A Game of 64 Squares
Chess is gaining traction in care homes as a powerful tool for cognitive stimulation and social connection. In this feature, Mark Rivlin shares his perspective on the game’s growing role in later life, speaking on behalf of Chess in Schools and Communities and its “Older and Bolder” initiative.
Chess might not be the first activity that comes to mind in a busy care home environment, but that is beginning to change. Once seen as a quiet pastime for enthusiasts, the game is experiencing a resurgence across the UK and is increasingly finding a natural home in care settings.
For providers navigating the ongoing challenge of delivering meaningful, low-cost, and inclusive activities, chess offers a compelling proposition. It is easy to introduce, adaptable to different cognitive and physical abilities, and uniquely positioned to support both wellbeing and social engagement.
A growing movement
The renewed popularity of chess has been driven by a combination of cultural and digital influences. Online platforms have made the game more accessible than ever, while mainstream media has helped reposition it as both aspirational and inclusive. Crucially, this momentum is no longer limited to younger audiences.
Organisations such as Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC) are now actively extending their reach into older populations. With over two decades of experience delivering chess programmes in schools and community settings, the charity has launched its “Older and Bolder” initiative, specifically designed to bring chess into care homes.
The programme builds on successful pilots across the country, from structured courses in partnership with Age UK in Brighton, to community-based sessions in Westminster and Bracknell. These initiatives have demonstrated that, with the right support, chess can engage both complete beginners and experienced players later in life.
More than just a game
At its core, chess is a cognitively stimulating activity. It requires concentration, memory, planning, and decision-making: all skills that are highly relevant to maintaining mental agility in older age.
Emerging research supports this; studies on cognitively stimulating leisure activities suggest they may help reduce the risk of developing conditions such as dementia. While chess is not a preventative solution in isolation, it forms part of a broader toolkit of activities that can contribute to brain health.
Importantly for care settings, chess also appears to remain accessible even as cognitive decline progresses. There is evidence to suggest that individuals living with advanced dementia can retain the ability to engage with the game, offering a rare opportunity for continuity and familiarity.
Beyond cognition, the social dimension of chess is equally valuable. Whether played one-to-one or in a small group, it creates natural opportunities for interaction, conversation, and shared experience. In environments where loneliness and isolation remain ongoing concerns, this should not be underestimated.
A personal perspective
For many, chess is not just an activity but a lifelong companion. Mark Rivlin describes a personal connection that spans decades: “I was introduced to the game of chess at the age of five. My father was a strong player and taught me the moves. Now at the age of seventy, I have notched up six decades of playing the game… Win, lose or draw, I enjoy the challenge of playing against people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.”
This intergenerational appeal is part of what makes chess particularly suited to care environments. It can bridge gaps between residents, staff, and even visiting family members, creating a shared language that transcends age and background.
Rivlin also highlights the game’s accessibility: “Chess is easy to learn, enjoy and succeed, and most importantly, it is great fun to play.”
That simplicity is key. Unlike some activities that require extensive setup, specialised equipment, or significant staffing resources, chess can be introduced at minimal cost and with minimal space.
Practical implementation in care homes
For activity coordinators, the question is not whether chess has value, but how easily it can be embedded into an already busy programme.
The answer, in most cases, is straightforward.
A basic setup requires only a small number of boards and pieces, all of which can be easily stored. Sessions can be run informally, allowing residents to drop in and play at their own pace, or in more structured formats for those who prefer guided learning.
CSC’s “Older and Bolder” programme offers additional support, including trained tutors, teaching materials, and staff training. This can be particularly beneficial in homes where there is limited prior experience of delivering chess-based activities.
There is also scope to build variety into the programme. Mini tournaments, themed activity days, or even friendly matches with local schools or community groups can help sustain engagement over time. For residents with digital access, online platforms offer further opportunities to play and improve skills.
Inclusive by design
One of chess’s greatest strengths is its adaptability. It can be simplified for beginners, paced according to individual ability, and even adapted for those with visual or physical impairments through specialist boards and pieces.
This makes it an inclusive option within diverse resident populations. Whether someone is encountering the game for the first time or returning to it after many years, there is a clear entry point.
A strategic addition
As care providers continue to rethink activity provision in response to changing expectations, chess represents a low-risk, high-impact addition.
It aligns with key priorities across the sector: supporting cognitive health, encouraging social interaction, and delivering meaningful engagement without placing undue strain on resources.
Perhaps most importantly, it brings an element of challenge and purpose. On a board of 64 squares, every move matters, and for residents, that sense of agency and involvement can be powerful.
Rivlin describes chess as “a magical chessboard” with “thousands of options for attack, defense, and even making mistakes”. This mix of challenge, enjoyment, and human connection is what makes chess a meaningful activity in care home environments.
Why Life Stories Are the Foundation of Truly Person-Centred Care
After Cloud founder Darren Evans explains how personal experience inspired Storyteller, why digital life stories are transforming person-centred care, and how preserving identity can strengthen relationships, improve staff confidence and ensure every individual is known beyond their care plan.
