when you recommend other parts of the business and meeting the Health Insurance team in person certainly gave me that confidence.” Six weeks later, an ideal opportunity for a referral walked into Corinna Dental. “Phillip Christie is one of our regular patients at the practice and he is supported by his parents,” explains Katherine. “Phillip needed an extraction and it wasn’t covered under his existing policy. So we suggested that an upgrade might be helpful in the future and directed Phillip and his mother,
Phillip Christie, Bupa Customer Joy, across the road to the Health Insurance store where Danika Alles, who I’d met at the Connections Meeting, was the manager.” Joy Christie, Phillip’s mother, explains that, as Phillip is on a limited income, such surprises aren’t always that pleasant. “My reaction when I found out that he had to pay for the extraction wasn’t that positive. So the team suggested I look at my son’s policy because they knew he would need more work in the future. I was delighted that just a simple suggestion, arising out of my negative reaction, could have such a positive outcome.” Since then, the Health Insurance team has actively walked across the road with coffees and muffins to hear more about the Corinna Dental practice and discuss the quality of leads being generated through the closer relationship. While there is a lot of focus on One Bupa within the business, Richard de Haast sees the Connecting Bupa Communities project as a highly practical and intimate expression of One Bupa. “Our vision is to make this a part of the fabric of Bupa every quarter and create deeper relationships at a local level between our business leaders.”
Years of Service
Time flies!
Especially when you’re having fun... congratulations!
45 20 15 10 10 10
UP TO
Y E A R S
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Y E A R S
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Carol Mitchell 45yrs
Sergio Carnevale
Gaylene Mason
Indula Abeykoon
Editha Mamawan
Alexandra Casley
Sharyn Taylor
Karen Warne
Sylvia Ajmera
Dorica Roman
Elizabeth Fraser
Sally Debrowski 43yrs
Oswaldo Ventanilla
Iva Tokic
Alana Cantalupo
Sharon Mand
Lynne Gardiner
Gulistan Uyuk
Sandra Kohlhagen 41yrs
Maria Anna Brzostek
Ruth Coker
Bonita Ray
Nadira Khan
Sidonie Davies
Birgit Clifford
Deanna Donohue
Pauline Kernaghan
Sharon Singleton Rae Skipworth
Elizabeth Cavallo 40yrs Guy Miller 39yrs Beverley Benwell 36yrs Phillipa Collins 35yrs
Marilou Llamas
Lorraine Ward
Karen Ebrill
Annie Wong
Kym Manteit
Naharn Nazmun
Glenn Farmer
Alice Chen
Colleen Miley
Jeanette Murphy
Terence Sainsbury
Edna Ferrolino
Sanket Vijay Rayte
Sharen Landy
Megan Rumble
Adrian Harper
Gwen Ge
Nympha Valdez
Ajeshni Singh
May Adams
Aralai Gates
Josephine Gusman
Pasqualina Belperio
Shanti Goundar Reena Mani
15
Toetu Nifo
Yee-Lin Hudson
Jennifer Swales
Margaret Mauro
Adam Longshaw
Anita Nand
Trish Lewis
Ruby Petersingham
Leanne Moore
Pamela Conway
Eileen Murton Margaret Goodrick
Tania Cupit
Heidi Mortensen
Shahandeh Zare
Y E A R S
Rosa Munoz
Shalu Narula
Taslima Akter
Kerry Brown
Karen Grzazek
Faye Peart
Balatripurasun Denduluri
Christine Wells
Chryssoula Bryce
Crisoula Strezos
Jodee Powley
Juleen Whitlam
Leanne Forbes
Charlotte Dorsey
Lyn Stafford
Ashleigh Presser
Selaima Vakauta
Gill Thorp
Kevin Eades
Emeli Haukaitu’U
Raj Rajaeeswaran
Anne Winwood
Margaret Ireland
Anna Georgeou
Tracy Donker
Catherine Richardson
Jake Cleaver
Charlotte Thompson
Ana Iraheta
Atrun Ali
Carmel Slater
Janelle Cooper
Liying Wan
Diane Kocmar
Darren Mason
Daya Chandar
Hema Soma Sundaram
Paul Vu
Anita Singh
Maria Anibaldi 30yrs
25 Y E A R S Wendy Saab
Melody O’Brien
Janine Kidd
Tammy Taylor
Wendy Yeung
Chantell Galvin
Erlinda Marshall
Anne Reinbott
Robyn Chan
Mara Viola
Kathryn Hughes
Luannie Villegas
Sita Bithell
Janelle Williams
Jen Amos
Fatalupe Leu
Amanda Etheridge
Kirirape Waihape
Juanita Bass
Sheela Wati Lal
Tina Beaumont
Jane Andrew
Narelle Kirk
Jan Jackson
Fay Espie
Marissa Sewell
Susan Taylor
Christina Fitzpatrick
Margaret Hayward
Simone De-Feu
Elpida Salonikidis
Sharon Pope
Jacqueline Rhodes
Barbara Saxon
Jacqueline Hepworth
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bupa.com.au/healthandcaring
Making a difference in health and care