I have always put ‘purpose’ at the heart of what I do and how I lead at Assura. Always asking how we can make a difference is an ethos I have tried to instil across our business, and I am proud of how central our mission to BUILD for Health is in everything we do. For more than two decades, we have been delivering much needed healthcare facilities up and down the country but what we do is much more than bricks and mortar.
Our ESG strategy – The Bigger Picture – is central to this. Our strategy has three pillars – Healthy Communities, Healthy Environment, and a Healthy Business – because we are clear that we cannot deliver on one without the other two. As the first FTSE 250 B Corp we are committed to delivering for all our stakeholders – our investors and shareholders, our customers across the NHS and the independent sector, the communities around our buildings, our team, our suppliers and partners, and the environment.
As an accountant by background, you would expect me to be interested in the numbers. And when I am talking about being able to deliver 11 consecutive years of dividend growth or finalising a £500m acquisition of independent sector hospitals then I am obviously really interested in the numbers. But that has also taken me in different directions – I didn’t expect that I would one day be blowing the ceremonial kudu horn at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange to mark Assura’s secondary listing on the JSE.
The financial results Assura has delivered over the past two decades are the foundation for our approach to supporting Healthy Communities and a Healthy Environment. I am incredibly proud that the Assura Community Fund has donated more than £2million since we launched it five years ago. We know that providing small amounts of money to local organisations can help the communities around our buildings to thrive. Committing our team to undertaking annual volunteering also connects us to the impact our buildings have. From reading with children to mentoring young adults, from cooking meals to cleaning beaches we are part of something bigger.
And this is reflected in our vision to deliver a Healthy Environment. I am so proud of the work the team has done on our net zero carbon developments – turning an Indian restaurant into a state-of-the-art children’s development centre in Fareham might have thrown up challenges but it also shows what is possible when we focus on reducing our environmental impact. Just last week we completed the first of many installations of solar panels on our buildings and we are working every day with our customers on how they can reduce their energy consumption.
Photo credit: Joe Low Photography
We BUILD for Health is more than just a slogan at Assura – it drives everything we do. Delivering consistent financial success, supporting the communities around our buildings, and protecting our environment.