Meallmore Confirms 30th Care Home with Eaglesham House Development
Scotland’s leading provider of older person and specialist care, Meallmore, is set to open its 30th care home in spring 2027.
Located in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, Eaglesham House Care Home will provide personalised nursing care and support for 50 people, including those with dementia and its related conditions.
The purpose-built, state-of-the-art care home will feature a range of amenities including private ensuite bedrooms, a cinema room, hair salon and champagne bar, all thoughtfully designed for residents to relax, socialise and enjoy everyday life.
Once open, Eaglesham House will provide in the region of 80 full-time equivalent jobs in a variety of roles, including nurses, care assistants, services team members, administrators, and managers. Recruitment for these roles will commence in September.
Built on the former grounds of Greenbank Church, the opening of Eaglesham House represents a £15m investment by Meallmore to the local community, supporting continued investment in local facilities. The development forms part of a wider approach to creating high-quality care homes that respond to Scotland’s ageing population and the growing need for modern care services.
Eaglesham House is Meallmore’s 30th care home in Scotland, and ninth within the Greater Glasgow and West Scotland region.
Earlier this year, Meallmore was named in the Top 20 Large Care Home Groups across the UK for the first time and is recognised for excellent standards of care for its residents, including those living with dementia.
Cillian Hennessey, CEO at Meallmore said:
“Eaglesham House is a fantastic addition to our care home portfolio. This modern, luxury home will be finished to the highest standards and is designed for people who want to live well, with the reassurance of expert 24-hour nursing care and support around them. It will provide a safe, comfortable and homely environment for residents, where they can feel part of a warm community. Our experience from managing eight other homes in this region of Scotland means we are very well-equipped with knowledge of the area and will look to continue building strong connections with local members of the public and community groups.
“We’re very proud to be opening what will be our 30th care home and look forward to welcoming residents to Eaglesham House next year.”
Meallmore currently operates 27 homes across Scotland: 21 for older people, five for adults with mental health needs and one for adults with learning or physical disability. Along with Eaglesham House, two other new homes are nearing completion, which will provide services for elderly people in Aberdeen City and Broughty Ferry.
BARCHESTER HEALTHCARE BRINGS LUXURY NEW CARE HOME TO MAIDSTONE
Award-winning national care provider, Barchester Healthcare, has broken ground on a brand new 67-bed luxury care home development in Maidstone.
The new home, which will be named Orchid Place, is being built by Jenner (Contractors) Ltd, and is owned and will be operated by Barchester Healthcare. The home will provide personalised residential, dementia and respite care for older people in Maidstone and the surrounding areas from early 2028.
The luxury new home has been designed with residents’ comfort in mind with a café for residents to socialise and enjoy freshly baked treats, spa bathrooms for a luxury bath time experience, beautiful en-suite bedrooms with smart TVs, a choice of comfortable lounges, a dedicated activities room, a cinema for an authentic movie experience, and in-house hair and beauty salon for a little bit of pampering.
Barchester Healthcare is committed to providing a premium caring experience. Barchester staff take pride in getting to know each of their residents to provide tailored care and support, ensuring dignity and choice in every aspect of daily life. Once open, the home will provide a dedicated Life Enrichment programme which includes a choice of daily activities so that residents can continue to do the things they love, try something new and above all keep the enjoyment in every day. Talented chefs will prepare delicious, nutritious home-cooked meals from seasonal menus, created with residents’ preferences in mind.
Senior Property Development Manager at Barchester, John McElholm, commented: “We are really excited to get this project under way. Our Maidstone home will be a fantastic addition to the local community.”
Aaron Stoakes, Senior Surveyor for Jenner, said: “We are delighted to be starting this new project working with Barchester Healthcare once again. We are looking forward to the build process and working closely with the Barchester team. This is a fantastic looking building sited in a great location. Together with our management team and carefully chosen sub-contractors, we will deliver this project as planned by early 2028.”
The care home will have an on-site marketing suite that will open its doors to the local community and visitors in Autumn 2027.
Essential 5: Sustainability
Energy costs remain one of the biggest operational pressures facing care homes today. Andrew Ladbrook from Green Shield Group outlines five practical steps to help providers take control of their energy use, reduce costs, and build a more sustainable future for their homes and the people who live in them.
