The investment by Ryman Healthcare to create a White Paper on the power of retirement villages to deliver a continuum of care has achieved multiple wins, from the attention of the Minister through to an international advocacy award. 

The White Paper :“A Solution for Australia’s Aged Care System — Continuum of Care”, was launched in SATURDAY digital magazine in September 2022, with CEO Cam Holland on the cover. 

DCM Editor Chris Baynes then wrote a highly read Opinion article in the following Tuesday's The Weekly SOURCE: "Continuum of care is the only way forward for retirement living operators".  

Ryman Healthcare then received a call from the office of the Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, asking if she could tour of one of Ryman's villages in Melbourne. 

Cam Holland was then asked to Canberra to meet with senior bureaucrats in the Department of Health and Aged Care in Canberra and "a really really constructive conversations about how best to address Australia's aged care crisis" took place. 

Now Ryman HealthCare and The Civic Partnership have won an international Gold Quill for its government relations and public advocacy on the white paper. The International Association of Business Communicators’ Gold Quill Awards recognise and award excellence in strategic communication worldwide. It is the only awards program that honours the dedication, innovation, and passion of communicators on a global scale. 

Central to the campaign was the discussion document which concluded that widespread adoption of a continuum of care model would provide a better quality of care for older Australians, reduce the cost of the aged care system on the taxpayer, alleviate pressure on the public health system, and increase housing supply. 

The strategy was complemented by a program of communications, stakeholder engagement and public relations activities. 

Ryman Healthcare's Communications and External Relations Manager Michael Cummings, who led the project, said the Gold Quill win "was a bit of a shock, to be honest". 

"When we released the discussion document I remember thinking 'gosh, I just hope someone reads it', and had absolutely no idea it would open so many doors and spark so many important conversations," he said. 

"I certainly didn't dream that the campaign we built around it would win such a prestigious international award."

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