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.
Pairly partners with The Access Group giving UK care providers free access to real-time care enquiry technology
Partnership gives Access Care Rostering customers access to real-time availability matching, helping families find available home care faster and helping providers convert more enquiries into care packages.
Pairly, the UK’s first real-time care marketplace, has announced a partnership with Access Care, part of The Access Group, to give all Access Care Rostering (ACR) customers free access to Pairly Pro through Access Care Connect.
Pairly is the first real-time availability matching and lead capture tool built specifically for the social care sector. The integration connects Pairly Pro with Access Care Rostering, meaning care enquiries captured through a provider’s website flow automatically into their care management workflow. For the first time, live availability will be fed directly from providers and bed management systems, putting real-time capacity directly at the fingertips of care seekers. The Pairly platform acts like a 24/7 digital care coordinator, giving teams instant visibility of availability and helping care seekers access support faster.
The partnership addresses a growing problem across care. The sector has limited data to support providers to quickly respond to enquiries from self-funded care seekers, and many providers still rely on static webchat tools and contact forms. Research from MIT, which examined 100,000 customer enquiry engagements across multiple sectors, found prospects were 21 times less likely to qualify if response times extended from five to thirty minutes. Pairly Pro is designed to close this gap, with the average enquiry taking less than a minute to complete and reach a provider’s Pairly app.
Rather than routing potential clients through a generic interface, Pairly Pro matches care seekers against a provider’s care capacity in real time and delivers a qualified lead directly to the local care team. Care seekers who do not complete the process are still captured and surfaced for follow-up.
Anisa Appleby-Byrne, General Manager at Access Care, said: “This partnership brings together the UK’s most widely used care rostering solution on the Evo AI platform with Pairly’s approach to real-time availability matching. Together, we’re giving Access Care customers a connected front door that turns website visitors into rostered clients faster than anything else on the market.”
Will Flint, Co-founder of Pairly, said: “Partnering with The Access Group is a significant moment for Pairly. ACR is trusted by thousands of care providers across the UK, and integrating Pairly Pro into that ecosystem means we can put real-time availability matching technology into the hands of teams who have never had access to it before. This is how we start to fix the information gap between care seekers and providers at scale.”
Providers already using Pairly Pro are reporting results.
A spokesperson for Nurse Plus said: “Pairly Pro has helped to increase our conversion rate online, with the ability to provide the user with another method of enquiry. It has helped provide more comprehensive enquiry information to our teams, ensuring we can efficiently respond and put the package of care in place best suited to their needs.”
A Bluebird Care franchise in the South East added: “It has helped centralise enquiry management and create more consistency in how we handle incoming requests.”
Across over 1,000 providers, Pairly has managed more than 5,000 care enquiries in the last year, valued at over £300 million. The platform also manages recruitment enquiries, handling over 2,100 care worker applications in the same period.
Pairly Pro will be available to all domiciliary ACR customers from late Summer 2026 once the integration is live. The solution will be rolled out for residential customers in stage two of the integration.
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
When quality matters most: why more care facilities are offering premium dining experiences for their residents
A transformation is happening in the kitchens and dining areas of care facilities across the UK. Rather than simply providing food and drink to keep residents fed and hydrated, providers are beginning to focus more on the variety and quality of the dishes on offer – and a growing number of high-end settings are offering premium dining experiences akin to that of a top-class restaurant or hotel, with some notable locations even hiring Michelin-starred chefs to curate their cuisine.
Naturally, financial considerations must be brought into the mix when considering how to structure menus; but, especially among the increasing number of providers selling the dream of luxury living in later years, their nutritional offering is geared towards high-quality ingredients, wide-ranging options, and meals which are more fantastic than functional.
Premium living, premium dining
Care provision as we know it is changing, with strong growth in the high-end segment of the market, where residents receive service and amenities mirroring a boutique hotel or private members’ club rather than a traditional healthcare setting. Spas, gyms, cinema rooms and concierges have become commonplace in these settings, and those which operate on an ‘independent living’ basis (where the person buys or rents their own accommodation within a location, and receives a level of care to match their requirements – ranging from minimal to high-acuity) are more akin to gated communities than care homes.
