‘Bravo’ to RSL Care!
Australian not for profit care provider, RSL Care, has been awarded for ‘breaking free’ of the traditional models applied in aged care, motivating clients to adopt positive ageing behaviours which extend healthy life expectancy.
Pictured right is Beverly Smith, RSL Care chief customer officer, with RSL Care head of innovation and design, Aimee Defries.
RSL Care was awarded a 2015 Good Design Award at a gala event held in Sydney last week, recognising the provider's leading ‘Bravo – Go Get Tomorrow’ business model design.
The Good Design Awards are prestigious national awards which recognise innovation and entrepreneurship across the industry.
Craig Mills, RSL Care chief executive, says for the organisation to win the award in such a competitive space shows the disruptive level of innovation the Bravo program delivers for older Australians.
The business model behind ‘Bravo’ has reportedly been two years in the making.
“In late 2012, the RSL Care Board empowered this organisation to break free of the traditional models applied in aged care, and develop models based on customer insight and evidence,” Mr Mills says.
“The shape of the industry is changing with an ageing population, rising health costs, and policy reforms. These factors require innovative solutions that respond to the rapidly changing expectations of older Australians, which led us to investing in our Wellbeing Design Hub,” he adds.
“This exciting, innovation development group, led by our chief customer officer, Beverly Smith, is charged with ideation and prototyping of new services designed to change the face of aged care, like the now Award winning ‘Bravo – Go Get Tomorrow’.”
Ms Smith, who has steered the Bravo project since its inception, accepted the Good Design Award at the event in Sydney, along with head of innovation and design, Aimee Defries, on behalf of RSL Care.
“We believe innovation begins with co-designing with current and future customers and we demonstrated this in our extensive engagement with over 2,000 customers over the age of 55 across the eastern seaboard. This has included more than 200 hours of in depth interviews to inform the co-design of new experiences and services,” Ms Smith says.
“Through this research, older Australians told us that today’s experience of ageing and aged care must shift from reactive to proactive, from burden to benefit, and from a disease focus to a holistic wellbeing focus. Older Australians are looking for services that motivate positive ageing behaviours which extend healthy life expectancy,” she says.
RSL Care has launched service prototypes using the ‘Bravo’ business model, which focus on being well and ready to ‘go get tomorrow'.
At the heart of these new service prototypes is a value proposition that guides people to positive behavioural change through advice, motivation and connection.
“The individual impact for customers developing a positive, active ageing focus is not only the reduced risk of chronic disease and preventable conditions, they can also enjoy a healthier, more productive and purposeful second half of life,” Ms Smith says.
“More globally the impact for improved population wellness with reduced onset of preventable conditions, means that limited health care expenditure is redirected for conditions that are not preventable.”
RSL Care is a not for profit care provider with a range of integrated home care, retirement living and residential care services across 28 communities throughout Queensland and New South Wales.
