Kevin Humphrys did not set out to work in social care. There was no calling, no long-held ambition, no carefully mapped career plan. In his words, he “fell into care accidentally”. And yet, his story is one that deserves the attention of anyone in management, leadership or operations who has ever wondered whether their skills could be used for something more meaningful.
Before social care, Kevin’s career was firmly rooted in what he describes as “generic management”: banking, recruitment, HR, operations. He had a knack for fixing things that weren’t working, stepping into struggling organisations and turning them around. He was good at it. But over time, something began to feel hollow.
“I reached a point where I realised I was essentially making more money for people who already had plenty.”
That realisation stayed with him. So when an opportunity arose to apply those same skills within social care, the shift was profound. Suddenly, the work had meaning. It mattered. And once he made that transition, he never looked back.
A baptism of fire
Kevin’s route into care was shaped not by a single defining moment, but by a chain of events that unfolded quickly and decisively. In 2010, he had just completed a successful turnaround project in the Home Information Pack industry. Then, overnight, everything changed. On its first day in office, the newly formed coalition government suspended the mandatory requirement for HIPs. An entire industry was effectively switched off.
Kevin went into work, made the whole team redundant – including himself – turned off the lights, and walked out.
Not long after, a trustee from a charity providing respite care for unpaid family carers got in touch. The charity was haemorrhaging money and on the brink of collapse. They asked Kevin if he could help.
He agreed to come in for six weeks to write a business change plan. Six weeks turned into something much bigger. At the end of the process, he was asked if he would consider applying for the role of Chief Executive to implement it.
At that point, Kevin knew nothing about social care. What he did know was business. He applied anyway – and got the job.
“That was my baptism of fire. I learned an enormous amount, very quickly.”
The charity survived. It still exists today. And Kevin is still in touch with its trustees. More importantly, something fundamental shifted for him during that period. For the first time in his career, he felt he was using his skills for something that genuinely mattered.
Learning the sector from the ground up
Kevin has now spent around sixteen years in social care. After his initial role in the charity sector, he made a deliberate decision to broaden his experience across different parts of the system. He wanted to understand the sector properly – not just from the boardroom, but from the ground up.
He joined Allied Healthcare to see how a large national provider operated, then took on interim roles across acquired brain injury services, learning disabilities, autism, domiciliary care, rehabilitation, and dementia care. Along the way, he became a registered manager, operations director, regional director, and eventually CEO of Oakland Care Group in 2022. He also serves as a Director of West Sussex Partners in Care.
He’s picked up fellowships and qualifications – including Fellowship of the Chartered Management Institute and the Institute of Leadership – but he’s clear where the real education came from.
“You can’t lead effectively in this sector without understanding what happens on the floor.”
What keeps him going
Ask Kevin what motivates him day to day, and the answer comes without hesitation: the residents.
Everything else, he says – regulation, funding pressures, politics – is noise.
“What matters is whether the people in our care are living well, with dignity and purpose.”
If he ever loses sight of that, he knows it will be time to step back and reassess.
He’s also driven by transformation. Social care, in his view, is a sector full of misaligned parts: fragmented funding, inconsistent regulation, workforce pressures, and a public misunderstanding of what care actually is and why it matters. Kevin thrives on taking something that’s struggling and rebuilding it properly.
Not quick fixes. Not surface-level improvements. But sustainable change.
“Each small improvement compounds. Better systems mean more time with residents. More time with residents means better outcomes. Better outcomes create more motivated teams. The cycle reinforces itself.”
Transformation at Oakland Care Group
When Kevin joined Oakland Care Group, much of the organisation’s operation was still manual and paper-based. Administrative tasks were absorbing time that should have been spent with residents.
Over the past few years, that’s changed dramatically. Oakland has implemented integrated technology across the organisation, including AI-assisted care planning and falls prevention systems. The aim was never innovation for its own sake.
“It was about freeing people up to do what they came into care to do.”
The results have gone beyond efficiency. The culture has shifted. Residents feel genuinely cared for. Team members feel valued and experience real job satisfaction.
“That’s the transformation I set out to achieve – not just better operations, but a place people want to work, caring for people who truly feel cared for.”
Leading through humility
One of the biggest lessons Kevin learned in his move from commercial sectors into care was humility. In previous roles, he was used to being the expert in the room. In social care, that approach didn’t work.
“I had to learn to listen – to practitioners, to residents, to families.”
Leadership, he realised, isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating the conditions where others can do their best work.
He’s also clear-eyed about the wider challenges the sector faces. Operational improvements matter, but they don’t address the deeper issue: chronic underfunding and public misunderstanding.
“There’s a perception that care providers are making huge profits. The reality is that 85% of us are SMEs operating on razor-thin margins.”
Changing that narrative – and showing the direct link between underfunded social care and pressure on the NHS – is, in his view, as important as anything happening inside individual organisations.
Culture as the proudest achievement
When asked about his proudest moment in care, Kevin doesn’t point to a specific award or milestone. He talks about people.
“When I see managers making decisions that prioritise residents over convenience, when I see practitioners advocating fiercely for the people they support – that’s the achievement. Culture is everything.”
That culture shows up in small, human moments every day: residents enjoying activities, families expressing gratitude, colleagues quietly going above and beyond. Kevin makes a conscious effort to notice and acknowledge those moments, even amid the inevitable problems and pressures.
Technology, trust, and time
One story he shares captures the essence of how thoughtful change can transform daily working life. Oakland recently introduced an AI system to support care plan composition. What once took over four hours now takes around twenty to thirty minutes, most of which is spent reviewing and refining rather than drafting from scratch.
One team member was deeply sceptical at first – a self-described technophobe, proud of their expertise and wary of change. Kevin worked closely with them, showing how the system could enhance, not replace, their skill.
Now, that same person is one of the strongest advocates for using AI in care planning.
“What changed was time. They’re now able to spend more of it with residents – and you can see that reflected in even more person-centred care plans.”
Seeing people first
For Kevin, great care work always comes back to one thing: seeing the person.
“You can teach competencies. You can’t teach genuine care about another person’s life.”
Over the years, his perspective has shifted. He’s become more patient with people and less tolerant of excuses. Early in his career, he focused heavily on systems and processes. Now, he understands that culture matters more.
Language matters too. How the sector talks about itself shapes how it’s valued.
“We should be calling ourselves what we are: care professionals. That signals there’s a career here, not just a job.”
A life beyond the boardroom
There’s another side to Kevin that often surprises people. Alongside his role as CEO, he is an ordained priest in the Church of England. Ordained in 2000, he has served as Associate Vicar of St Michael & All Angels in Brighton since 2019.
For him, the two roles are deeply connected.
“Both are about people – their dignity, their struggles, their need to feel valued.”
The pastoral nature of ministry has shaped his leadership style, just as his experience in care has informed how he serves his parish. They are not separate paths, but complementary ones.
Why care still matters
Care is hard work, Kevin is honest about that. It’s not always well paid, and it’s rarely easy. But it offers something many jobs don’t.
“You go home knowing you’ve made a difference to someone’s day – sometimes to their life.”
And for those starting out in the sector, his advice is simple:
“Ask questions. Stay curious. And never forget why you’re here. It’s not about the paperwork – it’s about the person in front of you.”