How has your journey shaped the platform, and why do you believe preserving life stories is becoming an essential part of high-quality care?
I did not arrive at this from the outside looking in. The catalyst for Storyteller was deeply personal; my mother-in-law lived with Lewy Body Dementia, and watching that illness take hold taught me something I have never forgotten: when a person you know or love dies, a whole lifetime of information and knowledge can be lost in a heartbeat, and there is sadly no retrieval. That loss stays with you. Alongside that, I have spent more than twenty-five years working in and around social care technology, and the idea for Storyteller grew from years of watching, up close, what happens when the person behind the care plan gets lost. I have seen children move through multiple placements with their history scattered across paper files and institutional memory that walks out the door when a key worker leaves. I have seen adults in residential care reduced to a list of needs and risks, with the life they actually lived nowhere to be found. Preserving life stories is not a nice-to-have sitting alongside care; it is part of what good care actually means, because you cannot truly meet someone's needs if you do not know who they are. Our job is to ensure that we know the person rather than the condition.
How can digital life story technology help staff better understand residents beyond their care plans?
A care plan tells you what a person needs done for them. It does not tell you who they are, what they have lived through, what makes them laugh, or what they are frightened of. Done well, digital life story work gives staff a living picture they can return to and add to over time, so that every shift, every new starter, every agency worker stepping in for a day has access to the same depth of understanding rather than relying on whoever happened to ask the right question once. That consistency matters enormously in a sector with high staff turnover and constant handover. It is the difference between care that is administered and care that is genuinely informed and safely and securely accessible.
Where do you see technology adding the greatest value without replacing the human relationships that are at the heart of care?
As I see it, technology's job here is to remove friction, not to stand in for connection. The greatest value is in making sure that the right piece of someone's story surfaces at the right moment, in the hands of the person actually sitting with them, so that a conversation can happen that would otherwise never have started. It also has real value in capturing and safeguarding history that would otherwise be lost entirely, particularly for children in care whose records can be fragmented across multiple agencies and placements, and for adults whose families may not always be present to pass on what they know. But the relationship itself, the moment a carer sits down and asks about someone's wedding day or their first job, that is entirely human, and it always will be. Carers themselves do a fantastic job of caring, and our job is to make sure they walk into that moment prepared, and for activity coordinators to capture the moments of joy that can often take place in a progressive care setting.
How does After Cloud help strengthen relationships between residents, relatives and care teams?
Storyteller is built so that the story is never owned by any one party. I actually believe the story should ideally be applied, even before resident admission. Residents, families, and care teams can all contribute over time, so the record keeps growing rather than sitting stagnant from the day someone joins a service. For families, that is often deeply meaningful, particularly when distance, time, or a loved one's condition makes regular visiting difficult. It gives them a way to stay genuinely involved rather than feeling like visitors to someone else's care. For care teams, it builds trust with families because they can see, not just be told, that the person they love is known. And because Storyteller was designed from the outset to work across both children's and adults' social care, that same principle, that everyone with a legitimate stake in a person's story should be able to contribute to and draw on it safely, applies across the whole of someone's life, not just one chapter of it.
What feedback have you received from care providers using After Cloud, and are there any examples where the platform has demonstrably improved resident wellbeing, engagement or staff confidence?
It's important for readers to know that we are led by an independent steering group of social care thought leaders, chaired by Des Kelly OBE (Des is currently acting as EU Exit Planning Lead for the Care Provider Alliance. He is also Chair of the Centre for Policy on Ageing and was Executive Director of the National Care Forum from 2003 to 2016). We work with innovative organisations including Eleanor Healthcare Group, who are rolling Storyteller out across sixteen of their care homes this year, alongside many other esteemed providers such as Athena Care Group, Panacea, Niche Care Homes, Families First, Amberleigh Care and the Borough of Telford and Wrekin, attracting both CQC and OFSTED-related feedback during regulatory visits. The feedback we hear most consistently is about confidence, staff telling us they feel better equipped walking into a new resident's room or a first meeting with a child in care because they are not starting from nothing. We are also building a formal evidence base for this, including a research pathway exploring Storyteller's impact in residential care, because we believe the case for life story work should stand up to the same scrutiny as any other clinical or care intervention, not rest on anecdote alone. We are proud to hold ARA accreditation and to have been named Innovator of the Year, recognition that reflects the seriousness with which we approach this work. Storyteller was also supported from the outset by an Innovate UK technology grant for research conducted by SEHTA (Science, Engineering and Health Technology Alliance) prior to our starting to develop the solution.
Looking ahead, what do you think the future of digital life stories and person-centred technology in social care will look like over the next five years, and what role do you hope After Cloud will play in that evolution?