Review your energy use and costs
Before making any changes, you need a clear picture of where energy is being consumed. A professional audit identifies your biggest cost drivers, highlights inefficiencies, and provides a baseline against which all future improvements can be measured. At the same time, review your energy contract and seek independent procurement advice to unlock meaningful savings with no capital outlay and shift to more renewable tariffs.
Reduce Electricity Consumption at Source
Most care homes receive electricity at a higher voltage than their equipment actually requires. Voltage optimisation technology reduces the incoming supply to the optimal level, cutting consumption and extending the lifespan of motors, lighting, and appliances. Installation is straightforward, and the technology works quietly in the background. Payback periods are typically short, making it one of the most cost-effective interventions available.
Generate Your Own Clean Energy with Solar
Solar photovoltaic systems are a proven technology, well-suited to care home energy usage patterns. Generating your own electricity reduces grid dependency and helps to manage rising energy costs. Modern systems require minimal maintenance and deliver strong long-term returns. Beyond the financial case, on-site generation demonstrates a genuine commitment to sustainability, increasingly important to residents, families, and regulators alike.
Store Energy and Improve Resilience
Care homes operate around the clock, making battery storage a natural complement to solar. Energy generated during the day can be stored and drawn upon through the night, maximising the value of your renewable investment. Storage also provides resilience against grid disruption, a particularly important consideration in care environments where a reliable power supply is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Find the right heating solution for you
Heat pumps receive the most attention when it comes to moving to sustainable heating options, but they are not right for every home, as they can require significant retrofitting of the building. Thankfully, there are solutions such as thermal batteries, electric boilers, and more efficient gas boilers and improved insulation. One size does not fit all, so take you time and align it with other measures such as solar and new tariffs.
The difference between delivering care and delivering a good lived experience
There is a dangerous comfort in believing that care has been delivered simply because a task has been completed. Medication administered. Personal care provided. Meal served. Fluid chart updated. Care plan reviewed. Family contacted. Risk assessment filed.
All of these things matter. In regulated care, they matter profoundly. They protect life, evidence accountability and create the basic architecture of safe provision. But they are not, by themselves, the same as a good lived experience. Care is what we provide. Lived experience is what the person actually receives, feels, remembers and carries. That distinction may appear subtle, but in practice it is the line between a service that is merely operational and a service that is genuinely humane. It is also the line between compliance as a defensive activity and quality as a living culture.
Across adult social care, we have become skilled at documenting inputs. We can evidence rotas, audits, supervisions, incident reviews and policy updates. Yet the most important question is often the one least easily captured in a spreadsheet: what does it feel like to live here, to be supported here, to lose independence here, to depend on strangers here, to age here, to recover here, or to spend one’s final chapter here? That is the question that separates delivering care from delivering a good lived experience.
Care Is Not Enough If It Does Not Preserve Personhood
Good care begins with safety, but it cannot end there. A person can be safe and still feel invisible. A person can be clean, fed and medicated, yet still feel lonely, patronised or managed rather than known. A person can have every clinical need recorded and still experience a daily erosion of identity. The purpose of care is not simply to maintain the body. It is to uphold the person.
In my own work across staffing, homecare, supported living, complex care and social care innovation, I have learnt that the best services are not defined by how efficiently they complete tasks. They are defined by how intentionally they protect dignity, autonomy, belonging and meaning. A good lived experience asks different questions.
Not only: “Has Mrs Patel eaten?”
But: “Was the meal familiar, culturally meaningful, offered with patience, and served in a way that respected her preferences?”
Not only: “Has Mr Thompson been supported to wash?”
But: “Was he rushed, exposed, embarrassed, or spoken to as though he was a task?”
Not only: “Has the activity timetable been followed?”
But: “Did anyone notice that he used to be a mechanic, that she misses church, that another resident lights up when Nigerian gospel music plays, or that someone who never joins group activities may still crave one-to-one conversation?”
Care completes the intervention. Lived experience honours the human being inside the intervention.
The Regulatory Direction Is Already Clear
The sector should not treat lived experience as a soft aspiration. It is now central to what quality means. The Care Quality Commission’s current assessment approach is built around whether services are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Its quality statements expect providers to demonstrate person-centred, dignified, responsive care that is shaped by what matters to people, not merely by what is convenient for systems. This is important because lived experience is not an optional extra added after compliance. It is the evidence that compliance has reached the person.
