In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories Podcast, host Adam James of Springup PR speaks with Adam Welsh, CEO and Founder of Autograph Care Group (which operates four homes across the North-West and Yorkshire)

Adam shares his practical and human approach to enquiry management in care homes.

After launching Autograph Care Group in 2019, Adam and his team navigated the same challenges many providers have faced — from COVID pressures to occupancy dips and operational strain.

But rather than focusing solely on generating more enquiries, Adam recognised a more fundamental issue: what happens after the enquiry.

Through a structured, data-led approach, the group rebuilt its entire enquiry journey — transforming occupancy from the 70% into >90%.

At the heart of Adam's philosophy is a simple but often overlooked truth: "The first phone call is the one families don't want to make."

With around 80% of enquiries coming via phone, he emphasises that every interaction must be handled with empathy, patience and genuine intent to help — not rushed, transactional responses.

This mindset shift reframes enquiry handling from an administrative task into a critical moment of care delivery in itself.

One of the most impactful changes has been the creation of a dedicated enquiry role — allowing the team to respond faster, listen properly, and guide families through what is often a complex and emotional decision-making process.

Combined with clear processes, simple scripts, consistent follow-up, and better use of technology, the result is a more supportive experience for families — and significantly improved commercial outcomes.

In this episode, Adam shares how care home providers can rethink enquiry management as both a human and operational system — and why getting this right can transform both occupancy and reputation including:

• Why "the phone call you don't want to make" should shape your entire enquiry approach.
• How mapping the full enquiry journey — from Google search to move-in — creates clarity and control.
• The hidden cost of missed calls, rushed conversations, and inconsistent responses.
• Why most enquiry handling fails not because of people — but because teams lack the tools and training.
• How introducing simple scripts and templates can "make it easy to deliver a great conversation".
• The impact of creating a dedicated enquiry role to remove competing priorities.
• How faster response times and structured follow-up dramatically improve conversion.
• Why "you're not bothering people — they've asked for help" reframes the follow-up mindset.
• The importance of ongoing, value-led follow-up — from newsletters to personalised check-ins.
• How tailoring communication based on family needs builds trust and long-term engagement.
• Why preparation and personalisation during show-arounds can make or break decisions.
• The role of measurement and data in driving continuous improvement.
• A powerful lesson: "Don't assume things are happening — verify and structure the process".
• How better enquiry handling alone helped drive occupancy from ~80% to over 90%

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, Adam James of Springup PR talks with Nitesh Somani, founder and CEO of Kara Healthcare, which run 13 homes with 700 employees
 
With over 13 years' experience in care, Nitesh has overseen an 18-month period of accelerated growth — including the acquisition and turnaround of eight homes in a single year, six of which were rescued from administration.
 
For Nitesh, success isn't measured purely in numbers — it's defined by purpose, people, and progress, and the belief that culture cannot be imposed; it must be inspired.

This conviction led to the creation of the Kara Training Academy, an initiative designed to empower every member of staff through skill development and shared belief.
 
The Kara Training Academy goes beyond mandatory care training to embed a culture of optimism, empowerment, and commercial understanding because Nitesh believes that care quality and financial performance are inseparable — "two sides of the same coin."
 
In this episode, Nitesh explains how he created this training academy, the benefits it could have to your care provider and what he has learned along the way, including:

• How eight homes were acquired and turned around in just one year.
• The birth of the Kara Training Academy, a bold initiative built around culture, not compliance because, "culture isn't taught or imposed — it's inspired"
• The importance of training and belief as the foundation for performance because "when you invest in skills, you invest in confidence… and when you invest in your people, you invest in success."
• Why learning and opportunity matter more than salary because, "you don't keep people by paying them — you keep them by believing in them." 
• How culture as the driver of occupancy and the most effective marketing tool is the feeling inside your homes. "When your team believes in what they do, families feel it when they walk through the door."
• Redefining what it means to succeed in care. "Success isn't just about profit — it's about purpose."
• Why training that includes everyone empowers the whole team from managers to maintenance.
• How moving from performance management to people empowerment drives perfomance and lifts the whole team.
• The importance of 'Care and Share with the CEO,' a weekly open forum for accountability and connection. "Anybody can join and hold me accountable — and we'll resolve issues within 24 hours.
• Turning contagious negativity into contagious optimism. "In care, negativity spreads — but so does optimism. Positivity creates progress.
• How quality drives trust, and trust drives financial health. "Excellent care leads to trust. Trust drives occupancy. Occupancy sustains financial health.
• Learning from high-performing staff and outside experts alike. "A great housekeeper trains others — and we also bring in external expertise.
• How belief and consistency power Kara's turnaround success. "With courage and consistency, the impossible becomes inevitable.
• The single idea that guides every decision is, "People forget what you said or did — but never how you made them feel.
• Why every provider should invest in training and belief. "Don't be afraid — the return on investment in training is always greater than the cost.