I think within five years, life story work will be treated as standard practice rather than a point of differentiation, much as care planning itself became standard decades ago. Regulation is already moving in that direction, and providers are recognising that you cannot evidence genuinely relational or person-centred care without it. Where I hope After Cloud leads is in refusing to treat this as an adults-only conversation. Children in care deserve the same continuity of identity and story as anyone in a care home, arguably more so, because their early years story is still being written and the stakes of losing it are higher. Our partnership with Coram strengthens this as we are a trusted technology provider. We also believe that Intergenerational learning and legacy beyond the care setting itself are hugely important, which is why our work extends to personal memory and digital legacy more broadly, and to preserving history in other forms entirely, from heritage assets to provenance. Our ambition is for Storyteller to be the platform that proves life story work is not a feature you add to care; it is the foundation good care is built on, for every person, at every stage of life.
Above all, we want to ensure that we continue to drive social impact and, where possible, make a difference. We see this in our support for charities like Comfort Cases, as well as other great causes and initiatives, such as Championing Social Care. The sector is supporting the sector with incredible work
Young visitors bring creativity and colour to Chartwell House
Children from St Mildred's Primary join residents for a morning of pebble painting, laughter and garden storytelling
Residents at Chartwell House Care Home in Broadstairs spent a morning painting pebbles, swapping garden stories and making new friends when six Year 2 children from St Mildred's Primary Infant School came through their doors.
The visit took place as part of Chartwell House's ongoing programme of intergenerational events. Children and residents sat together around tables laid with brushes, markers, glitter and smooth grey stones, decorating the pebbles to be placed in the home's garden. As the morning unfolded, residents shared memories of their own gardens, offered tips on planting, and helped the children with their designs.
The activity formed part of Boutique in Bloom, an initiative by Boutique Care Homes that celebrates gardens and outdoor spaces as places for creativity, connection and community. By welcoming local school children into the home to take part in a gardening-themed activity, Chartwell House put that vision into practice in a simple, personal way.
Miss Jones, Teaching Assistant at St Mildred's Primary Infant School, said: "Six of our Year 2 children were invited to attend an Activity Day at Chartwell House. They spent time with the residents and painted some beautiful stones. All the children had such a lovely time and talked about it all day."
Jaye Dry, Admissions Manager at Chartwell House Care Home, said: "Watching residents and children work side by side decorating pebbles was truly heartwarming. These intergenerational activities create wonderful opportunities for learning, laughter and connection, while also bringing our outdoor spaces to life. We're passionate about creating a garden that not only supports resident wellbeing but also brings the wider community together, and this was a perfect example of that in action."
Research consistently shows that regular contact between older and younger generations benefits both groups. For residents, time spent with children can spark conversation, encourage reminiscence and bring a sense of purpose. For children, these encounters help build confidence, curiosity and a natural respect for older people.
Chartwell House plans to continue its programme of community visits throughout the year. Schools and community groups interested in getting involved are encouraged to get in touch directly with the home.
How Meadowbrook’s ‘art circle’ is helping residents create and connect
Michelle Humphreys, General Manager at Meadowbrook Care Home, explores the power of art to help residents connect with each other and the wider community.
The same time every month at Meadowbrook care home, the corridors come alive with colour. Residents who until last year may never have picked up a paint brush before start filling the walls with remarkable landscapes, folk art, and abstract compositions – all of them produced by our very own resident ‘art circle’.
When our community artist Debbie Miles began regular art classes in January, none of us expected how much hidden talent she would discover. Over the past six months residents have created some truly remarkable pieces inspired by Bishop’s Stortford and the surrounding area.
Indeed, the quality of the work was so high that in April we hosted a dedicated auction in partnership with Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers, which showcased the residents’ work to the wider community. The event raised £732 for Grove Cottage Bishop’s Stortford, while several pieces were bought by residents so they could remain part of life at Meadowbrook.
This experience reinforced something we have long believed: that art can be a vital form of self-expression in care settings, especially for older adults with decades of experience, memory and feeling to draw on when approaching the canvas.
Art as connection
Part of the reason art can be so powerful in care is that it gives people a shared focus: something to make, discuss and return to together.
The evidence backs this up. The World Health Organization, drawing on more than 3,000 studies, has found that engaging in the arts can help with prevention, health promotion and the management of illness. Arts Council England also highlights the role of creativity in supporting wellbeing, including through arts participation delivered in community and care settings.
This is important, as social isolation remains one of the biggest challenges facing older people. Age UK has warned that nearly a million older people in the UK often feel lonely, and that this could rise to 1.2 million people over 65 in England by 2034 if action is not taken.
Creative activity can help bridge this gap. A study published in Working with Older People found that creative ageing projects can increase social interaction and help tackle isolation among older people, including those in care homes and supported living settings.
Art as communication
Art can also provide an important route for self-expression, particularly when words are difficult to find. The British Association of Art Therapists describes art therapy as a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as a primary mode of expression and communication. This makes it especially useful in later-life care, where some residents may experience changes in memory, speech, confidence or emotional processing.
For residents living with dementia, this can be especially important. As the condition progresses, they may struggle to explain how they feel, recall recent events, or follow longer conversations. It therefore becomes crucial to find other ways to support communication – whether through colour, texture, image, music or other forms of creative expression.