Regulation 9 on person-centred care requires care and treatment to meet needs and reflect preferences. Regulation 10 on dignity and respect requires people to be treated with dignity at all times. These are not decorative standards. They are operational, cultural and moral requirements.
The weakness in many services is not that leaders do not know the regulations. It is that they translate them too narrowly. They mistake “person-centred care” for having a completed care plan with preferences listed inside it. But a preference written down and then ignored is not person-centred care. A “This Is Me” document buried in a file is not lived experience. A keyworker system that does not produce emotional continuity is only a structure, not a relationship. A good lived experience happens when documented knowledge becomes daily behaviour.
The Human Difference Is Often Found in Micro-Moments
The difference between care and lived experience is rarely found in grand gestures. It is found in micro-moments repeated consistently.
It is in knocking before entering, even when someone may not respond.
It is in explaining what is happening before touching someone’s body.
It is in knowing that a resident prefers tea strong, not because it is written in the care plan, but because someone cared enough to remember.
It is in noticing when a person’s silence is not contentment but withdrawal.
It is in supporting someone to choose their own clothing, even when it takes longer.
It is in refusing to speak over a person in front of professionals.
It is in understanding that “challenging behaviour” may be grief, trauma, fear, sensory overload, pain or the final remaining form of control.
These moments do not always require more money. They require leadership, training, emotional intelligence and moral discipline.
A rushed culture produces rushed care. A fearful culture produces defensive documentation. A task-led culture produces institutional habits, even in beautiful buildings. A loving, well-led and accountable culture produces something different: an environment where people are not simply kept alive, but enabled to feel that their life still belongs to them.
Workforce Experience Shapes Resident Experience
We cannot discuss lived experience honestly without discussing the workforce.
A depleted, undertrained, unsupported workforce cannot consistently deliver emotionally intelligent care. Staff who feel unseen often struggle to see others fully. Staff who are treated as replaceable labour may begin, unconsciously, to deliver replaceable interactions. This is not an excuse for poor practice. It is a leadership warning.
If providers want better lived experience for residents, they must design better working conditions for staff: proper induction, reflective supervision, trauma-informed training, cultural competence, safe staffing, clear escalation pathways and managers who do not only audit paperwork but observe relational practice.
The care worker is often the person who creates the lived experience hour by hour. Yet too often, the sector underestimates the intellectual and emotional complexity of the role. Supporting someone with dementia, autism, mental health needs, acquired disability, frailty or end-of-life anxiety requires far more than kindness. It requires judgement, restraint, patience, communication skill and the ability to interpret human distress without reducing it to inconvenience. If we want staff to deliver good lived experience, we must equip them to understand the person beyond the presentation.
Culture Must Be Designed, Not Assumed
Many care organisations say they are caring. Fewer can prove how that care is embedded. Culture is not what is written on the wall. It is what happens when no senior manager is watching. A good lived experience requires leaders to design culture deliberately. That means asking uncomfortable questions:
- Do our rotas allow time for relationship, or only task completion?
- Do our audits measure dignity, choice and emotional wellbeing, or only documentation?
- Do complaints lead to learning, or defensiveness?
- Do families feel respected as partners, or tolerated as interruptions?
- Do residents influence decisions, or are they merely consulted after decisions have already been made?
- Do we understand cultural identity, faith, language, food, hair, skin, disability and family structure as core to wellbeing, or as “additional preferences”?
- Do we treat people’s rooms as their homes, or as workplaces we control?
If the answer is weak, the service may be delivering care, but it is not yet delivering a good lived experience.
Technology Should Support Humanity, Not Replace It
Digital systems, when well designed, can strengthen care. They can improve continuity, reduce missed information, identify patterns and support governance. I believe deeply in the role of care technology because I have seen the consequences of fragmented systems. But technology must never become a substitute for presence.
A digital care record can tell us that someone refused breakfast. It cannot, by itself, tell us whether they felt depressed, unheard, nauseous, frightened, embarrassed, or simply tired of being offered food they do not enjoy. That requires human curiosity.
The future of care should not be technology versus compassion. It should be technology in service of compassion. The best systems should free staff to know people better, respond faster, evidence more intelligently and prevent people from becoming lost inside institutional routines. Technology should help us ask better human questions.
Lived Experience Is a Leadership Standard
Ultimately, the quality of lived experience in a care setting is a leadership outcome.
