How far to go back?Well, I guess it all started in 2010 when I saw the old “Boatshed Café" for sale across the road from Carrum Station. The house behind the café was being sold with it. I took a walk down to the Patterson River, fell in love with the whole thing, signed away and thought, this is beautiful.
Business plan – what business plan?- Dr Floyd Gomes, Founder
Likewise, our approach to dealing with needs has always focused on the vision, rather than a checklist. That's exciting. Once we grasp the vision, we look to deliver with the requisite detail.
When it comes to healthcare, from the outset, we consider first the whole person or organisation, their goals and aspirations. A deep understanding of that allows for the best decisions and outcomes to be reached in partnership after all. With this mentality, we've been able to grow. Grow, yet stay humble, still.
The areas we have grown into reflect areas in which we think we can make a real difference and feel highly motivated to be involved with. These areas are:
Medical clinics. We run several GP clinics. This is where we started and continue to persevere, always striving for improvement.
Corporate health. We are happy to work with motivated workplaces to help maximise the health outcomes of their employee base. We consider that workplaces have relevance to and potential input in the health and well being of a community. We conduct our corporate health services with due independence and impartiality, yet at the same time seek to foster a mutual sense of purpose and transparent communication for the benefit of all parties.
Aged Care. We consider the frail and elderly to be particular members of the community who we have a responsibility to care for. From humble beginnings we have grown to supply GP services to nearly 1000 patients living in retirement villages and nursing homes around Melbourne. In particular we are the main provider of GP services to nursing homes on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. Within aged care, our mission is to deliver a 24/7 medical service. We coordinate this by accepting all calls anytime via 1800 ATTICUS (1800 288 4287). Through the cultivation of a strong reputation for quality and compassion over many years, we have seen this area of our business grow substantially.
Telehealth. By attending to matters in a flexible manner by the exchange of images or conversation digitally, we have grown accustomed to creating solutions remotely. This concept, "Telehealth", does improve efficiency, accessibility and timeliness of health care. It is for this reason that we now offer telehealth services nationwide - it simply makes good sense.
One thing has remained constant throughout, that is, our commitment to getting to know and understand communities. As a provider of medical services, fundamentally we learn so much about the fabric of a community. We share in its ups and downs. As such, we feel compelled to promote deeper, meaningful community spirit. And, we recognise how great an impact this potentially and actually has on the outcomes of health - for the individual and for the collective. Our story then, is very much that of being one with the community.
As for our logo - Driven by Soul. What is that? Well, there is a space between what happens to us, and how we respond. That space is really an awareness, our ability to reflect and look on our own situation, as if we were in fact a fly on the wall, observing our own life. This awareness can help each one of us make the best decisions. This awareness is at very best driven by a set of values. On closer inspection, it becomes apparent that those values are in fact universal and shared by all participants of life. Those values could include unconditional love and a quest for peace. Our awareness, when coupled with those universal values we consider to be our "soul". It is that soul that allows us to reflect, find connection with all we encounter and treat people equally, with unconditional love. It is that peaceful soul that guides Atticus Health. We are, quite literally, Driven by Soul.
Atticus Health continues to gather momentum as a social enterprise. We hold ourselves accountable in three broad areas, viz:
This is a work in progress, but well reflects the overall stewardship of our company. The future is bright.