Bupa has launched a collaborative pilot programme for its Aged Care business called the Bupa Aged Care Study Tour.
The programme focuses on driving collaboration across its markets, giving employees the chance to come together globally to tackle shared challenges and maximising opportunities. The pilot involved three Care Home Managers who spent one week in the UK and a second week in Australia.
The Study Tour, which took place in October and November 2024, exists to encourage our people to connect, collaborate and learn from each other as well as use the resources available to solve challenges together.
Angie Wiseman, Group Talent, Learning and Engagement Director, said: “When you look across our Market Units it’s more than likely that a challenge or opportunity at one of our businesses has had in the past, or is currently having, is shared by another business across the Bupa world. We know we are moving in the right direction as our most recent People Pulse collaboration score was up three points to 80 – the largest increase we’ve ever made globally on this topic! But there is still more to do so it’s important we keep working together and sharing knowledge across our businesses to drive the continued success.”
Care Home Managers Sirjana, based in Australia, and Victoria and Tracey, based in the UK, share their experiences and what they’ve learnt.
Tell us a bit about the shared challenge you were trying to solve.
Victoria: We had many in-depth conversations about services which could be introduced to our residents living with dementia and their families. We discussed how beneficial it would be if we could join our services to become one, giving our residents the opportunity to access all the services Bupa provides. We also discussed a support line which could be put in place to reassure relatives of any worries they have about their loved one’s dementia progression and provide learning and support.
How have you found working together on your shared challenge?
Tracey: Working together has been easy; we have all got on well and are very likeminded. We have all taken things away from our own care homes and those we visited on the tour. However, it’s important to note, we all have very different homes and therefore not everything will be beneficial to us all.
What challenges have you identified in some of the care homes you have visited which you have also encountered at your care home?
Sirjana: We have encountered similar situations, where family members often have a limited understanding of dementia.
Tracey: The environment and families who struggle to understand dementia.
Are you planning to implement anything in your care home based on what you saw during the study tours?
Sirjana: We will be adding more sensory items for our residents and investing further in education for families and staff. Additionally, we will be creating shopping experiences for our residents to enhance their engagement and wellbeing.
Victoria: I will be adding the option for a resident to choose anything they like for their dinner when it is their time for resident of the day, I got this idea from Tracey.
What were your main takeaways from the Together Event and BVAC forums you had the chance to attend?
Victoria: Care Services UK are very much ‘Together’ and listening is our superpower. There was a great sense of achievement and exciting news about the business as well as good news stories from our residents which proves that Bupa is leading the way for Care Services UK.
Sirjana: The power of teamwork and the importance of living Bupa’s values every day.
Tell us about an interesting story from your tours.
Tracey: I would say the biggest surprise was the swooping birds when we visited Bonbeach Care Home in Melbourne.
Victoria: When Sirjana visited the UK, she brought sachets of vegemite and Tim Tam biscuits to hand out to staff. I travelled to Australia with a catering size box of Caramel Tunnock’s Tea Cakes which weighed about half a kilo, I declared it on landing as I was extremely nervous about bringing it into Australia, however they let me through with no problems.
Also, one resident was kind enough to show me all his artwork in the last home we visited in Melbourne (The Windsor). He was so proud of this work, and I felt privileged to share that moment with him.
Thank you to Sirjana, Tracey and Victoria for letting us in on your journey, it’s great to hear about how much you have learnt from the care homes you visited and the ideas that you are going to incorporate into your own businesses.