Leaders set the tone for whether people are seen as individuals or packages of need. Leaders decide whether dignity is audited seriously. Leaders determine whether staff are trained merely to comply or developed to think. Leaders choose whether the organisation listens to people with humility or protects itself with polished language.
In care, leadership is not proved in board papers alone. It is proved in the dining room, the night shift, the medication round, the handover, the family meeting, the safeguarding response and the way a resident is spoken to when they are distressed, repetitive, resistant or afraid.
The highest standard is not perfection. Care is complex, and human services will always face pressure. The standard is whether the provider is awake, honest, reflective and relentless in improving the person’s actual experience.
From Service Delivery to Life Delivery
The future of social care must move beyond the narrow language of provision. We are not simply delivering care packages. We are entering people’s homes, bedrooms, routines, histories, griefs, identities and futures. That demands reverence.
A good lived experience is created when people feel safe without feeling controlled, supported without feeling diminished, known without feeling exposed, and cared for without feeling that their personhood has been swallowed by their needs. This is the work.
Not only to help someone get up, but to give them a reason to want to.
Not only to prevent harm, but to preserve hope.
Not only to meet assessed needs, but to honour the life behind those needs.
Not only to deliver care, but to deliver conditions in which a person can still experience dignity, agency, connection and joy.
The difference between care and a good lived experience is the difference between doing things to people and building life with them. The sector cannot afford to confuse the two.
About Pauline Vuyelwa Muswere-Enagbonma
Co- Founder and Group Chief Executive, Jessamy Care Ecosystem
Founder of JessamyCareOne | Master British Certified Trainer | Social Care Reformer
https://www.jessamystaffing.co.uk/
Pauline Vuyelwa Muswere-Enagbonma is the Co-Founder and Group Chief Executive of the Jessamy ecosystem, which sits within Jessamy Platinum Holdings Limited. The group includes ventures across staffing, regulated care, supported accommodation, children’s services, community transport, professional training and care technology.
Founded in 2020 from Jessamy Staffing Solutions, the ecosystem has grown into an integrated model that includes Jessamy Staffing Solutions, Jessamy Platinum Homecare, Jessamy Platinum Homes, Lumina Pathways CIC, Jessamy Transport Services and JessamyCareOne.
Pauline is a Master British Certified Trainer and CPD-accredited professional. Her work focuses on social care reform, workforce development, ethical care technology, trauma-informed care and improved life chances for children, adults and families.
Pauline’s leadership philosophy, The Discipline of Grace, reframes governance as responsibility grounded in kindness, love, care, integrity and accountability.
Stories of Care: Kevin Humphrys, CEO, Oakland Care Group
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.”
Why Every Resident's Story Matters: How LifeLibrary Is Transforming Person-Centred Care
In this interview, Sheridan Norrey, CEO and Founder of LifeLibrary, explains how capturing and sharing residents' life stories is helping care teams build stronger relationships, improve wellbeing, involve families more closely, and provide the meaningful, evidence-based person-centred care that today's sector demands.
What inspired the creation of LifeLibrary, and what challenge in person-centred care were you determined to solve?
My background was in finance, and through property development work with care homes, I began spending a great deal of time in those settings. What struck me immediately, and profoundly, was the extraordinary richness of the people living there. Every single resident carried a lifetime of stories, passions, careers, adventures and relationships. Yet almost none of that was visible to the carers looking after them day to day.
When I started to think about it collectively, I realised that across the care homes in this country, the people living in them represent something like 64 million years of lived experience. That is an astonishing, irreplaceable wealth of human life, and it was going almost entirely unshared. A care plan describes someone's medical needs but says nothing about who they are. I couldn't bear to see those stories sitting dormant in those corridors, and I knew that unlocking them could bring people together in a completely different way. That was the gap LifeLibrary was built to fill.
How does LifeLibrary help care teams get to know residents beyond their care plans, and what impact does this have on day-to-day care?
From the moment a resident joins, LifeLibrary builds a rich, living picture of who they are: their childhood, their career, their passions, their favourite music, the places they've travelled, the things that make them laugh. Carers have all of that at their fingertips, so instead of starting every interaction from scratch, they can walk into a room and immediately connect on a human level.