The evidence supports this approach. A pilot study published in Frontiers in Psychology tested an art-based intervention for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, using visual art and colour-based activities to support emotional expression and engagement. While small in scale, the study found improvements in neuropsychiatric symptoms, suggesting that structured art-making can be a useful non-pharmacological tool in dementia care.
Art as community engagement
Art therapy also fits into the wider principle of social prescribing, which recognises that wellbeing is shaped not only by clinical care, but by a person’s relationships, routines, and sense of belonging. The National Academy for Social Prescribing identifies arts and cultural activities – including classes, gallery visits and music groups – as practical ways to connect people with meaningful community networks.
For older people, this is particularly important given how closely social connection is tied to our sense of confidence and independence. Creative activities can provide a route into shared experience: a reason to leave your bedroom, take part in a group, and challenge yourself to produce something that feels both meaningful and personal.
For care homes, the lesson is clear: meaningful activity should not stop at the front door. Indeed, The Baring Foundation argues that arts and culture should be embedded more systematically across the care sector. Social prescribing offers a practical model for this, helping homes build links with local artists, galleries and community groups so residents remain a vital part of the cultural life of the town.
Bringing it home
At Meadowbrook, what began as simple monthly art sessions has steadily blossomed into a full resident-led art circle connecting residents with each another, our team, and the wider community. For us, this has shown that art in care is not just an activity. Done well, it can help residents express themselves, build confidence and share parts of their lives that might otherwise remain unseen.
Nor does this talented group show any sign of stopping. Later this year, we are in talks with a local art gallery to create an entire exhibition dedicated to works produced by the art circle. This would give residents’ creativity a more visible place in the town’s cultural life and help show the wider community what older people in care continue to create and contribute.
For us, the lesson is simple: art in care is not only about what appears on the canvas. It is about what the process can reveal – a memory, a preference, a sense of humour, or a part of someone’s story that might otherwise be missed. When we take the time to notice those things, we provide care that is more personal and more human.
Martello Manor Welcomes First Founding Residents
Martello Manor by Boutique Care Homes is officially open. On Monday 22 June 2026, one of Kent's most anticipated new care homes welcomed its first residents through the doors, with the full team on hand to greet them and their families as they arrived home for the very first time.
Margaret and Joan have the honour of being Martello Manor's founding residents, the first of many whose lives will be shaped by everything this home has been built to offer. Their arrival marks the moment months of preparation, community engagement, and anticipation became a lived reality.
The day began with a blessing of the home, led by Reverend Michael Darkins, Vicar of St Leonards Hythe, and Reverend Dr Anderson Yan Oakley, Organ Scholar: a meaningful start to a day the whole team had been working towards for months.
Then came the moment that will not be forgotten quickly. As Joan approached the entrance, team and families lined both sides of the doorway and broke into applause. A gold ribbon stretched across the threshold. She cut it herself, entering the home to cheers from everyone around her, and raised her arms in celebration. It was, by any measure, the right way to open a home.
Inside, the warmth continued. Marlene Abreu, Home Manager, was there to welcome her personally, the same care and attention that will define every day at Martello Manor already on full display. Families who had spent weeks, sometimes months, navigating the transition to residential care found themselves not in a clinical institution, but in a home: warm, beautifully designed, and staffed by people who were genuinely delighted to have them there.
The opening is a milestone for Boutique Care Homes and for Hythe. Martello Manor has been designed from the ground up to offer something the area has not had before: premium residential and dementia care that feels nothing like a care home should, in a building purpose-built to make life genuinely good for the people who live in it.
Marlene Abreu said: "Today is the day everything we have been working towards becomes real. Every decision we have made about the home, the team, the way we do things, has been made with our residents in mind. Welcoming our first residents through the doors is one of the proudest moments of my career, and it is just the beginning."
Ameet Kotecha, Founder and Managing Director of Boutique Care Homes, said: "We set out to prove that care can be unexpectedly good, that it can feel warm, dignified, and full of life. Martello Manor is the finest expression of that belief we have built yet. Hythe deserves this, and we are honoured to be here."
Martello Manor offers residential care, specialist dementia support through Boutique Care Homes' Nostalgia Care programme, and short-stay respite care. Residents benefit from a dedicated Life Enrichment Programme, fresh meals prepared daily by an on-site chef, ensuite bedrooms, landscaped gardens, a bistro, cinema, and hair salon. The home sits at the heart of the Hythe community, with established partnerships already in place with Hythe Town Football Club, the Royal British Legion Hythe and Saltwood Branch, and the Hythe Dementia Awareness Forum.
For more information or to arrange a visit, contact the Martello Manor team at www.martellomanor.care.
Fundraising with Purpose: Embedding Engagement into Everyday Care
Expert insight from the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) highlights how fundraising can move beyond events to become a powerful, everyday tool for engagement, wellbeing and community connection in care homes.