Given these locations often have premium price tags attached to their premium provision, it is only natural that every detail has been thoughtfully curated - not only the spaces such as the dining and socialising rooms, but also the food and drink being served too. And it is not just the premium end of the industry making this move towards restaurant-style settings, quality ingredients, and a wider variety of options: as our understanding about the importance of food beyond its nutritional make-up increases, so too does the desire to ensure mealtimes are a pleasant experience in all residential care facilities.
Expectations shifting across the sector
A freshly-prepared meal, multiple tempting dishes to choose between at each mealtime, and quality ingredients which collectively provide a balanced diet are now the norm within care. But for many providers, it is not about simply offering ‘standard’. No matter the cost challenges associated with rising food prices, supply chain disruptions, and the wider economic outlook, there is a real desire across the sector to enhance choice and taste.
Recipes which may once have been considered ‘global cuisine’ have now become standard dishes for the UK population – meaning experimental flavours, exotic ingredients and innovative combinations have a firm place alongside more traditional meals. Comforting favourites (especially those which evoke memories for older residents) like roast dinners, cottage pies and casseroles may not have disappeared from the menu yet, but in 2026 we are more likely than ever to see them listed alongside meals lovingly adopted from across the globe like tikka masala, Thai curry or a stir fry.
The key of course, is offering a wealth of options for residents whilst also ensuring that ingredients do not go to waste and that the total number of different products needed across the entire menu does not become unwieldly, either in quantity or price.
Sourcing supplies
For providers, being able to procure more premium ingredients without blowing the budget ultimately comes down to forging strong relationships with suppliers. Long-term partnerships often give rise to the kind of two-way communication which helps catering teams glean insights. These can help them shape menus around ingredients which have plentiful availability and are higher in quality, as well as sustainable and seasonal options, and plant-based alternatives (which are currently sought-after whilst also being more affordable) such as lentil, bean or soy products which can be offered alongside animal-based protein choices.
Ultimately, while the premium end of the care market may be showing strong growth, there are still plenty of more traditional residential providers for whom financial considerations may limit their ability to hire a well-known chef, source extravagant ingredients, or style their dining area like a Michelin-starred restaurant. Yet these settings are still able to provide quality and choice, with careful planning, supply chain optimisation, and a determination to offer not just a meal, but a proper dining experience for all their residents.
Care Home of the Month, The Chase: Connaught Care
Achieving an ‘Outstanding’ rating for Caring at a first Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection is a rare accomplishment, particularly for a newly established home. Yet at The Chase, this recognition was not the result of a single initiative or short-term focus. Instead, it reflects a deliberately built culture where relationships, empathy and individuality sit at the heart of care delivery.
While the home was rated ‘Good’ overall, the Outstanding judgement for Caring speaks volumes about the environment the team has created in a relatively short space of time. For operators across the sector, The Chase offers a clear example of what can be achieved when culture is prioritised from the outset.
A Culture Built with Intent
From the very beginning, The Chase approached culture not as something that would evolve organically, but as something to be actively designed and embedded. Recruitment played a central role in this process. Rather than focusing solely on qualifications and experience, the leadership team prioritised values; seeking individuals who demonstrated warmth, empathy and a genuine commitment to caring for others.
This values-led approach continues to shape daily operations. Team members across all departments, care, hospitality, housekeeping, maintenance and management, share a collective responsibility for residents’ wellbeing. The result is a cohesive environment where compassion is not confined to care delivery but is reflected in every interaction within the home.
Equally important is the emphasis on teamwork. The Chase recognises that delivering high-quality, person-centred care requires collaboration and mutual support. Open communication, trust, and respect among colleagues are actively encouraged, ensuring that staff feel valued and confident in their roles. This internal culture directly influences the quality and consistency of care residents receive.
