Growing demand from an ageing population, increasing operating costs and relatively stagnant income through the Fair Deal scheme has made operating in Ireland’s nursing home sector challenging in recent years. But for Mowlam Healthcare chief executive Michele McCormack the answer lies in finding positive solutions to these challenges.
“Mowlam have mitigated these issues through prudent and measured expansion and through diversifying our services so as we are not wholly dependent on Fair Deal,” said McCormack. “For example, we now have over 200 rehabilitation and step-down beds across the country, facilitating early discharge from the acute hospitals and enabling people to get home and remain home for as long as they can. This is supported by our sister company, Healthcare Direct, a national provider of therapy services.
“As the population ages, and Mowlam grows, we always endeavour to improve and diversify our care systems, remain ahead of the curve and maintain our competitive advantage. This is achieved by a team with significant knowledge and expertise in the healthcare sector and a culture of innovation. Currently we are on a journey that we believe will position us as leaders in the market for care provision, underpinned by digital transformation, sustainable solutions, and developing new markets.”
BMC success
The BMC application and process proved a hugely positive experience for McCormack and her colleagues, who have been selected as one of this year’s new winners.
“We are delighted and proud,” she said. “When you work in healthcare you are not usually motivated by accolades and praise, but it is very important to take stock sometimes and acknowledge that not only are we doing a meaningful job but we are doing a great job. When it was suggested to us that we should enter, and we learned more about the process and previous winners, it was very apparent that this would be a positive thing for us to do.
“Typically, as I said, we would not look for accolades, but we viewed this as an opportunity to reflect on what we do, and how we do it, and potentially benchmark ourselves against the best in class from a range of sectors and industries.
“Entering this process, we knew that there were lots of pockets of brilliance and innovation throughout the company and that we have a very capable team. This process helped us pull it together into one ‘story’ as such and realise the extent of what is being achieved. For me, the learning was that in a very regulated sector, where there is a level of compliance, sometimes there is a disproportionate focus on negatives. This process highlighted so many positives, particularly in individual homes, where so much is done to ensure the residents live with purpose and fun in a safe and happy environment, and to support the staff by ensuring that as part of the ‘Mowlam Family’ they enjoy their roles and feel valued. There has been a renewed focus on celebrating and communicating these successes.”
Similar values
McCormack said the four areas that were assessed throughout the judging process are also the underpinning pillars of Mowlam Healthcare.
“We are the largest Irish provider of community-based residential care, be it short-term care such as rehabilitation, convalescence and respite care, to long - term care and more targeted services such as memory care. We ensure we can meet the healthcare needs of all our residents as their health and care needs change,” she said.
“Our daily purpose is reinforced by robust governance, not only to meet regulatory obligations, but also to deliver excellence in care. Critical to our success is providing an open, communicative, and transparent culture among our people, together with strong leadership and teamwork. Our mission is to enhance the life of older people, and this has facilitated a company culture which is encapsulated in ‘The Mowlam Way’. The Mowlam Way focuses the organisation on providing person-centred care with compassion, dignity, and respect.”
McCormack said they knew the application process would be rigorous. “We knew that in some areas we were more established and stronger than in others but also knew the panel would appreciate the progress being made as part of a longer-term strategic plan. Sometimes getting started is the biggest challenge.
“The Deloitte coaches were hugely helpful in keeping us focused on specifics and giving comprehensive but succinct answers.”
Rapid growth and progress
Mowlam Healthcare, and its sister company, Complete Healthcare Services, manage 31 nursing homes, over 1,700 employees, and provide over 2,000 specialist care beds for the elderly. Mowlam is the largest private Irish nursing home operator in Ireland.
In recent years, Mowlam has extended care for the elderly into specialist areas including dementia/memory care, step-down care, rehabilitation, respite and convalescence – leading the field in Ireland with a unique Continuum of Care model.
“Our team is a mixture of old (in work years) and new members with a relatively recent change in leadership, but what was evident throughout this is that we are very much ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’,” McCormack commented. “Our engrained and fundamental ethos, The Mowlam Way, places the residents, families and staff at the centre of everything we do, with a culture of transparency, inclusion, compassion, respect and innovation.
“The depth and strength of the team became very apparent as we started to pull together our answers to reflect what we do. We all found it a very worthwhile and rewarding process which enabled us to pause and reflect on what has been achieved and what still needs to be done.
“The team is rightfully proud of what we do and why we do it.”