Reframing fundraising in care homes
The NAPA Standards of Practice highlight activity and engagement as key to wellbeing, identity, and community ties. Within this approach, fundraising can evolve from sporadic events to an integral part of a care home's daily culture. Instead of merely being an occasional activity, fundraising can enable residents to participate, express themselves, and stay connected with the broader community. This signals a shift in perspective: from viewing activity as simply an occupation to viewing it as a meaningful purpose.
From one-off events to embedded practice
In many homes, fundraising still centres on standalone events such as seasonal fairs, raffles or themed charity days. While these can be positive, they are often staff-led and sit apart from residents’ everyday routines and interests.
Embedding fundraising requires a different approach. It means aligning it with ongoing activity provision so that it emerges naturally from residents’ preferences, histories and abilities. The focus shifts away from special events towards consistent, meaningful engagement.
In practice, this is less about introducing new initiatives and more about adapting what already exists. Creative, social and physical activities can all incorporate a fundraising element without losing their primary purpose. The emphasis remains on engagement, with fundraising as a secondary outcome.
Designing double-purpose activities
Some of the most effective approaches are those that deliver both therapeutic value and a fundraising outcome. These double-purpose activities align closely with established principles of good care, supporting physical health, cognitive stimulation and emotional wellbeing.
Gardening can support movement, sensory engagement and reminiscence, while also creating opportunities for plant or produce sales. Baking and food-based activities can foster social interaction and routine while forming the basis of community-facing initiatives.
Creative activities such as knitting, painting or card-making can support fine motor skills and self-expression, while producing items that may be shared or displayed as part of a wider fundraising effort. Intergenerational work can also play a role, combining social connection with opportunities for community involvement and support.
In each case, the activity retains its intrinsic value. The fundraising element should never override the experience itself.
Supporting person-centred care
A key strength of activity-led fundraising is its alignment with person-centred practice. Effective implementation depends on understanding residents’ backgrounds, interests and preferences, and using this insight to shape meaningful opportunities for participation.
For individuals who may have experienced a loss of role on entering care, these opportunities can be significant. Contributing to a shared project, whether through planning, creating, hosting or simply taking part, can support a sense of identity and usefulness.
This approach also encourages more collaborative activity planning. Residents are not passive recipients, but active participants in shaping what takes place. This reflects NAPA’s emphasis on autonomy, choice and ongoing involvement in decision-making.
Strengthening community connections
Fundraising activities can also support more consistent and meaningful engagement with the local community. A clear purpose can make it easier to involve external partners, from families and volunteers to schools and community groups.
Over time, this can help reposition the care home as an open, engaged environment rather than a closed setting. Community-facing activities create opportunities for shared experiences, where residents are seen as active contributors rather than solely as recipients of care.
This reciprocal model is important. Successful engagement is not about the community supporting the home in isolation, but about building relationships that offer value in both directions.
Making it sustainable in practice
For providers, embedding fundraising into everyday activity does not necessarily require additional resources, but it does require consistency and clarity.
Regular opportunities for participation, rather than reliance on large occasional events, are more likely to become part of the home’s culture. This might include ongoing projects, repeatable formats or partnerships that develop over time.
Clarity of purpose is equally important. Staff teams need to understand how fundraising aligns with care outcomes to ensure it remains appropriate and proportionate. Without this, it may feel tokenistic or overly task-driven.
Relevance also matters. Causes that resonate with residents’ experiences or interests are more likely to support meaningful engagement.
Measuring what matters
The success of fundraising in care settings should not be defined solely by the amount raised. While financial outcomes are important, they represent only one aspect of impact.
A broader evaluation should consider resident engagement, emotional wellbeing, confidence and social connection. Observational insight, feedback from residents and families, and evidence of participation can all provide a more complete picture.
Inclusion is another key consideration. Homes should assess whether activities are accessible and adaptable, ensuring that residents with different needs and abilities can take part in ways that are meaningful to them.
There is also value in recognising the impact on staff and the wider community. Collaborative initiatives can support team cohesion, encourage creativity and strengthen external relationships, all of which contribute to a positive care environment.
A broader definition of value
Within the NAPA framework, fundraising is not simply about generating income. At its best, it is a vehicle for supporting dignity, purpose and connection.
When embedded thoughtfully, it can enhance existing activity provision, strengthen community links and create opportunities for residents to remain active participants in the world around them.
For care home operators, the implication is clear: fundraising is most effective not when it is added on, but when it is built in.
Driving Excellence in Person-Centred Care at Meadowbanks
Tajá Young, Director of Operations, Quality & Compliance at Meadowbanks Care Home, discusses how to strengthen systems, invest in staff development, and build a culture of consistency to drive high-quality, person-centred care.
With over ten years in the care sector, I possess a clinical nursing background complemented by formal leadership and management qualifications. My responsibilities include operational delivery, governance, compliance, recruitment, safeguarding, and service development. I prioritise working closely with care teams, residents, families, local authorities, and healthcare partners to ensure care remains safe, compassionate, and truly person-centred. Additionally, I focus on fostering a positive workforce culture where colleagues feel valued, supported, and encouraged to grow. When staff are confident and engaged, resident outcomes improve, and the entire home benefits.