Personalisation in Practice
The CQC highlighted that residents at The Chase are “truly respected and valued as individuals”, a statement that is brought to life through everyday practice. At its core, this means understanding each resident beyond their care needs.
Staff take time to learn about residents’ life histories, preferences and routines. From how someone likes to start their morning, to the music they enjoy or the hobbies they once pursued, these details inform tailored care plans that reflect the whole person.
Maintaining independence is another key priority. Residents are actively involved in decisions about their care and daily lives, ensuring they retain choice, control and dignity. This approach moves beyond task-based care, focusing instead on enabling individuals to continue living in ways that feel familiar and meaningful.
Reconnecting with Identity and Purpose
One of the most striking aspects of life at The Chase is how the team supports residents to reconnect with lifelong passions, often with transformative results.
For one resident, John, this meant returning to the drum kit after decades away from music. Once a member of a local band, he quickly rediscovered his rhythm and confidence when given the opportunity to play again. What began as a simple activity became a powerful moment of self-expression, culminating in an impromptu performance for fellow residents and staff.
Similarly, Diana was supported to revisit her lifelong passion for horse riding. Having spent years involved in equestrian activities and volunteering at a local centre, she found returning to the saddle both a personal milestone and an emotional experience for her and her family. The visit reconnected her with an important part of her identity, reinforcing the value of truly personalised care.
These moments are not isolated. At The Chase, uncovering personal interests is an ongoing process, driven by meaningful conversations with residents and their families. Whether it is attending a live concert, reconnecting with a choir, or celebrating a milestone birthday in a deeply personal way, the team consistently demonstrates a willingness to go beyond expectations.
A particularly memorable example involved a resident celebrating her 102nd birthday. Her request was simple: to invite everyone in her address book. The team brought this vision to life, organising a large-scale celebration that reunited friends and family from across her life: a powerful reminder of the importance of connection at every stage of ageing.
Environment, Facilities and an All-Inclusive Model
The physical environment at The Chase has been carefully designed to complement its care philosophy. As a modern home providing residential and dementia care, it offers a range of facilities to enhance quality of life and promote independence.
Residents have access to a spa and salon, gym, cinema, bar and bistro-style café, as well as elegant dining spaces that deliver a restaurant-quality experience. These amenities are not treated as add-ons, but as integral components of daily life, encouraging social interaction, activity and enjoyment.
A defining feature of the home is its all-inclusive model, introduced by Connaught Care. Under this approach, services, facilities and experiences are covered within a single weekly fee. For families, this provides financial clarity and removes the uncertainty often associated with additional charges. For residents, it ensures unrestricted access to everything the home has to offer, supporting a more fulfilling and spontaneous lifestyle.
Partnership with Families
Another key factor underpinning The Chase’s success is its strong focus on family engagement. Recognising that moving into care is a significant life transition, the team places great importance on communication from the outset.
Families are actively involved in care planning and ongoing decision-making, ensuring they have a clear voice in how their loved ones are supported. This collaborative approach builds trust and fosters continuity for residents, bridging the gap between past and present.
In many cases, families also play a vital role in shaping activities and experiences, providing insights into personal histories and preferences that might otherwise be overlooked. This partnership strengthens the home’s ability to deliver truly individualised care.
The Chase’s initial achievements provide a strong example for the industry. By balancing emotional intelligence with clinical expertise and fostering a culture of compassion from the start, the home has established a high benchmark for modern care. As expectations grow, this deeply personal, relationship-focused, and consistently implemented care model will only gain more importance.
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.”
Veteran shares Malaya memories on Armed Forces Day 70 years after service
John Holehouse, 88, a resident at Holmewood Care Home on Barnfield Close, was reflecting on his time in the British Army 70 years after serving overseas at the age of just 19.
Born on 17th July 1937 in Chesterfield, John began his working life as a motor mechanic when he was 15, securing an apprenticeship with Kennings – where he would remain until retirement.
Part way through his early career, he spent two years serving with the 1st King’s Dragoon Guards in the former British colony of Malaya (now part of Malaysia) from 1956-57.