That shift in dynamic is transformative. A carer who knows that a resident spent thirty years as a jazz musician, or that they once sailed across the Atlantic, can have a genuinely meaningful conversation rather than a functional one. The impact on wellbeing, on loneliness, on dignity; it's profound. Our activities coordinators also use LifeLibrary to identify shared interests among residents, so even group events feel personal rather than generic. As Johanna Johnson, Lifestyle Co-ordinator at Tanglewood Care Homes, put it: 'Together, we share stories, celebrate the past, and create joyful moments every day.' That, for me, is exactly the point.
In what ways does the platform encourage families to contribute to their loved one's care journey and strengthen connections with the care home?
Families are absolutely at the heart of LifeLibrary. They can add stories, upload photos, and share memories directly through the app, so a resident's profile keeps growing and evolving even after they've moved into care. That continuous contribution does two important things: it gives carers an ever-richer understanding of the person they're caring for, and it keeps families genuinely involved rather than feeling like visitors on the periphery of someone else's world.
There's also a beautiful feedback loop built into the platform. When the activities team captures a moment, a resident's face lighting up at a favourite piece of music, or joining in an event that was planned around their specific interests, they can share that photo with the family in real time. That kind of transparency builds real trust. Families feel confident that their loved one is truly known and truly cared for. For care homes, that trust is invaluable.
Can you share a real-life example of how LifeLibrary has improved a resident's wellbeing, engagement or quality of life?
One example that comes to mind is Georgian House Care Home, where LifeLibrary was referenced directly in their CQC inspection report, not once, but across three outstanding categories. The inspector specifically noted how the home was using LifeLibrary to save stories, memories and interests for every resident. That kind of external, independent recognition tells you that the difference is real and measurable.
But the examples I find most moving are the everyday ones. A carer discovers through LifeLibrary that a quiet, withdrawn resident was once a keen ballroom dancer. A playlist is found, a conversation starts, and suddenly there's a spark of real joy in a person who had seemed unreachable. That happens again and again, in homes across the country. Life story work has always been understood to be powerful; LifeLibrary simply makes it possible to do it consistently at scale and share those moments with the people who love them.
With increasing focus on personalised care and regulatory expectations, how can LifeLibrary help providers demonstrate meaningful person-centred practice?
The CQC's quality framework touches on so many areas where genuine person-centred care makes a real difference: how you assess needs, how you support independence and choice, how you listen to people and plan for their future. LifeLibrary creates a living, auditable record of that practice. Every meaningful interaction between a carer and a resident is logged. Life reminiscence work is evidenced. Personalised care plans are built on the foundation of real-life stories rather than clinical snapshots.
When an inspector walks in, providers using LifeLibrary can show, not just tell, that they truly know the people in their care. That's a very different conversation to have. And the commercial case is compelling, too: a Carterwood report from 2024 found that an outstanding CQC rating can boost a care home's revenue by up to 21%. Person-centred care isn't just the right thing to do; it's also a sound business investment.
Looking ahead, what role do you believe digital life story tools will play in shaping the future of care homes, and what innovations can we expect from LifeLibrary?
I believe life story will become as fundamental to a care record as any clinical document. The idea that we know everything about a person's medication but almost nothing about their life is going to look, in hindsight, like a very strange way to care for someone. The sector is beginning to understand that, and the regulatory framework is pushing in the same direction.
Digital tools make it possible to build that picture collaboratively, keep it alive and growing over time, and put the right insight in the hands of every person on the care team at the moment they need it. That's what LifeLibrary is, and we're continuing to deepen the platform's capabilities. We want to make it even easier for carers to surface the right memory or connection at the right moment, and to make family involvement feel as natural and effortless as possible. The future of care is personal. We're building the infrastructure to make that a reality for every resident, in every home.
Beyond the Care Plan: Eleanor Healthcare Group Launches Groundbreaking Initiative to Transform Person-Centred Care
Eleanor Healthcare Group has announced a partnership with After Cloud that will transform how care is delivered across its care homes, placing residents' life stories at the centre of everyday care and redefining what person-centred care means in modern social care.
The initiative will see Eleanor roll out After Cloud's award-winning Storyteller platform across its care homes, giving every resident and their family the opportunity to create a collaborative digital life story that captures the moments, memories, relationships and experiences that have shaped their lives.
While care plans have traditionally focused on a person's needs, risks and support requirements, Eleanor believes exceptional care begins by understanding something far more important: the person behind the care plan.