On joining Meadowbanks, I saw significant potential. The setting is a clear strength, with spacious accommodation, attractive grounds, and a tranquil lakeside aspect that enhances residents’ wellbeing. There was already a warm, caring ethos, underpinned by a committed team and positive community links. Alongside this, there were opportunities to drive greater consistency, strengthen systems, and introduce innovation, particularly through the effective use of digital tools.
Early assessment highlighted challenges around organisation, communication, and consistency of practice. Processes required a clearer structure, with defined accountability and more robust frameworks to support decision-making. Workforce development was also a priority. Investing in high-quality training, coaching, and leadership support is essential to ensure every team member understands expectations and feels equipped to deliver excellent care.
We have since implemented a series of targeted improvements. Investment in digital care planning and recording has enhanced accuracy, accessibility, and oversight. We have expanded training provision through structured programmes and eLearning, and reinforced risk management through stronger assessments and documentation. Operationally, workflows have been streamlined to improve coordination across departments. At the same time, we have enriched the resident experience by broadening activities, strengthening community engagement, improving communication with families, and making thoughtful environmental enhancements to create a more homely, high-quality setting.
Culture underpins all of this work. Systems provide the framework, but people deliver the difference. I prioritise a culture defined by kindness, professionalism, accountability, and teamwork. Open communication is encouraged, with staff supported to share ideas, raise concerns, and take ownership of their roles.
Looking ahead, the ambition is to position Meadowbanks among the leading residential homes in the region. This will be driven by continuous quality improvement, sustained investment in people, ongoing upgrades to the environment, and a more strategic use of technology. We also intend to further develop our premium offering, ensuring residents benefit from a truly outstanding standard of living.
Ultimately, the goal is clear: to be recognised for excellence, innovation, and authentic person-centred care, where residents feel respected and fulfilled, families feel confident, and staff take pride in their work.
Billingham Care Home Recognised for Dementia-Friendly Commitment at Local Awards Ceremony
Residents and colleagues from Green Lodge Care Home in Billingham celebrated a proud moment at a special awards ceremony at Yarm School last week after the home received a Dementia Accreditation Award recognising its commitment to dementia-friendly care and support.
Five residents attended the event alongside care colleagues and enjoyed meeting representatives from organisations across the borough working to create more inclusive and supportive environments for people living with dementia.
The award was presented through Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Dementia Friendly Plus initiative, which supports organisations in becoming more dementia aware through training and community engagement.
As part of the accreditation process, the Green Lodge team undertook specialist dementia-friendly training sessions led by Lesley Tart, Community Link Worker and completed the programme requirements set by the council.
Resident James McHugh was especially proud to help Home Manager Kelly Levick and General Manager Vicky Hall accept the award from the mayor during the ceremony.
The event highlighted the importance of creating supportive and inclusive environments for people living with dementia while giving residents and colleagues the opportunity to mark the home’s achievement together.
Kelly said:
“We’re incredibly proud to have received this Dementia Accreditation Award. The whole team has worked hard throughout the accreditation process, and it was wonderful to share the occasion with our residents.
“James was absolutely delighted to help accept the award alongside Kelly, Vicky and the Mayor. It was a proud moment for everyone involved.”
The award reflects Green Lodge Care Home’s ongoing commitment to delivering compassionate, person-centred care and ensuring residents living with dementia feel supported, valued and empowered every day.
Green Lodge Care Home is part of Orchard Healthcare Group, which operates 23 care homes across the Midlands and the North of England. Orchard is committed to creating meaningful experiences that support residents to live life to the fullest.
It offers residential care, short-term respite care and residential dementia care and holds a ‘Good’ rating with the Care Quality Commission. For more information about the home visit: Green Lodge | Care Home in Stockton-on-Tees
For more information on Orchard Healthcare Group, call 01423 859859 or visit: Care Homes in the UK | Orchard Healthcare Group. The group has also achieved a five-star food rating at every home across its portfolio.
Swindon care home honours Blue Light emergency service workers at Royal Wootton Bassett Carnival
Willowbrook View, an all-inclusive luxury care home in Swindon, recently took part in the 55th annual Royal Wootton Bassett Carnival by transforming the home’s minibus into a moving tribute to local Blue Light emergency service workers.
The much-loved event, which attracts thousands of visitors to the town each year, returned on Saturday 16 May with a fitting theme: ‘Heroes and Villains’. Inspired by Royal Wootton Bassett’s official motto – “We honour those who serve” – the team at Willowbrook View chose to dedicate their entry to the everyday heroes who spend their lives helping others in need.
The minibus was decorated with handcrafted cardboard cutouts of emergency service workers seated throughout the vehicle, while a life-sized Playmobil firefighter mascot waved from the back. Team members accompanying the display were also dressed in the uniforms of emergency services. These decorations were lovingly prepared with the help of the home’s residents, who worked closely with staff on the design of the display leading up to the event.