In this episode of Care CEO Success Stories Podcast, Adam James of Springup PR talks with Haris Khan, founder and CEO of Curaa Group which operates four care homes across the South and South West of England.

His journey into care began in 2019, just three months before Covid-19 struck. 

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, he expanded from one to four homes within four years.

Khan spent over a decade in banking, working both in Canada and London, gaining valuable experience but left the industry in 2015. 

His transition to entrepreneurship involved property development before discovering his passion for the care sector through a chance encounter with a former care home owner.

Launching Curaa was not without its challenges. 

Khan navigated financing and business hurdles with lessons from his banking career, utilising brokers and professional networks, he successfully acquired his first home.

His adaptability, resourcefulness, and deep involvement on the frontlines during the Covid-19 crisis helped establish him as a respected leader in the sector.

In this episode, Khan discusses success and his hands-on approach, emphasising the importance of visiting the frontline, engaging with residents, and fostering community including:

 

•    His journey from a 15-year banking career to launching care homes after seeking a career with social impact.

•    The initial challenges acquiring his first care home three months before Covid-19, "which presented unprecedented operational challenges," and how he navigated them.

•    How the care sector's support network helped him learn quickly and build connections during the lockdown which was an "unexpected silver lining".

•    Finding fulfilment though "loving what you do and finding a sense of purpose".

•    Financing his first care home by leveraging a strong credit history, previous borrowing experience, and using brokers helped secure favourable loan terms.

•    How utilising professional networks of solicitors, accountants, and trade magazines were invaluable resources in navigating the care industry and its nuances.

•    Conducting due diligence, research and preparation for a year before making his first deal, emphasising the importance of "patience and planning".

•    The importance of home design in his homes which are converted manor houses with beautiful gardens, "offering a home-away-from-home feel for residents".

In this episode of Care CEO Success Stories Podcast, Adam James of Springup PR talks   with Helen Jones, CEO of Allegra Care, a care home provider with adheres to a   "household model" of care.

Originally from Australia, Helen began her career in 1998 after transitioning from a background in international rescue and national roadside assistance. 

Helen has held leadership positions with private providers, church and charitable groups, and community-owned organisations, overseeing 100 nursing homes, 20-30 retirement villages, and 55,000 home care clients.

Drawing from her research and international travel, Helen developed the "household model" of care, now being implemented at Allegra Care's 13 homes across England.

The model emphasises creating smaller, more intimate care environments which create a sense of belonging and encourages residents to engage more fully with their environment and the people around them and has seen improved well-being for residents, better mobility and improved sleep.

Helen's approach has garnered significant recognition and today, she shares the secrets behind her success including:

•             How Allegra Care has implemented the household model of care, which focuses on creating smaller, more intimate care units of about 16 residents.

•             How the household model emphasises autonomy and familiar routines for residents, "making them feel more at home".

•             The development of the household model after conducting research, focus groups with placement decision-makers, and visits to international care providers .

•             How residents in the household model show improved well-being, with significant weight gain (4.2 kilos on average) and better skin integrity .

•             The use of domestic kitchens where food is prepared in front of residents, "creating a more homely and interactive environment".

•             How residents can assist with meal preparation and "enjoy a more sensory, social experience around mealtimes".

•             The importance of training staff to develop both "competency and confidence" in working closely with residents, "fostering more personal relationships".

•             How the team at Allegra Care work within smaller, consistent households, building strong relationships with residents and "contribute  to a more stable and familiar environment".

•             Greater flexibility in meeting the needs of local communities and individual residents.

•             Why not every care home can easily adopt the household model, but small design adjustments can be made to start incorporating aspects of it, such as using smaller food preparation spaces.

•             Why Helen believes that, at its core, the household model creates a "more relaxed, personalised, and community-driven environment for both residents and staff".

•             The focus on daily activities and personal decisions is key, with residents "empowered to make more choices about their day-to-day lives".

In this episode of Care CEO Success Stories Podcast, Adam James of Springup PR interviews Amanda Scott, CEO of Forest Healthcare, which operates 13 care homes across London and the Southeast of England.

Amanda has been leading the company for over six years, working to improve both the quality of care and the culture within the organisation. 

Under her leadership, Forest Healthcare has become a model for how to consistently achieve top-tier care ratings, earning recognition as one of the top 20 care home providers through carehome.co.uk for six years running.

