Roslyn Toms

nib is a highly commercial organisation that sits in a complex environment under several regulators. Setting strategic goals and sustainable operations that balance commerciality, returns to shareholders and member value are part of my remit. nib, an ASX-listed company, with more than $3.1 billion in annual revenue, also has an ecumenical goal to improve health outcomes for members, their families and communities. Our population health programs are allied to nib’s purpose, and my own values. Better health and wellness are germane to our sustainability. It is deliberate and it underpins our work, driving broad shareholder value. Around 30 per cent of an individual’s life expectancy is related to genetics; the rest is tied to social determinants. In 2018 nib launched the first of its kind M?ori population health initiative, with Auckland iwi Ng?ti Wh?tua ?r?kei, which provides private health insurance and health management programs in deep consultation with M?ori members. Four years ago, we took our first steps in far western NSW, in our Bourke population health program, working closely with the town’s 3000 residents. nib has perhaps less than half a dozen private health members in Bourke. As in NZ, our purpose is to work out better ways to deliver good health outcomes to a population, in this case one that is remote and chronically underserviced. Equity in access to care is also important to me. I am Chair of Midnight Health, which delivers medical services to some of Australia’s most remote communities. Midnight Health, Brisbane-based, is a med-tech start-up. It has delivered more than 300,000 consultations to some of Australia’s most remote postcodes, along with script drugs, delivered to the door. Technology opened the door to innovative approaches to healthcare; a strong risk framework ensure that the business is sustainable. My other key interests include development of nib’s Reconciliation Action Plan; I drive nib’s sustainability programs, and I am a Minerva Foundation mentor.