Integrated Annual Report 2024(Online Ver.)
Wellbeing
Sompo Care transforms Japan’s nursing care, and builds the future of Japan
CEO of Nursing Care Business
In rapidly aging Japan, the number of people requiring nursing care (in the “Support Required” category) and the number of elderly dementia patients are increasing, and the demand for nursing care is expected to continue to rise in the future. Meanwhile, with the decline in the working-age population, the labor shortage is expected to become even more severe, and ensuring supply capacity has become a major issue for Japanese society as a whole. In nursing care, the gap between labor supply (caregivers) and demand (from seniors in need of nursing care) is expected to widen to approximately 570,000 by 2040.
In this situation, which can be described as a national crisis, we are taking on the challenge of improving the sustainability of the nursing care industry under the slogan “Sompo Care transforms Japan’s nursing care, and builds the future of Japan.”
The goal of the first part of the slogan, about changing nursing care, is to transform the nursing care industry itself, not just ourselves, into a more sustainable industry and to bridge the gap between supply and demand of caregivers by providing our know-how and services to other nursing care providers. The goal of the second part of the slogan, about creating the future in Japan, is to create a future society for healthy and happy lives, free from concerns, such as health and post-retirement finances, that the nursing care industry alone is unable to handle, through the process of “Connect with customers and deliver connected services,” specifically connections between the nursing care industry and the services provided by companies in the Sompo Group. We have integrated this sentiment into the slogan “Sompo Care transforms Japan’s nursing care, and builds the future of Japan” to capture the goal of achieving sustainable growth for Sompo’s nursing care business, and ultimately for Japan's nursing care industry.
The three watchwords for achieving this all start with the prefix “co”: “co-existence,” “co-development,” and “co-creation.” The goal is to create an environment where a more diverse workforce can thrive and to encourage future caregivers. The term “co-existence” refers to a society where caregivers and nursing care recipients can live fulfilling lives together. “Co-development” means working together to create a more rewarding company to work for, for example by expanding private services (not covered by long-term care insurance) that support users’ reason for living, or by expanding the SOMPO style Children’s Cafeterias, which serve as a hub for community interaction. “Co-creation” is a collaborative effort to create the future of nursing care while pursuing both service quality and productivity. Based on these three “co” watchwords, we aim to further grow as a nursing care service provider along with other nursing care providers and SOMPO Group colleagues through the process of “Connect with customers and deliver connected services.”
Business targets under the new MTMP
Aiming not only to grow our own profits, but to transform and develop the entire nursing care industry by developing a platform business and a wellbeing business based on our accumulated know-how as a nursing care service provider
The social issues faced by the nursing care industry are issues that must be overcome not only by us but by the entire industry. In the Mid-Term Management Plan, we aim not only for our own profit growth but also for the transformation and development of the entire nursing care industry by leveraging our operator business as a foundation for expanding into the platform business and the wellbeing business.
We will advance our business strategy based on the following three pillars: (1) Sompo Care's operator business, which is our core provider of nursing care services and aims for sustainable growth for itself and the industry by increasing the number of points of contact with the world while pursuing “future nursing care”; (2) the platform business, which aims to contribute to the sustainable growth of the entire industry by providing know-how gained from this operator business and refined services, by developing and providing nursing care support software through ND Software, and by establishing connections with other nursing care providers; and (3) the wellbeing business, which contributes to improving customer wellbeing by establishing connections with SOMPO Group companies.
Future vision
*1 Calculated by assuming that each user has two family members
Operator business
Sustainable growth of the nursing care business and securing and training the human resources to support it
In the operator business, we will invest in human resources while improving profitability, building a sustainable nursing care business model, and adapting to the external environment. In particular, “future nursing care” is an effort to close the gap between the supply and demand of caregivers. In addition to utilizing digital technology, it aims to “create more time” by revamping and eliminating wastefulness, unreasonableness, and inconsistencies in the operations of nursing facilities and to provide quality nursing care services by providing “custom-made care" based on the individual needs of each user.
Platform business
Visualize know-how acquired in the nursing care business Deliver value to care providers
In the platform business, we aim to provide the know-how we have cultivated, mainly in the operator business, widely to other nursing care providers as a consulting service. For example, we will support nursing care providers through the provision of meals for seniors by SOMPO Care Foods and through the development and provision of nursing care support software by ND Software. By supporting the transformation of other providers’ nursing care operations with SOMPO’s expertise and services, we will enhance productivity with better quality, create a virtuous cycle of improved compensation and human capital investment, and contribute to the sustainable growth of the entire nursing care industry.
Wellbeing business
Aiming to improve QOL*2 across a wide range of stages, from the pre-symptomatic to those requiring nursing care
In the wellbeing business, we will use our platform to provide a one-stop solution for customers with concerns about nursing care, health, and post-retirement finances and support them as lifelong companions through the process of “Connect with customers and deliver connected services” between the nursing care industry and our Sompo Group colleagues. We aim to improve the quality of life of not only the users but also their families and other customers in a wide range of stages from pre-symptomatic to those requiring nursing care, through Group-wide cooperation, including the development of a consultation desk to address the “three concerns” centering on nursing care.
*2 Quality of life