In recognition of this effort, Willowbrook View was "highly commended" in the Care Homes award category at the Carnival, and selected as an overall winner by the Carnival Royalty.
Reflecting on the event, Willowbrook View’s General Manager Mathan Balasubramaniyan said:
“As soon as we heard the theme for this year’s Royal Wootton Bassett Carnival was ‘Heroes and Villains’, we knew it would be a perfect opportunity to celebrate the everyday heroes who do so much for our community. At Willowbrook View, we are passionate about supporting local people who dedicate their lives to helping others – from emergency service workers to military veterans. That’s why we recently launched our monthly ‘Blue Light Breakfasts’ as a small thank you for their courage and dedication.”
Dixie, who drove Willowbrook View’s minibus during the procession, has a personal connection to the event through her partner, who previously served in the armed forces. Because of Royal Wootton Bassett’s long-standing tradition of honouring those who serve, the town has always held a special place in the couple’s hearts.
Indeed, Royal Wootton Bassett itself holds a unique place in British history, becoming the first town in over 100 years to receive the “Royal” prefix, granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2011. The honour was granted in recognition of the town’s role in honouring fallen British service personnel repatriated through nearby RAF Lyneham.
Reflecting on this year’s ‘Heroes and Villains’ theme, Dixie said:
“[This] was a brilliant choice. It celebrates the everyday people who make a difference in our communities, while also adding a fun, creative twist that brings everyone together. What I value most about events like this is the sense of unity they create. They bring people of all ages and backgrounds together, strengthen community spirit, and give everyone a chance to celebrate the people and stories that have made the town what it is.”
Although residents were unable to attend the procession in person, the team ensured they still felt part of the celebrations by arranging for footage of the carnival to be shown in the home’s on-site cinema room later this week, which will be kindly provided by Swindon24.
Mathan Balasubramaniyan added:
“It’s been fantastic seeing the whole team throw themselves so enthusiastically into the planning and festivities. Our residents especially loved helping to create the decorations for the minibus – particularly those with familial ties to the emergency services. It was a real pleasure to be part of such an important local tradition, and we're very grateful to the organisers for allowing us to contribute to this year’s Carnival.”
Willowbrook View’s participation in the carnival reflects the home’s wider commitment to supporting local community heroes. Last month, the home launched its monthly ‘Blue Light Breakfasts’ for emergency service workers, held on the first Monday of every month. Earlier in May, residents also enjoyed a VE Day-themed street party featuring bunting, long-table dining, retro refreshments, and music from the era.
Willowbrook View is part of the Connaught Care Collection, an award-winning provider of luxury care homes. Located in the heart of the Wichelstowe development in Swindon, the home offers high-quality, person-centred care alongside state-of-the-art facilities and a strong commitment to community engagement.
For more information or to arrange a private tour, please call 01793 387950, visit www.willowbrookviewcarehome.co.uk, or follow Willowbrook View Care Home on Facebook.
A New Blueprint for Care: Designing Homes That Anticipate Higher Need
Signature, Boutique, Greetwell and Business Support Experts share how new care homes are being designed to meet rising acuity: combining flexibility, efficiency and a more future-proof approach from the outset.
Designing the next generation of care homes for a more complex resident profile
Across the UK, the profile of care home residents is evolving rapidly. Individuals are entering care later in life, often with more advanced conditions, increased clinical complexity, and elevated expectations for both the environment and the care experience. As a result, new care home projects are being redesigned from the ground up, not only to meet higher-acuity needs but also to proactively address them. For operators, developers, and suppliers, the focus has shifted from merely modifying existing buildings to creating environments that inherently accommodate future needs without requiring adaptation.
Designing out the need to retrofit
A prominent and consistent theme emerging from recent innovations is the shift towards embedded flexibility in care design. Instead of creating environments for a fixed care model, providers are embedding adaptability in response to residents' changing needs.
At Signature Care Homes, this principle is fundamental. Their newest developments focus on supporting an “elasticity of care,” allowing residents to age in place across a full continuum: from independent living to nursing, dementia, and palliative care. This impacts the building's design, with integrated clinical infrastructure, assisted bathroom features, and nurse call systems from the start, ensuring the environment can seamlessly scale to higher dependency levels. Similarly, Boutique Care Homes employs a subtle yet structured strategy. While offering a hospitality-focused setting, they include dedicated spaces, such as their “nostalgia community,” to cater to residents with higher care needs. Importantly, this does not create a visual break from the rest of the home. Design consistency is preserved, with only specific modifications such as dementia-friendly signage and themed navigation added where necessary. Overall, this results in a transition in care levels that doesn’t feel clinical or disruptive. This approach mirrors a wider industry trend: future-proofing is now about integrating capacity invisibly from the start, rather than adding it later.
The balance between hospitality and clinical care
As resident needs grow more complex, the clash between clinical practicality and hospitality-inspired design becomes more evident. Instead of choosing one over the other, leading providers are addressing this challenge by collaborating early.