Her approach focuses on delivering exceptional service by embedding core values into the daily operations and fostering a culture of respect, empathy, and support.

Amanda shares the secrets behind the success and reveals why several Forest Healthcare homes have embraced being "veteran-friendly"

The episode includes:

•             How Forest Healthcare has achieved top 20 recognition in the CareHome.co.uk awards for six consecutive years and how you can too!

•             The importance of embedding core values, "choice, going above and beyond, respect, empathy, and always supporting residents," in every aspect of the business.

•             The "game changing" cultural shift that made high standards achievable across the company.

•             How educating and engaging staff through recognition systems is crucial for success.

•             The importance of creating an environment where employees feel "empowered to deliver the best care possible".

•             How Forest Healthcare awards "recognition pins" to staff who exemplify the company's core values, "creating a tangible way to honour and motivate team members".

•             The importance of showing appreciation for staff, noting that a culture of gratitude can have a profound impact on morale and performance with "a thank you going a long way".

•             The importance of feedback and customer reviews in shaping care standards and why Amanda encourages families to provide honest feedback, "even when there are areas for improvement".

•             How Forest Healthcare actively encourages families to leave reviews on Carehome.co.uk by making the process easy and transparent, ensuring that both positive and constructive feedback is heard.

•             The role of recognition in care quality and its role in creating a "positive reinforcement cycle," that helps improve care quality and boosts staff morale.

•             The unique challenges of running multiple care homes, including maintaining consistent standards across all locations and ensuring staff are "aligned with the company's mission".

•             How one of her home managers, a former army wife, brought the idea of becoming veteran-friendly to Forest Healthcare which has been successfully embraced at several homes, helping to support veterans and their families.

•             Reflections on the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it underscored the importance of maintaining high standards of care in the face of crisis and uncertainty.

•             Why Amanda is optimistic about continuing to grow Forest Healthcare while maintaining the company's commitment to excellent care and employee engagement, despite 2025 holding new challenges.

•             The importance of open, honest communication with both staff and families, which is essential to creating an environment where everyone feels heard and supported.

In this episode of Care CEO Success Stories Podcast, Adam James of Springup PR speaks with Dr. Vishen Ramkisson, a seasoned healthcare professional and entrepreneur, deeply rooted in his community as a practicing NHS GP for over 22 years.

Throughout his career, he has remained closely connected to the local area, working mere meters from where he resides. 

His dedication to patient care has made him a familiar face in his neighbourhood and this strong community bond has been integral to his professional journey.

In addition to his role as a GP, Dr. Ramkisson is the founder and CEO of Agecare, a group of nine care homes across London, the South-East, and the Home Counties.

Founded just two years ago, Agecare is committed to providing exceptional care while balancing affordability and quality for residents.

Dr. Ramkisson's dual role as a physician and entrepreneur has allowed him to introduce operational excellence, aiming for care standards that he deems good enough for his own family.

Dr. Ramkisson also serves as a National Specialty Advisor for Urgent and Emergency Care with NHS England Southeast. His background in clinical leadership, coupled with a deep interest in digital healthcare, has shaped his vision for high-quality, sustainable care delivery.

In this episode Dr Ramkisson discusses his leadership style and how Agecare has built a strong reputation for offering services to both private and local authority-funded residents by maintaining close relationships with commissioners and investing in clinical leadership including:

•     His entrepreneurial journey, founding Agecare two years ago and growing it to nine care homes in the London and Southeast regions.

•     His motto to "deliver care that would be good enough for his parents," ensuring high clinical standards without cutting corners.

•     Dr. Ramkisson addresses how he balances affordability and quality in the face of rising costs by focusing on data management and motivated staff.

•     How Dr Ramkisson motivates his team and the importance of ample, fully-paid breaks and rest periods for all staff shifts to improve satisfaction and reduce turnover.

•     The techniques behind Agecare Homes boasting a 3% staff turnover rate.

•     How he uses empathy as a tool to understand staff challenges, "promoting a supportive culture and enhancing staff well-being".

•     Initiatives like 360-degree feedback, structured appraisals, and training programs help identify and promote internal talent.

•     The importance of internal promotions and how three managerial vacancies were filled internally in 2023, "demonstrating the company's focus on career development".

•     Open door leadership and how Dr. Ramkisson maintains an approachable leadership style, "avoiding formal attire," and meeting staff on-site to foster open communication.

•     How collaborative relationships with local authority commissioners are essential for balancing care provision for private and funded residents.

•     Navigating local authority funding challenges to adjust fee rates fairly, ensuring continuity of care for residents transitioning to funded care.

•     How the leadership team includes healthcare professionals such as pharmacists, nurses, and NHS veterans.

