Each year, a select group of high-performing General Managers from Bupa Australia are invited to participate in the Global GM Study Tour, a unique leadership development program that brings together Bupa leaders from around the world to learn, share, and inspire.

This journal follows Lisa Atkins’, our People Leader of the Year 2025, as she experiences visiting Bupa’s UK operations, exploring how their aged care homes run, and reflecting on the ideas and insights she brought back to Australia. 

My Week in the UK: Learning, Connecting, and Coming Home Proud 

By Lisa Atkins, General Manager – Bupa Aged Care Woodville 

What a whirlwind few weeks it’s been. 

Before I even set foot in the UK, the adventure had already begun, thanks to a typhoon that decided to change my flight plans.  But if aged care teaches you anything, it’s how to stay calm and adapt when things don’t go to plan! 

When I arrived, I was ready to soak up every bit of the experience, to learn, to share, and to represent Bupa Aged Care Australia on the global stage. 

This trip was an opportunity I was incredibly proud to be part of. I’d been invited to the UK after being awarded People Leader of the year for my work while leading Bupa Mount Sheridan and I was excited to see how our UK aged care homes operate, share some of the things that work well for us here in Australia, and bring back new ideas that could make us even better. 

Sunday – A Warm Welcome 

The Belfry Hotel, Sutton Coldfield 

After days of travel (and a small case of jet lag!), I kicked off the week with dinner alongside Bupa UK’s leaders and alumni. It was lovely to connect straight away and realise that no matter where we are in the world, we’re all driven by the same thing; helping our residents live longer, healthier, happier lives. 

It set the tone for the week: open, collaborative, and curious.

Monday – The Together Event 

The Belfry Hotel, Sutton Coldfield 

The Together Event was the official start of the visit; a huge celebration of everything Bupa UK’s care homes have achieved. There were over 400 people in the room, GMs, care champions, leaders, support teams, and the energy was incredible.  

What really stood out to me was how differently the UK runs its GM forums compared to us in Australia. The UK has a lot more homes and villages than Australia, and it really showed up in the scale of the event, and it was incredible to be able to get everyone together to share ideas and celebrate our wins.  

Our forums tend to be smaller scale, with GM’s and a small group of support office leaders – I loved the idea of inviting wider leadership so we could connect with all levels and hear more perspectives; something to take home!  

Tuesday – A Day at Bupa Place 

Salford, Manchester 

On Tuesday I visited Bupa Place, the UK’s head office in Manchester. It was fascinating to see how broad Bupa’s operations are there, with insurance, health services, and aged care all under the same roof. 

I met with leaders who manage their “My People Experience” program and we compared how we each drive engagement across our teams. It really showed me that, even though we’re part of the same global company, the challenges and priorities can look quite different depending on where you are in the world. Learning how the UK deals with connecting our unplugged workforce was great and sparked some ideas of how we could do better too.  

Wednesday – Exploring Richmond Villages 

Nantwich and Willaston, Cheshire 

This was one of my favourite days. The Richmond Villages are beautiful; think charming English buildings surrounded by greenery, with both independent living and aged care all in one place. 

The homes themselves are quite small, usually around 30–40 beds, and the model is really focused on lifestyle and community, it was wonderful to see how smaller activities and I came away feeling proud of the choice and personalisation we offer our residents in Australia, especially around things like mealtimes and daily activities. It’s something we really excel at. 

Thursday – Yorkshire Care Homes 

Cleveland House and Lindley Grange, Huddersfield 

Thursday took me to Yorkshire, where I visited two more Bupa homes and spent time with their GMs and care teams. These visits gave me a deeper look at how the UK system works, and how different their funding model is to ours. 

In the UK, aged care is largely self-funded. Residents often sell their homes to pay for care, and the cost increases as their care needs grow. It really reinforced how fortunate we are in Australia to have a system that provides more government support and stability for families, and how deeply the UK team care for residents who are going through this huge life change.  

We also talked about workforce challenges, which are very real in both countries. I shared how we’ve built strong traineeship programs at home, bringing students into our homes, training them on the job, and supporting them to stay on permanently. They were really interested in that approach, and it felt great to be able to share something that’s working well for us. 

Friday – Wrapping Up at Bupa Place 

Salford, Manchester 

My final day was spent back at Bupa Place, bringing everything together. We presented our reflections from the week, shared what had inspired us, and talked about how we could keep collaborating across borders. 

It was a great way to end what had been such an insightful trip; full of learning, laughter, and connection. 

What I Took Away 

The biggest thing I took away was perspective. Seeing how Bupa operates on the other side of the world made me appreciate the different challenges we face, from regulatory to staffing, but how we are all connected through our purpose: care.  I felt empowered by my leadership team, and grateful to have been given the opportunity to share and learn as much as I did.  

I also came home with new friendships, our little group of GMs now has an ongoing WhatsApp chat, and we’re already talking about hosting the UK team in Australia soon. 

Most of all, it reminded me how lucky I am to work where I do. 

At Bupa, we really are the CEOs of our own homes. We’re trusted to make decisions that are right for our residents and our teams, and that’s something special. 

It was an eye-opening week that made me even prouder to be part of Bupa, and even more excited about the future of aged care in Australia. 

And next time there’s a typhoon in my flight path? I’ll pack an extra dose of patience… just in case.