Signature refers to this as a “productive tension” between disciplines. By involving clinical and design teams early in the concept phase, they ensure that neither aspect is an afterthought. The hospitality vision establishes the goals, high-quality interiors, lifestyle amenities, and a homely atmosphere, while clinical needs set the operational boundaries. Good design results from balancing these elements.
Similarly, Boutique adopts this approach by discreetly hiding clinical infrastructure in back-of-house areas. Residents enjoy themed interiors, local motifs, and welcoming communal spaces, rather than overtly medical settings. This approach is especially crucial as expectations evolve; residents now anticipate well-designed homes and demand the same quality in care environments. Ultimately, this leads to a new design language in care, where clinical functions are present but subtly integrated.
Planning for operational reality
While new developments often focus on resident experience, operational efficiency remains essential, especially as cost pressures grow. Floorplate design plays a strategic role; at Boutique, layouts are precisely arranged to match staffing ratios with bed counts, ensuring effective care and financial viability. Poor spatial planning can increase staffing needs, making it crucial to get this right during design.
Procurement strategies are also moving earlier in the process. Steve Gibson from Greetwell Purchasing Solutions notes that many operators still see procurement as a post-build step. In reality, decisions about kitchens, storage, and service flows impact long-term operational success. Data insights are increasingly important: analysing purchasing trends, such as demand for special diets or allergen-free products, can guide kitchen design, storage, and workflow before construction starts. This is especially vital in high-dependency settings with complex, less predictable nutritional needs.
Flexibility remains vital; kitchens and service systems must adapt to evolving resident profiles rather than being optimised for a single operating model.
Building in financial efficiency from the start
Alongside design and operations, financial structuring is increasingly shaping new developments. Business Support Experts emphasize a significant, often overlooked opportunity through Capital Allowances.
These tax reliefs can considerably lower the net cost of a project but are often underused because they aren't considered early enough. Incorporating tax planning into the design stage can influence key decisions, such as opting for demountable partitions instead of fixed ones, which can unlock higher tax relief. In high-demand settings where specialized equipment and flexible spaces are common, opportunities for optimization grow even more.
These changes have substantial effects: better cash flow and lower capital costs can be the difference between a project proceeding or not, especially in high-cost areas with strong demand for beds but tight margins. As development costs rise, financial efficiency becomes a crucial part of the overall strategy, not just an administrative concern.
Where is demand greatest?
Geography continues to significantly influence new care provision, but the situation is complex. In Greater London and the South East, providers highlight a clear shortage of purpose-built, high-quality homes.
Despite considerable development activity, demand surpasses supply due to dense, ageing populations and inadequate modern facilities. Signature’s focus on London reflects this, aiming at areas where families struggle to find appropriate care options. Similarly, Boutique recognises ongoing demand throughout the South East, noting that much of the current care home stock no longer meets modern standards. Features now standard, such as ensuite wetrooms, are often missing in older homes, indicating a need for both new capacity and upgrades to outdated facilities.
Nationally, the issue isn’t about pinpointing a single hotspot but about understanding localised pressure points. As Greetwell’s data indicates, relying solely on national averages can be misleading. The demand for higher-acuity care varies across regions, and new developments need to be tailored to local needs.
Sustainability beyond energy
Sustainability is becoming a more integral part of new care home developments, with the scope broadening from just energy efficiency. From a building performance standpoint, providers are adopting a fabric-first strategy, emphasising insulation and construction quality to reduce energy demand before adding mechanical solutions. Technologies like photovoltaic panels, battery storage, and heat pumps are increasingly common, along with LED lighting and smart controls.
Yet, sustainability also encompasses operational and experiential aspects. Efficient layouts can lessen staffing demands; streamlined supply chains reduce waste; and environments that promote wellbeing, through natural light and outdoor access, enhance long-term resident outcomes. Procurement also contributes, prioritising sustainable purchasing not for premium costs but for better visibility, less waste, and stronger supplier accountability. When integrated early, such practices support both environmental aims and cost efficiency.
The role of community integration
An often-overlooked element of new developments is how they connect with the local community. For Boutique, community engagement serves both wellbeing and business goals. By welcoming local groups and activities into their spaces, they foster environments that feel connected rather than isolated.
This approach benefits residents by keeping them engaged with the outside world and also enhances local reputation and referral opportunities. In competitive markets, such visibility can be as important as traditional marketing, as trust built through community involvement becomes a unique and hard-to-copy advantage.
A new baseline for care environments
As the sector develops, so do expectations. Features that once set premium care homes apart, such as private apartments, high-quality dining, and wellness amenities, are now becoming commonplace.
Meanwhile, residents' clinical needs are growing more complex, placing greater demands on buildings, systems, and staff. The sector's clear response is: build once, and build it right. This involves integrating clinical capabilities, operational efficiency, financial strategies, and sustainability from the beginning, all while creating environments that truly feel like home.
The next generation of care homes will be judged not just by their ability to adapt to change, but by how effectively they can anticipate it.