This pioneering initiative enables residents and families to build rich digital timelines using photographs, videos, letters, audio recordings and personal stories. Families can contribute from anywhere in the world, creating a living record that helps care teams understand not only what support a resident requires, but who they are as a person. The platform is designed to support relationship-centred care, strengthen emotional wellbeing and improve communication between residents, families and care teams.
For decades, the care sector has focused on assessments, care plans and support needs. While these remain essential, they tell only part of the story. They cannot capture a resident's proudest achievement, the career they built, the family they raised, the places they travelled, the music they love or the memories that continue to shape their identity.
By making life stories accessible to carers, nurses, activities teams and support staff, Eleanor is creating opportunities for deeper understanding, stronger relationships and more meaningful interactions every single day.
The initiative aligns directly with Eleanor Healthcare Group's commitment to innovation, one of the organisation's core values, and reflects its continued investment in approaches that improve wellbeing, strengthen family engagement and enhance the quality of life for residents.
Marc Santhi, Chief Executive Officer of Eleanor Healthcare Group, said “Through this initiative, we're creating a richer understanding of every person who lives in our homes. That understanding helps us build stronger relationships, create more meaningful experiences and deliver care that reflects the person behind the assessment. For us, this isn't simply a technology project. It represents a fundamental shift in how we think about care, wellbeing and human connection."
The benefits extend far beyond care delivery. It also supports carers in understanding the person behind a diagnosis or condition, helping to create more personalised experiences and stronger emotional connections.
Kelly White, Head of Clinical Governance and Compliance at Eleanor Healthcare Group and lead for the project across the organisation, said "This project changes the starting point of care. Instead of asking, 'What support does this person need?', we begin by asking, 'Who is this person?' We're creating a deeper understanding of the person and a stronger foundation for truly relationship-based care. That's powerful, both for residents and for the teams supporting them."
The initiative also aligns closely with the Care Quality Commission's focus on person-centred care by supporting greater personalisation, improved communication and a deeper understanding of individual histories, preferences and aspirations.
Darren Evans, Chief Executive Officer of After Cloud, said "What Eleanor Healthcare Group is doing is genuinely pioneering. Many organisations recognise the importance of person-centred care, but few are embedding life story work at this scale and with such ambition. Eleanor is creating an environment where residents are seen not as conditions or care needs, but as people with rich histories, experiences and identities. We are incredibly proud to be partnering with them on what we believe represents a significant step forward for the future of adult social care."
The rollout will take place across Eleanor Healthcare Group's care homes over the coming weeks, creating a new standard for how life stories are captured, shared and used to support resident wellbeing.
Because the best care doesn't start with a care plan. It starts with a story.
Allica Bank launches healthcare investment proposition for care homes and supported living
Allica Bank, the challenger business bank, has announced the launch of a new healthcare investment proposition to support investors looking to buy or refinance care and nursing homes.
Introduced in direct response to feedback from customers and brokers, the new proposition builds on Allica's existing support for established healthcare businesses. The challenger is now offering finance against select residential care properties on an investment basis - further strengthening its presence in a sector where investor demand for long-term, income-backed assets remains strong.
The proposition supports experienced landlords investing in residential care and nursing homes, as well as supported living and group homes, while also extending to properties let to local authorities or housing benefit-funded tenants under commercial lease structures.
The announcement marks the latest step in Allica's growing commitment to the healthcare sector. In April this year, the bank increased its maximum day one loan size to £15 million, extended loan terms to up to 30 years and broadened its Care Quality Commission evidence requirements to better reflect the realities of established healthcare businesses.
Together, these changes reaffirm Allica's ongoing commitment to support care operators in the UK - ensuring they have the flexibility and confidence needed to thrive.
Anthony Newman, Senior Specialist Relationship Manager for Healthcare at Allica Bank, said:
"Healthcare remains one of the most resilient areas of the UK economy, underpinned by long-term demand for quality facilities to support our ageing population. By expanding our proposition to include residential investment, we are opening up more lending options for operators looking to invest and grow.
"At Allica, we understand that established healthcare businesses often require a more specialist approach. We know the ins and outs of this sector, and so our focus is on pairing our expertise with the flexible finance needed to support the businesses that play such a vital role in communities across the UK."