•     Dr. Ramkisson's role as a local GP and care home leader enhances trust and accountability within the community.

•     How Dr Ramkisson actively plans for challenges like National Insurance contribution rises and minimum wage increases by fostering transparency with stakeholders.

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories Podcast, Adam James of Spring PR talks with Rebekah Cresswell, CEO of the Priory Group, the UK's leading independent provider of mental healthcare and adult social care, supporting 26,000 people a year.

Rebekah, who trained as a nurse and worked in the NHS for 14 years, has a son who is autistic with ADHD, and witnessed first-hand what difficulties are faced by people with her son'scondition.

Rebekah discusses the challenges faced by people with complex needs in care settings and the strategies she employs to improve care based on her professional and personal experience including:

• How people with autism can become 'trapped' in hospital after experiencing mental health issues or episodes where "the environment can be noisy and distressing".   • How behavioural problems are treated with medication rather than being given positive behaviour support.   • Outlining her mission to help people to be discharged from hospital into a long-term social care home and for staff to continue with this positive behaviour support.   • The difficulties around transitioning to a new home and how staff need to be prepared.   • Rebekah's desire to develop an Assessment Transition Director for people with complex autistic needs.   • The role of the director in ensuring that the environment in the care home is prepared, and that staff are trained in any areas necessary, and support the home for up to six weeks.   • How residents with autism can be on up to ten antipsychotic medications when they are discharged from hospital and how Priory work with clinicians to slowly reduce the medication and "watch them come alive again."   • When residents thrive in a care home environment, they begin to form relationships and do things they love to do with "one young man previously staying in his room constantly but now cycles out on his bike."   • The importance of working in a multi disciplinary team including GP's and community mental health teams.   • Rebekah is a big advocate of care as a career, "people in social care have so many wonderful attributes and values that you do not get in other sectors."   • How "we also need to be brave and speak up for and be the advocate for the autistic person or the person with a learning disability."   • Carers are completing the Oliver McGowan Training in Learning Disability and Autism, named after Oliver McGowan, whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better training after Oliver's mother struggled to get clinicians to listen to her concerns.   • Rebekah's Positive Culture Pledge - giving people dignity and respect and being patient with them. "If it's not good enough for my family, it's not good enough for my residents".   • Why Rebekah visits the Priory facilities every month, sitting and talking with clients.
  • Supporting families, by understanding what they have been through, having had traumatic experiences herself.   • Why it is a huge decision for families to put their trust in others to care for their loved one, and we are privileged to do this.   • Why regulators need to "think differently about placements," particularly for those in hospital long term, who have more complex needs.   • Why #we need need excellent training with exciting career opportunities to "inspire people to want to work in this really exciting sector and build their career."

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories Podcast, host Adam James of Springup PR, interviews Adam Hutchison, CEO of Belmont Healthcare   which operates  five care homes across the South East and provides   community care services in the West Midlands.

Adam began his journey into social care 12 years ago when he worked in a 25-bed care home operated by his father.   

Predominantly based in Kent, Sussex, Belmont Healthcare  has made a number of new acquisitions over the last few years.

A trustee of the Care Workers Charit, Adam discusses his vision on "the continuity of the care journey" including:

•     The "lack of understanding from the general public" about care homes with families often "falling into crisis" when an elderly relative begins to need extra help.

•     What families need to know, who to approach for help and support, and why Adam believes that staying at home for as long a possible is the best option. 

•     Why care homes are slowly moving into a more private hospital space.

•     The help Belmont Healthcare provides with the transition from someone's own home to a care home and then to return home if possible.

•     The advantages of building relationships between providers, carers and families.

•     How care can help unblock hospital beds by helping people return home if possible.

•     Creating more cohesion, better connections and outcomes for individuals has become a vision for Adam.

•     The development of a care home in north Kent which added a dementia wing, a hospital discharge wing and plans to put 55 retirement homes on site supporting home care.

•     How a trip to Holland inspired Adam to model an approach on one providing intermediate care for anyone needing rehabilitation after a hospital admission, to and subsequently returning home.

•     Creating assisted living apartments within the next two years catering for single clients and couples, with support for any care needs.

•     The importance of good relationships with local hospitals, enabling them to discharge patients who are medically fit and to free up their beds with "75% of our occupied beds coming from either a hospital discharge or referral ."

•     Bringing care seekers and care givers together, to enable the search for the right care to be easier, with continuity of care a priority.

•     How care providers and care homes work better in regional clusters in regions allowing them to "become well known and trusted in your area," and sometimes being "big is not always the best."