Despite now living with dementia, he can still recall the details of his service clearly, including his army number, 23275196, which he continues to recite from memory.
He also remembers his journey to Malaya, when the plane he was travelling on broke down over India, giving him the opportunity to see the Taj Mahal.
Speaking about his time overseas, John said: “I loved it in Malaya, I thought the people and the way of life were brilliant. “We worked very hard and couldn’t bend the rules but we had a good time. I even had a pet monkey for a while that would hold my hand walking around the site.”
Decades later, in the 1990s, John returned to India and Malaysia with his wife Pam. Despite recalling “it had changed a lot when I went back”, he revisited many of the places he remembered from his service years, including Raffles, a bar he often visited during his time abroad.
His daughter, Joanne Bishop, said: “It’s amazing to share these memories with dad. Hearing him recall his time in service and his memories revisiting with mum in the nineties really brings back the dad I know.
“Despite his dementia he remembers in such detail and these memories mean the world to him.”
To mark the 70th anniversary of John’s national service, Joanne brought in his original service books and photographs to Holmewood Care Home, allowing him to share his story with fellow residents and colleagues.
John’s family also has a proud military history, with his grandfather having served in the First World War.
Holmewood Care Home is a certified Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) care home – part of a national scheme recognising care providers that offer enhanced support for those who have served in the armed forces.
The initiative, backed by organisations including the Royal British Legion and Royal Star & Garter, aims to improve the health, wellbeing and social connections of veterans in residential care by ensuring their experiences are recognised and supported.
Staff at the care home have undertaken additional training to better understand the needs of veterans and ensure a person-centred approach that recognises and honours their service.
Cathy Shaw, Home Manager at Holmewood Care Home, said: “John’s memories serve as a powerful reminder of the experiences and sacrifices of the National Service generation and demonstrate how deeply personal memories can remain, even for those living with dementia.
“Many residents with dementia come to life when discussing their vocation and John is still very knowledgeable about the places he has visited and his past as a mechanic.
“As a Veteran Friendly Framework care home, it’s incredibly important to us that we recognise and celebrate the experiences of residents like John, particularly on occasions such as Armed Forces Day.”
Getting Noticed: A Guide to Care Home Marketing
Marketing can feel stressful and time-consuming – but it’s an essential part of running a care service. In this article, Lucy Henson Clark from Find Your Room shares some tips about how to market your care home and help customers find you.
Know your clients and their customer journey
Build up a picture of your prospective clients. What are their needs? Where do they spend time? How are they likely to contact you? When you know the answers to these questions, you’ll be able to plan your marketing so that you can reach the right people easily. Ask current residents and their families about what marketing worked for them, and vary your campaigns accordingly.
Make yourselves visible
Introduce yourself to prospective clients before they need you, and build relationships with people in your area. Make sure that you have a visible presence at community events, in local newsletters, and on relevant social media pages. Consider holding garden parties or hiring out halls or meeting rooms, if you have the available space and resources. If you’re known as the friendly and approachable care provider in your area, care seekers will come to you when they’re looking for support.
Get online
Most of our clients and their families spend time online – and that’s where they’ll look for care, too. Care seekers often want to see a professional and trustworthy website, as well as more informal “behind the scenes” shots on social media. You should list your services and vacancies on directory sites as well – after all, if your care home doesn’t have an online presence, prospective clients won’t be able to find you.
Don’t assume knowledge
For many of our clients, this will be their first foray into the social care world. They might not grasp the difference between a care home and a nursing home, know how to apply for funding, or even fully understand their own care needs. It’s important to explain things fully to them – without overwhelming them. Make sure that everyone who will speak to prospective residents knows how to signpost them to the right services, and reassure them.
Your clients are your most valuable marketing tool
Prospective clients and their families want to know that they’ll be happy with your care service. Who better to reassure them than your current happy clients? Get testimonials and reviews from service users and their loved ones, and post them on your website and social media pages. If you’ve recently thrown a 100th birthday party, or helped a resident fulfil a lifelong dream? Share those good news stories online and with local media.
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
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.