Home-care pioneer had a modest start

By ELLEN READ

Trish Neal is celebrating 25 years in business.

What began in 1977 as a home-based nursing bureau run by Neal, a former nurse, is now a flourishing business, specialising in home care for the elderly, sick and disabled in the Auckland and Hamilton regions.

The longevity of Panacea Healthcare in Takapuna has proved that its mottos - to put a bit of sunshine into people's lives and provide the right person every time - never date.

"When I took over the company in the 70s, it was called the Auckland Nursing Bureau and solely provided part-time or full-time jobs to nurses working in private and public hospitals, nursing homes and clinics," says Neal.

But as the healthcare market became more diverse with more people choosing to stay at home, Neal extended services into the home-care market.

Neal, who made the move from traditional nursing to nurse management in an era when women did not do that sort of thing, has seen many changes.

"Nursing as a profession is now much more varied and there is a necessity to keep up to date with information that was not required of nurses when I began 35 years ago.

"There is also a much broader range of age and ethnicity of our staff, and we even have male nurses now, which wasn't so common in my day."

She says that even 10 years ago the business was more personal, with everyone knowing everyone.

Now, things are based more on branding and reputation - which Neal believes reflects how the healthcare industry has changed too.

Twenty years ago, you just had to do a good job based on common sense and ethics, she says.

"Now, there are rules and regulations prescribing those things for you."

She puts part of the responsibility for this change on the impact of technology on business and healthcare.

Looking at what she has achieved, she admits she probably would not embark on the task if starting out today.

"The entry level has been raised. That's not to say it couldn't be done, but not on the knowledge and experience I had then."

Three events over the past 25 years stand out for Neal as milestones in the company's history.

Its name change in the 80s from Auckland Nursing Bureau to Panacea Healthcare signified the move from the recruiting to the healthcare business.

In 1997, the organisation became totally computerised, and in 1998 it became ISO certified.

What about the future? Neal says that having established Panacea Healthcare as a pioneer of the nursing business in New Zealand, she is now looking to build upon its past.

"I think I have a streak of the entrepreneurial in me and I'm an optimist rather than a pessimist."

The best way to capture the changes over the years is by quoting some of the words she wrote for the 25th anniversary celebrations ...

"Let me set the scene of business in 1977. My office was the sunporch of a 1930s bungalow that was the family home at that time.

"I had a pad, red and blue Biro, a pencil and eraser and a Cardex system of all staff. I had one telephone that was black, had a heavy handpiece and a dial.

"If I dialled someone and they were engaged, it meant going through the whole process again. Some days I thought I would wear my finger to a stub ...

"We embraced technology at an early stage and actually purchased an IBM PC from the first shipment to New Zealand in 1981 ... That PC was a major investment that cost approximately $28,000."