•     The importance of relatives "knowing of our values, and feeling happy passing on the responsibility of caring for their loved ones to us."

•     The challenges of "releasing staff into the community with your brand," and recruiting experts in that field to manage that side of the business.

•     The importance of knowing what you are good at and what you are not good at, then seeking advice from others in those cases. 

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories Podcast, Adam James of Springup PR talks with Johan Jardevall, CEO of Person Centred Software (PCS), a digital care management platform.

With more than 25 years of experience in software, Johan has worked with consultancies, systems integrators, and technology vendors in roles ranging from transformation consultancy, design and development management. Johan has a strong track record of achieving rapid growth.

Johan previously worked for global digital consultancy Valtech in the UK where he founded and grew the agency to become recognised within the NMA  top 100 UK digital agencies in just two years.

In this episode, Johan discusses how digital care platforms will change from 2025 and beyond including:

•    How PCS  has helped care providers move from paper-based systems to artificial intelligence as a way of benefiting people in care. 

•    The massive changes to data handling during the Covid pandemic - and how data is now collected and stored.

•    How PCS built an algorithm that could, with high accuracy, predict if someone is likely to have a fall within the next week or so, which then enables the care staff to act upon such alerts .

•    The legal processed that enable PCS to utilise algorithms and the data so that PCS  can bring such features out to the wider market.

•    How using algorithms can identify residents at risk of urinary tract infections, food intake and weight loss and using algorithms to set benchmarks for care providers between their different care homes. 

•    Building standards around data so other software providers can create similar systems  .

•    The ways care staff can be alerted automatically to a risk to a resident by using a handheld device while caring for residents. They can automatically share updates on handovers with colleagues

•    The nine different products PCS provides, including medication management, and wellness and activities.

•    Storing data in a meaningful way with 13.5million keynotes handled through the medication management system.

•    How it is "crucial" that highly-important confidential data is handled and stored securely and the importance of user friendly and uncomplicated systems.

•    How CQC inspections can be managed easier by reducing time managers spend preparing records and reports.

•    The benefit for activities co-ordinators through access to better tools to care for their residents and limiting time spent on administration. 

•   The impending digital social care records transition  which expires in March 2025.

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast host Adam James of Springup PR speaks to Tushar Shah, Co-founder of Centrum Care Homes care provider.

Tushar has a unique background in transforming care homes and expanding care services across South Devon.

With experience in both domiciliary and residential care, he brings insight into effective turnarounds, fostering strong team culture, and elevating care standards.

In this episode, Tushar shares his journey of taking over a failing care home overcoming operational and logistical challenges and establishing a care model that prioritises quality and sustainability.

His strategies for turning around a failing home shed light on everything from structuring care operations and effective staff engagement to managing legal responsibilities, including:

•             Understanding the challenges of long-distance management and finding solutions to "operate effectively in remote locations."

•             The importance of aligning care home acquisition with previous experience, drawing on his Bluebird Care expertise to "shape resident care and operational standards."

•             Starting with an assessment of the current staff culture, "recognising the dedication of staff, and rebuilding with a focus on staff morale and resident satisfaction."

•             Strategies for immediately stabilising a failing care home, such as addressing urgent care and operational needs, to "build a foundation for long-term success."

•             Building a structured approach to care home management, covering a broad range of responsibilities including maintenance, kitchen services, and the complex care needs of residents.

•             "Leveraging existing staff commitment to foster a positive team environment," where staff feel valued and motivated to provide high-quality care.

•             Realising the importance of on-the-ground support and management when operating far from the base location to ensure "operational continuity and staff engagement."

•             Lessons learned from transitioning from a home care focused business to managing a fully residential care environment, particularly in terms of the complexity of managing resident life.

•             Balancing the financial aspects of acquiring a care home with ensuring quality care, and why sometimes purchasing a property undervalued by market standards can be a viable approach.

•             Insights on maintaining quality through an established team, legal compliance, and maintaining high standards to appeal to residents and their families.

•             How to develop a business model that prioritises resident well-being alongside financial sustainability, ensuring that residents receive consistent, high-quality care in a safe environment.

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories, Adam James of Springup PR talks with Laura Taylor, CEO of Berkley Care, which operates 12 luxury care homes across eight counties in England. 

Laura joined Berkley in 2021, became CEO in September 2023, and in March 2024 helped lead a management team buyout of operations from Clariane, a European health care provider.

Laura has worked in health and social care throughout her entire career and in this episode she shares the story of her life working in care and offers her advice on management buyouts drawing on her own experiences including:

•     The timeframe of the management buyout and the support Laura received from different partners.

·         The "significant opportunity" to take a real ownership of the business, rather than working as a senior executive team.

