Rising capacity pressures and operational costs mean the question of sustainability in aged care is alive, well and tellingly, persistent. In squinting through the fog of now to the hoped-for yields of sustainable models of care, boardrooms have resisted ‘green’ aged care initiatives in favour of alternate strategies.
Yet as Mercy Health closes out its final phase of an ambitious solar energy project, senior leaders have a clear message: the initiative has been worth it across all metrics.
A new narrative
Residual attitudes of ecological responsibility and operational robustness, as opposing directives, persist.
For Simon Craig, however, Mercy Health’s Executive Director Transformation & Improvement, tackling the longevity and resilience of operations is integrally linked to social and ecological responsibility.
“Sustainability is not a standalone initiative”, he says, “it’s central to how we deliver care and support the communities we serve. Our solar rollout reflects a broader commitment to building resilient, future-focused services that respond to both environmental and community needs.”
Similarly, participating in one of Australia’s largest aged care solar rollout programs, Chief Executive Healthy Ageing, Gavin Young sees macro confirmation. Operational resilience, alongside ecological and care responsibility, are in fact, inextricably linked.
“This initiative demonstrates that environmental sustainability and good financial stewardship can go hand in hand, helping us build stronger and more sustainable services for the future.”
Mercy Health’s Caring for People and Planet Strategy – solar initiative
· Rooftop solar has been installed across twenty-four homes
· Yield is estimated at roughly 1,802 megawatt-hours of renewable electricity annually
· Carbon emission reduction is tipped at 1,334 tonnes annually – equivalent of 290 vehicles removed from Australia’s roads
· $270,000 in annual savings is expected
Sustainable healthcare transformation
Young recognises the widespread cost pressures. “Aged care providers are facing rising costs across every aspect of their operations, including utilities and infrastructure”.
Proven success of green aged care initiatives leading to sustainable healthcare transformation now become ground zero for shifting executive strategic appetites.
For current executives in aged care, the opportunity to step into what is proven grows. Proof and opportunity are now shifting to responsibility, resource allocation to transformational action.
“Projects like this help us manage those pressures responsibly, reducing expenditure on energy while ensuring more resources can be directed towards the care, comfort and wellbeing of our residents.”
Agility in strategy
Fortune may favour the brave, further still, those who are ambitious and agile in scope.
Young shares, “one of the biggest lessons was that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sustainability.”
Far from being limited to the push for solar panel installation, the team were willing to stretch strategy in substantiating caring for people and the planet. “At Mercy Place Bethlehem in Cairns, for example, we were able to incorporate a small-scale power station alongside the solar installation.”
While an additional cost outlay, the appetite for resilience investment through infrastructure remained. Raised financial and operational resilience resulted: “[this] allows renewable energy to be stored and used when needed, reducing reliance on the grid and improving energy resilience.”
Tailoured ESG strategy in aged care
Young highlights that ESG strategy is bolstered to land operational impact through customised adjustment. One size cannot, and should not, fit all.
“The project highlighted the importance of tailoring solutions to individual sites to maximise both environmental and operational benefits.”
Teams came together to underpin the desired “lasting impact” of the project. Seeing specific needs of homes, specifically in Cairns, plans pivoted. Agile tailoring has weighted impact with the green initiative benefiting socially, medically and operationally.
“We’re fortunate to have a team of developers who are passionate about finding ways to use solar power across our homes, helping provide reliable, continuous energy for residents. In Cairns, where air conditioning runs almost 24/7 and puts real pressure on the system, this has become particularly valuable – we’re increasingly powering this ourselves.”
Sector-wide response
Young advocates for their approach to be replicated nationally. “I would encourage organisations to look beyond the upfront investment and focus on the long-term benefits.”
“Healthcare providers consume significant amounts of energy every day, and projects like this can help reduce emissions, improve operational resilience and lower long-term energy costs” he shares.
“For Mercy Health, it was about making a practical investment that supports both environmental sustainability and the long-term delivery of quality care. The benefits extend well beyond the financial return.”
Sustainable models of care
Green initiatives must go beyond tick-boxing ESG strategy. Projects like Mercy Health’s solar initiative land this. As momentum grows from data-driven projects, so too does the responsibility of executives across the country to participate in these models.
For Young and Craig, and the legacy of their founders, there is no balance to be struck between “a commitment to responding to the needs of communities and using resources responsibly in support of that mission”.
“This project allows us to reduce our environmental impact, strengthen the sustainability of our operations and ensure more resources can continue to be directed towards care.”
Green initiatives like their solar rollout hold inherent value in leading to sustainable models of care. “It’s a practical example of how we’re carrying that legacy forward in a way that’s relevant for today and tomorrow.”