University College Birmingham Collaboration Integrates Specialist Dysphagia Training Within Commis Chef Apprenticeship To Address Skills Gap In The Care Sector
New dysphagia‑focused catering training aims to strengthen patient safety, improve nutrition and hydration outcomes, and support providers to meet rising clinical and regulatory expectations.
A growing collaboration between University College Birmingham’s (UCB) Department of Health and Nutrition, the College of Food and expert training firm OHK (Oak House Kitchen) has led to the launch of a new dysphagia‑focused training approach within its Level 2 Commis Chef Apprenticeship.
The enhanced apprenticeship programme is now available and aims to help address the growing demand for specialist skills required when caring for those with the condition, supporting safer mealtimes and improved nutrition and hydration across care, mental health and supported living settings.
Understanding dysphagia
Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) is a condition that can make consuming food and drink (including water) challenging, uncomfortable and unsafe.
Most people associate the condition with elderly people who may also have additional complications such as Parkinson’s or dementia. However, it can affect people of all ages and there are many other conditions such as stroke, recovery from surgery, medications, eating disorders and learning disabilities that can cause physical or cognitive barriers to consuming food and drink safely.
One employer already championing the apprenticeship is Cygnet Group, a leading provider of health and social care services for adults and young people in the UK. Last year, the company won UCB’s ‘Apprenticeship Employer of the Year’ at the University’s inaugural Apprenticeship Recognition Awards.
“The launch of this new specialism is a significant milestone for our partnership,” says Faye Malkin, Group Training Manager (Apprenticeships) for Cygnet Group.
“The care sector is urgently calling for professionals who not only understand the impact of this condition but also possess the practical expertise to safely prepare food and drink for those in their care.
"I’m delighted that the experts at University College Birmingham and OHK have put their heads together to create this innovative offer, providing the high-quality training that has a service user focus, ensuring safe and dignified care for everyone we support.”
The impact of dysphagia
The effects of dysphagia are wide ranging, from short-term impacts such as aspiration and choking, to longer term complications such as malnutrition, dehydration, respiratory decline and prolonged hospitalisation. These risks place significant pressure on care providers and clinical teams, making safe, consistent, IDDSI‑compliant food preparation essential.
“When our ability to swallow is affected, every mealtime can become a cause of distress and discomfort,” explains Kaye Coleman, lecturer in dietetics UCB.
“It is all too easy to see how interest in food then wanes, which will have a detrimental impact on long-term health and wellbeing.
“When high‑quality, nutritious food is prepared properly, maintaining a balanced diet becomes far easier, and mealtimes no longer need to feel stressful. With the right nourishment, the body is better equipped to handle daily demands, supporting improved overall wellbeing and quality of life.”
Why add the Molila dysphagia training
UCB’s existing Level 2 Commis Chef Apprenticeship is a long-standing course that has seen graduates excel in the basics of culinary preparation, cooking and finishing, as they prepare to enter a professional kitchen environment.
Through this collaboration with OHK, the University is enhancing its training through Molila, an embedded dysphagia catering approach. Aligned to the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) framework, the Molila method that underpins the training, was born out of a need for caterers with the right knowledge and skills to prepare medically critical diets for environments such as care homes, hospitals and supported living services.
“At OHK we’re passionate about good food and the pleasure mealtimes can bring,” explained James Ball, co-founder of OHK.
“We understand that what, how and where you eat are all part of the makeup of a sociable, healthy and nutritious dining experience, that can be the highlight of someone’s day. Medical conditions that cause profound challenges, such as dysphagia, should not be an insurmountable barrier to a positive and safe dining experience and that is why we developed the Molila training.
“We’re excited to be working with the education experts at University College Birmingham in training the next generation of dysphagia-compliant culinary professionals.”
Benefits for employers
The Level 2 Commis Chef Apprenticeship is already widely recognised and accepted as an entry-level qualification for a career in the culinary sector.
The Molila specialist healthcare pathway is an additional enhancement to the existing industry-standard course and is provided at no extra cost to the employer.
Key features of the course:
- funding available through the Growth and Skills Levy (or government co-investment for eligible employers)
- day-release learning at UCB in a professional kitchen environment
- additional incentive for learners under 18-years-old
- minimum 12-month duration that includes the End Point Assessment.
“It’s been an exciting time bringing this course to market; working with colleagues in the Department of Health and Nutrition alongside OHK has been an insightful and rewarding experience,” said Stuart Wildsmith, UCB’s Senior Apprenticeship Account Lead (Culinary Arts).