* How Laura delivered "challenging" management presentations to potential future investors How Berkley has grown from 6 to 12 homes during Laura's tenure.

·         Laura's partnership with real estate investors Elevation Healthcare Properties which was about the financial benefits in terms of the acquisition and also the "cultural fit between the organisations."

•     The "terrifying and emotionally tough" process of undertaking a management buyout. 

•     How it was a "big risk, with big reward" strategy to be your own boss and making decisions about the future of the business. 

•     How it has been "extremely empowering" - and the passion Laura has about the care and support they provide residents.

•     The benefits of working with a real estate investor who wants to have a good quality operator in place.

•     Laura's aspirations to grow the business and improve development opportunities and new builds to keep delivering Berkley Care across the UK. 

•     Tips on financing to acquire operating companies and giving confidence in revenue projections and business performance that underpin decision-making.

•     Using detailed modelling to ensure your ability to repay finance and meet commitments.

•     Providing executive coaching and offering a confidential sounding board for navigating challenges.

•     Having a strong alignment between the management team members which reinforces focus and resilience.

•     The importance of internal communication which ensures clarity and stability by explaining the reasons for the buyout and the future vision to the team.

•     How Laura shifted from functional leadership to shared accountability and project-based operations.

•     Developing and began implementing a growth strategy and how you should "expect an emotional journey with highs and lows."

In this episode, of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, host Adam James of Springup PR,  interviews Larry Grady, Chief Executive of Purley Park Trust that supports adults with learning disabilities.

Larry shares insights from his extensive experience in social care, highlighting the critical difference between stated values and the behaviours that underpin them.

He emphasises that the real impact of care comes from personal interactions and the attitudes of staff rather than just the organisation's mission statement.

Larry discusses the significance of creating a culture where behaviours are continuously observed, learned from, and improved upon. 

He advocates for direct engagement with staff to foster a sense of community and support.

Larry illustrates the necessity for open conversations and shared learning to enhance care quality by addressing the challenges faced in the care industry, particularly concerning staff morale and the need for continuous learning in an evolving environment.

Larry provides practical advice for care leaders on prioritising behaviours that align with values, emphasising that genuine care is not only about procedures but also about how staff connect with those they support, including:

Key Takeaways:

•             Recognising the gap between stated values and actual behaviours in care organisations.

•             Prioritising personal interactions in care delivery to enhance resident experiences.

•             Fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement through behaviour observation.

•             Engaging directly with staff to build relationships and promote open communication.

•             Addressing operational challenges by creating an environment of support and collaboration.

•             Emphasising the importance of staff morale and well-being in delivering quality care.

•             Learning from real-life situations to develop better practices in care delivery.

•             Promoting a strategic approach to care management that aligns values with behaviours.

•             Encouraging feedback from both staff and residents to inform care practices.

•             Advocating for transparent communication within teams and with families to build trust.

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, host Adam James of Springup PR talks with Dr. Bikram Choudary, Managing Director of Silvercrest Care Homes, who operate five care homes across South Wales.

His journey into the care sector is rooted in his family, as his parents established the first purpose-built care home in the Rhondda Valleys, which remains part of the Silvercrest group today.

While his family built the foundation, Dr. Choudary forged a career as a GP with a specialist interest in cardiology, having studied medicine and trained in cardiac surgery before returning to South Wales.

He initially took over the running of the first home, navigating a steep learning curve and admitting to "plenty of mistakes" in the process. 

His hands-on experience quickly led to a period of rapid expansion for the group.

Between 2016 and 2018, Dr. Choudary grew the company from a single home to five, including taking on distressed homes that required turnarounds. 

This quick expansion and the increasing demands of managing a five-home group, combined with his ongoing commitment as a full-time GP, made it clear a new operational model was necessary.

Recognizing he was "quite time limited," Dr. Choudary made the strategic decision to centraliseSilvercrest's operations, moving from a system of reliance on home managers and outside support to building a dedicated, in-house head office structure. 

