Dr June Heinrich, the CEO of Baptist Community Services

Fourteen years ago, when she joined Baptist Community Services (BCS) as CEO, it had an annual budget of $28 million and 800 staff. Today, its budget is $183 million, with 3,500 staff and over 700 vehicles on the road. BCS operates 2,000 beds, 2,000 village ILUs, 1,100 CAPS and EACH programs, and 60 HACC programs.

Aged over 60, it is surprising to learn that, rather than easing back, she is embracing and leading the industry in the introduction of new technology and hotel-like services to replace traditional aged care facilities.

In this interview, June reviewed a number of unique BCS initiatives, including:

• Short stay residential care
• Premium aged care accommodation services
• Establishing a demonstration age-friendly home
• Establishing BCS's own call centre
• Leadership Development Programs

June: Nobody is more surprised to find me here than me; I started my career as a primary school teacher. I love ideas and I love a challenge, so I evolved from being a teacher to a principal - at three separate schools. That experience led me to get involved in the actual design of schools, an excellent training ground for the role that I have ended up with here at BCS.

Along the way, I set up the Macquarie Community College and was then in the Foundation Principle of the New South Wales Corrective Services Academy and Ryde Council, where I was director of community development.

That would have been the end of it, but one day I was standing on my church doorstep when Fred Church - the chairman of BCS - said to me, ‘June, can you read a balance sheet and do millions of dollars worry you' I said no, millions of dollars do not worry me. That conversation led to me being appointed a director of the BCS board. Two years later when the chief executive officer retired, I was offered the position.

Short Stay Respite and Transitional Services

Fourteen years later, the big question for me is what is the future of residential aged care facilities. In my opinion, right now they are just not what consumers want. The truth is, we all want to stay in our own home as long as we can, and we want choice and we want dignity. Is that what we are offering and what are we doing about it

Today, people are staying home longer and when the decision is taken to enter a residential aged care facility, they are older - usually in their late 80s and frail. They require 24-hour care. Yet, because they are much frailer when they enter, their stay will be shorter.

I believe the future for residential aged care will be centred around short stays. To make this work, we have to look at a different built form - a facility that is like a hotel, but a hotel with care. We have decided that respite and transitional services are vital to our future. We do not need new beds, we need different beds.

I see five different client groups being accommodated in residential aged care facilities.

They are:
1. Clients requiring respite care because the carer requires a respite from being the carer
2. Clients requiring transition care following an acute care episode
3. Clients requiring palliation - assistance with medication
4. Clients with degenerative diseases, like MS
5. Clients with advanced dementia

With the exception of clients in groups four and five, our clients will short stay. This means we do not need more beds for traditional care service; instead, we need to be building villages of apartments and houses that people can age in, supported with.care services when required.

And, like in a hotel, the staff in our residential care facility will have to focus on being welcoming, efficient and assisting our clients to regain their independence and return home.

We know ‘care' very well, but we have to learn these hospitality skills and change the way we operate.

For instance, do we tell our clients when it is meal time, or do they tell us when they would like to have their meal. Obviously, this flexibility has staffing implications.

Our ideal going forward is to have a 10-acre site which will give us more than 100 apartments of two to three bedrooms suitable for ageing in place; a residential aged care facility that can accommodate 120 to 160 people - mainly as short stay; a community centre that provides office accommodation for our community care staff; a community meeting room that can seat 100 people; and professional offices for use by the community and people living in the BCS apartments. Where there is a community need, the centre could include a long day centre or a counseling unit.

Whilst we are an experienced provider of residential aged care, we believe the future growth will be in community care and this is therefore an area of focus for us.

Premium Lifestyle Choice Service

One of our initiatives is our Premium Lifestyle Choice Service. This is an unashamedly upmarket service with premium quality linen on the beds, top-level fixtures in the ensuite bathrooms, the best cutlery and an in-house chef.

The first Premium Lifestyle Choice facility was opened in August at our Shalom Centre in Marsfields; we demolished the old 1962 facility to build it. The facility has 65 rooms built in clusters; we also have a new standard facility with 89 residents on the same site. A new cafe services both, as does the in-house chef. The cost of the new Marsfield facility was $28 million, which was funded from internal reserves.

Age Friendly Demonstration Home

On the technology side, I have encouraged the BCS board to invest in a demonstration home featuring what is possible. We converted a 1960s home and remodelled it for safe, secure and independent ageing. The design and fit-out also assists people living with dementia or disabilities.

I want it to be a research and development ‘lab' for BCS to trial and apply the latest technologies and also to be a resource to the rest of the industry.

The technology we have built into it includes:

• Video display and hands-free phone
• C C CareCall emergency monitoring alarm unit and pendants
• Fall detector
• Bed occupancy sensor
• C Chair occupancy sensor
• Light sensors
• Epileptic seizure alarm
• Goodnight switch

We have built 30 peripherals into the house

We are also going to use the home to trial remote care management using the residents owned television as a personal help channel. We have imported a set-top box device that can monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, weight, breathing, glucose and pulse. It will have specific help functions, plus interactive care messages, health education and video visits. The daughter will be able to record messages on when to take medication and also teleconference.

The cost of one set-top box is the equivalent of the cost of one hour of care per week. At the moment, we provide a Medication Round service, which takes a staff member 10 minutes to get in to the home and provide the service before getting back in the car and driving to the next house. We will be able to use our skilled staff more efficiently by using technology to help.

The home also has things like a movable sink that can be lowered electronically, and the cooktop and kitchen sink have been insulated to ensure there are no burn injuries - all for people in a wheelchair. The carpet has been selected for the rollability of a wheelchair.
These are simple things but they can make a huge difference
to somebody who is ageing and frail.

CareCall Emergency Response Service

Seven years ago, we established our own call centre because we recognize the importance of having a central body of knowledge for all our clients. The call centre receives the emergency call and knows the medical history, contact details for family, and the procedures to follow for each village or community resident. Having such a service is not only substantially more efficient - it also allows us to concentrate our training and skills and reduces our exposure to risk.

I believe the future of technology in the home - whether it be a domestic home, a village home or a care facility - will make a central call contact centre a basic requirement. It works very well for us.

Staff and Management Leadership

We have ambitious plans. This requires excellent staff, and excellent staff require a clear path for personal development. We are committed to being an employer of choice. In addition to paid maternity and paternity leave, staff can apply for an additional two weeks annual leave plus study and scholarship leave.

All of our senior people are members of The Executive Connection (TEC). I have eight executives who report to me and I have a formal or one-on-one meeting with them every month. We have two strategic retreats of two to three days every year. Macquarie University conducts a staff survey every 18 months for us.

You don't have to be a Baptist to work with us; we only ask that you are willing to work in sympathy with our mission and values. We pay market rates for our staff and we are committed to internal career development. We were the first to offer Certificate 4 for our AINs where they can become a care supervisor and manage a small team of carers. The salary packages for all our executive care managers - our DONs - and care managers includes a company car.

BCS is currently rolling out a Leadership Development Program; this consists of three modules each of three days, and seeks to ensure all our managers are operating from the same page.

Business excellence is an important part of our organisation and all staff are encouraged to identify local opportunities for improvement. We are undertaking a Client Perception of Value (CPV) project across the organisation, and the feedback has already had an impact on how we provide care.

With my commitment to IT, we are also currently rolling out a $6 million technology program at head office to assist in the management of our services to our clients. This will provide an integrated solution for BCS.

I truly believe that BCS is leading the way and I am very proud of that. BCS is a passionate, innovative Christian organisation which provides life-transforming care to our clients across New South Wales and the ACT.

 

 

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