“We’re all acutely aware of the skills gaps in this specialised area of the catering sector and have high hopes that employers and students will recognise the opportunity this course represents for training and career progression.
“Our Level 2 Commis Chef Apprenticeship already provides a vital grounding and start point for a culinary journey – the Molila element enhances our provision and reflects our ongoing commitment to training the best in the business.”
Employers and prospective learners: find out more about the Level 2 Commis Chef Apprenticeship including Molila dysphagia training
Care Sector Stalwart Retires After Thirty Years Championing Older People's Care
The CEO of not-for-profit care provider, Harrogate Neighbours and former National Chair of the NACC, Sue Cawthray, has retired after a career dedicated to improving care, nutrition and community support.
One of the care sector's most respected leaders, Sue, has spent more than 35 years working across social care, housing, care catering and community services.
Sue’s departure as Chief Executive of Harrogate Neighbours, brings to a close a remarkable career that has seen her influence national policy, champion older people's nutrition and wellbeing, lead award-winning services, and become one of the most recognised voices in care catering and community care.
Stepping into the role as CEO of Harrogate Neighbours is Helena Evans, who brings more than 20 years’ experience across the housing, supported housing, support and care sectors, including almost a decade serving as CEO within community-based housing and support organisations.
Since joining Harrogate Neighbours in 2005, Sue has overseen a period of significant growth and transformation, including the development of extra care housing, expansion of domiciliary care services, the creation of the award-winning Harrogate Food Angels meals-on-wheels service, and the opening of the organisation's Community Hub in Starbeck, North Yorkshire.
Her contribution to the wider care sector has been equally significant. A long-standing volunteer and leader within the National Association of Care Catering (NACC), Sue served two terms as National Chair and played a leading role in advancing nutritional standards for older people, contributing to national guidance, government initiatives and campaigns tackling malnutrition and loneliness.
In 2023, Sue received the Public Sector Catering Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of 30 years of service to care catering. She has also been named among the UK's most influential figures in public sector catering for five consecutive years and was recognised with the Outstanding Contribution to Social Care Award at the Yorkshire and Humber Great Care Awards.
Reflecting on her retirement, Sue said, "It has been the privilege of my life to work in the care sector and alongside some truly extraordinary people. Care is about far more than services – it is about dignity, compassion, relationships and helping people live the best lives they can.
"Over the years I have seen incredible commitment from care professionals, volunteers and support staff who go above and beyond every day, often without the recognition they deserve. I am immensely proud to have been part of a sector that continually rises to challenges and puts people first.
"The pandemic demonstrated beyond doubt the vital role social care plays in our communities. Yet despite that, the sector continues to face significant challenges around funding, workforce pressures and resources. My hope is that social care receives the investment, recognition and support it needs in the years ahead because the people who rely on these services, and those who deliver them, deserve nothing less.
"I leave the sector with enormous pride in what has been achieved and complete confidence in the passionate, talented people who will continue to drive positive change. Although I am retiring from executive leadership, I will always remain a proud advocate for social care and for older people."
Under Sue's leadership, Harrogate Neighbours has become recognised as one of North Yorkshire's most innovative charitable care organisations. Her achievements include leading the development of Greenfield Court into an Extra Care facility, project managing the £7.7 million development of The Cuttings Extra Care scheme, securing The Queens Award for Voluntary Service for the Harrogate Food Angels, and helping the organisation achieve and maintain Customer Service Excellence accreditation with Compliance Plus status year after year.
Her wider influence extended beyond Harrogate. Sue helped launch national nutritional initiatives, worked alongside government and healthcare stakeholders on hydration and malnutrition campaigns, contributed to industry guidance launched at the House of Commons, and played a key role in raising the profile of Meals on Wheels services across the UK.
Commenting on Sue's retirement, Chair of Harrogate Neighbours, Judith Bell said, "Sue's contribution to Harrogate Neighbours, and to the wider care sector, has been exceptional. Her vision, determination and unwavering commitment to improving the lives of older people have shaped not only our organisation but influenced services and standards nationally.
"Her legacy can be seen in the services she has created, the communities she has strengthened and the countless people whose lives have been improved through her leadership. We thank Sue for her extraordinary service and wish her every happiness in her retirement."