In this episode, Bikram shares what he learned through this process including:

• The Origins of Silvercrest Care Homes, and how Dr. Choudary's parents built the first home.
• The doctor-CEO balancing act and how Dr. Choudary juggles his career as a full-time GP and his role as CEO of five care homes.
• Rapid expansion in care, the "steep learning curve" and mistakes made when growing from 1 to 5 care homes in a short space of time.
• The key drivers for centralising operations to "improve oversight and clinical governance,"
• How he built his central support team—starting with an operations director and a finance lead—to now a staff of 8 or 9 people.
• An honest look at the risks of promotion from within, where you "can promote to failure" and potentially lose a good staff member.
• How bringing services like HR, maintenance, and compliance in-house led to "efficiency savings" and the successful, cost-effective refit of a whole kitchen.
• An "eye opening experience" about a poor operations director, stressing that "you won't know until you ask the question" of staff lower down in the organisation.
• Why Dr. Choudary became quicker to act on performance issues, recognising that "if someone's blaming someone else, that's a... red flag."
• Why the ethos in your home and culture is driven from the top. "If you're saying this person's a problem, you've got to take responsibility as manager for that problem."
• Why blaming external factors is "not helpful" because you are "disempowering yourself to make any changes."
• Why "you can't get good compliance and good quality care unless you got consistency of management."
• The recruitment process, and why "they can answer the questions, but they can't actually do the job."
• When an operator should consider central support, suggesting that for someone with another role, "about three homes I would have thought would be a time."
• The crucial lesson from an earlier manager struggle when Dr. Choudary "wasn't quick enough to act at that time," but when he did, "things changed around quite quickly."

In this episode of Care CEO Success Stories, Adam James of Springup PR talks with Nigel Denny, Chair and Chief Executive of Ashberry Healthcare, which has seven care homes across England and Wales.

Nigel joined the company in 2016 from hospitality where he worked for hotel-chain Stakkis.

Stakkis's founder was in need of finding care for his mother and struggled to find anything appropriate so Nigel toured around 200 homes in Scotland to find suitable sites to launch some care homes.

In this episode, Nigel shares the story of his journey, the challenges he has faced and how he recovered from the setbacks to run his own care company including:

•     His tour of around 200 care homes in Scotland to find suitable sites and the initial "aggressive" building programme.

•     His "forward thinking" approach that saw new builds needing to be built in such a way that it would be possible to convert them into hotels if the care home sector did not work out. 

•     The fairly severe trouble the upstart firm faced and how they were told "the care homes would have to go" if they could not raise £50 million to buy them.

•     How Nigel and four others managed to raise the funds to purchase the homes and were well supported for the next couple of years by the investors and eventually floated on the stock market.

•     The sale of the business to Southern Cross, Bupa and other large operators which saw Nigel spend a few years in other sectors such as a company working with people with learning disabilities and opening veterinary practices. 

•     Joining Ashberry Healthcare which was "in a bit of a mess operationally and financially," and how Nigel was asked to take on a role as Managing Director.

•     The work Nigel did trying to sort out the finances and the struggles of the pandemic.

•     The current situation in his homes which are all "doing exceptionally well in terms of occupancy, profitability and quality."

•     How creating a multi-home company requires many different skills from different people and how "you have to be committed to the journey ahead, with good leadership, together with good corporate knowledge or processes and procedures."

•     The importance of visiting homes regularly, to keep on top of issues, and to hear about the staff and their families.

•     Providing managers a great deal of autonomy because "I trust them to run the business" and the role of managers in supporting the community.

•     How his two longest serving managers had never managed a care home before but through the "Nigel Denny School of Management", they have become award winning managers.

•     Nigel's core values of loyalty, integrity and compassion and how "you can keep everything personal and make things work."

•     Nigel's advice on how to get into providing care from buying into a business, raising finance and thinking of the size you want it to be.

•     Learning from mistakes, getting your recruitment of managers right, and supporting them properly.

In this episode, of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, host Adam James of Springup PR, speaks with Sam Monaghan, CEO of Methodist Homes, that manages 75 care homes across England and Wales, supporting 17,000 elderly people.

Sam shares insights on enhancing the quality of care and life for residents, emphasising person-centred and relationship-centred care approaches. 

He highlights the Engaging Leaders Program, which fosters a coaching style of management, empowering staff to build relationships with residents.

Sam discusses initiatives like music therapy for residents living with dementia and the role of chaplains in providing spiritual support, which became particularly significant during the pandemic. 

He also emphasises the importance of inter-generational connections, such as school children reading to residents, to enrich community engagement.

The episode covers practical steps for implementing a coaching culture in organisations, focusing on the well-being of staff and promoting a supportive environment. Sam advises leaders to develop authentic, value-driven training programs that inspire staff to contribute positively to residents' lives.

He concludes with a discussion on the challenges of integrating technology in care homes, highlighting the need for a strategic approach to enhance service delivery effectively including:

Key Takeaways:

•     Focusing on person-centred care and relationship-building to improve resident well-being.

•     Implementing coaching leadership styles to empower staff and enhance team dynamics.

•     Incorporating music therapy programs to support residents living with dementia.

•     Leveraging the role of chaplains for providing spiritual support in care settings.

•     Fostering inter-generational community connections, such as school visits to care homes.

