The long game: Why aged care leadership is a marathon, not a sprint

Russell Bricknell, CEO of Juniper Aged Care, for hello leaders print, read the full version of this article in the sixth print edition here.

In a sector under constant pressure, it is tempting to chase quick wins. Fast reform. Immediate fixes. A sense that aged care’s biggest problems can be solved in one decisive burst of action.

But for Russell Bricknell, CEO of Juniper Aged Care, leadership in this sector has never been about speed. It is about endurance.

“Things take time to change in this sector, and you can’t rush it.”

Bricknell is not resistant to reform. He wants it to last. His experience has taught him that real change in aged care is rarely about legislation alone.

“When I first came into the industry, my friends said to me, ‘you have to take your timelines and extend them by 3’, they might have understated that by another factor of 3.”

Changing systems means changing people

For Bricknell, sustainable reform depends on shifting culture as much as policy.

“You actually have to go through the change process because at the base of it, it’s getting people to change attitude, beliefs and behaviours.”

That work is slow, demanding and often uncomfortable. But without it, reform does not stick.

Leadership means being close to the work

Bricknell is clear that leadership cannot happen at a distance.

“If you are wanting to effectively lead an organisation, you have to be as close to the people you are caring for as possible, and the people who are working with them.”

He makes a point of spending time on the floor across Juniper’s facilities, even when it is physically demanding.

“I try to get on the floor at every aged care facility once a year, with over 25 facilities, that’s not easy but I’ll consistently be doing different things, at different times with each team.”

The response from residents is immediate.

“They love it when you work a shift with front-line staff.”

So is the reality of the work.

“You get all the hard work. It’s exhausting. It’s really exhausting.”

“The people who work in RAC work really hard.”

Asked which tasks are toughest, Bricknell does not hesitate.

“The cleaning is the hardest.”

“It’s that you’re on your feet, you’re on your feet all day, you don’t stop.”

Seeing the wider impact of reform

Bricknell has also been vocal about structural inequities in aged care, particularly in Western Australia, including delays to home care packages.

“They chose to delay the new packages with the act delay. I think that was wrong.”

His advocacy is informed by personal experience.

“On a personal level, my father-in-law had a very long wait for an assessment, and a very long wait for a home care package. You see the damage it causes, not just for him but for his wife and extended family.”

The ripple effects extend well beyond the individual.

“The other thing that’s really flawed about all this is the impact on partners and family. Children are choosing to exit the workforce to care for older family members because no supports are available. The impact on Australia’s productivity is immense.”

“Supporting services to seniors is not just good for those that need it but good for Australia.”

“Sustaining people to participate in the workforce, sustaining seniors to stay healthy at home and out of hospital, has a benefit that’s bigger than the dollars spent on home care.”

Staying the course

Bricknell is frank about the difficulty of reform and the temptation to deflect responsibility.

“It shows we haven’t learnt anything from the royal commission.”

Instead of passing the problem along, he argues leaders must own it.

“The problem is hard. The problem needs you to think across the lines, not just within the lines.”

And that means committing for the long haul.

“Working to lobby change with government is no different to leading cultural change in organisations. You have to have an eye for the long-term.”

For leaders entering the sector, Bricknell remains optimistic.

“Aged care is a place where you can absolutely shape things.”

But only if leaders are willing to stay in the race.

“You have to have the eye for the medium and long term, you are not going to shape it in 1, 2, or 3 years.”

“I am more effective now because I have spent such a long time in the industry and I’ve taken the opportunity to learn.”

In aged care, leadership is not about speed or spectacle. It is about stamina, humility and purpose, and the willingness to keep going long after the applause fades.