•     Promoting the well-being of staff as a priority for creating a positive care environment.

•     Developing authentic training programs aligned with organisational values and mission.

•     Encourage open communication and feedback among staff and residents.

•     Utilising technology thoughtfully to enhance service delivery and resident engagement.

•     Sharing success stories and best practices within the organisation to inspire continuous improvement.

In this episode of the care CEO Success Stories podcast, host Adam James of Spring PR speaks to Keith Mills, Managing Director of Doveleigh Care, a group of four care homes in East Devon, including three rated "Outstanding" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Keith, a former Royal Marine captain, shares his journey from acquiring his first care home in 1996 to building an organisation renowned for its quality of care with one of Doveleigh's homes achieving "Outstanding" in all five inspection categories twice in a row.

Keith discusses the keys to supporting care home managers to help them achieve outstanding ratings. 

Central to his approach is empowering managers by providing financial and operational support, recruiting and promoting from within, and maintaining a presence in the homes to engage with staff.

He emphasises the importance of man management, ensuring that staff are happy and well-supported, which in turn ensures high-quality care for residents drawing on lessons learned from his military background which has helped his care homes thrive.

Keith also delves into the strategies he uses to turn a care home rated "Requires Improvement" into one that is "Outstanding," sharing how meticulous evidence gathering, staff empowerment, and consistent support are critical to showcasing excellence during inspections including:

Key Takeaways:

• Providing managers with the "resources and autonomy to succeed", such as flexible budgets and promoting internal talent.

• "Meticulously" recording and showcasing examples of excellence in resident care to present to inspectors.

• Managers should focus on supporting staff, ensuring they are well-treated and motivated, which directly impacts the quality of resident care.

• Praising and publicly acknowledging staff achievements to boost morale and foster a positive working environment.

• "Encouraging and cultivating a culture where care and relationships are at the heart of everything", including small details that make a big difference to both staff and residents.

• How effective leadership involves presenting tasks in a way that staff feel involved and empowered, "often allowing them to take ownership of ideas and solutions".

• Developing leadership by promoting staff internally, ensuring they understand the organisation's culture and systems.

• Allowing managers the flexibility to request resources or staff as needed, "without strict financial constraints", fostering a culture focused on quality care.

• How owners should be "present and visible" in the homes regularly, engaging with staff to boost morale and ensure alignment with the organisation's goals.

• "Aiming to meet the unique needs of each resident", as focusing on personalised care is a key factor in achieving an outstanding rating.

• The primary role of managers should be to look after their staff, as "happy, supported staff will naturally provide better care".

• Implementing bonus schemes to reward staff for exceptional contributions or overtime, keeping them motivated and appreciated.

• "Recognising that not all great carers make great managers", and being willing to adjust roles to ensure effective management.

• Encouraging open praise and recognition in public spaces to dispel rumours, maintaining transparency, and promoting a positive workplace culture.

 

In this episode, of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, host Adam James of Springup PR, speaks to Andrew Long, the founder of Adore Care Homes, which operates two purpose-built care homes in Yorkshire.

Andrew shares his journey in the care sector, beginning in 1996 and transitioning from estate agency to managing care facilities. 

He emphasises the importance of providing high-quality, purpose-built environments that enhance the quality of life for residents.

Andrew discusses the significance of governance in care homes, outlining how effective management systems ensure both resident enjoyment and adherence to regulations. 

He introduces innovative practices aimed at fostering a supportive community for residents, including staff training and development that prioritise person-centred care.

The conversation delves into the operational challenges in the care industry, including maintaining staff morale and addressing the ongoing effects of the pandemic on care delivery. 

Andrew offers practical advice for aspiring care home operators, highlighting the need for a strategic approach to care management that balances compassionate resident interaction with business sustainability including:

Key Takeaways:

•   Focusing on purpose-built environments to "enhance resident quality of life".

•   Emphasising strong governance and management systems in care homes to "ensure resident enjoyment".

•   Implementing staff training programs that prioritise person-centred care.

•   Addressing operational challenges with a "balance of compassion and business acumen".

•   Developing "innovative practices" to foster community and resident engagement.

•   Recognising the importance of maintaining staff morale in challenging times.

•   Understanding the role of technology in improving care delivery.

•   Encouraging continuous improvement through feedback from residents and staff

•   Advocating for "transparent communication" within the care team and with families.

•   Strategically approaching care management to "sustain quality and community involvement".

In this episode off the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, Sam Hawker, managing director of AbleCare Homes discusses the significance of internal awards in enhancing workplace culture and employee motivation.

Sam provides tips on how your care provider can use the power of internal awards, including:

•     Placing an emphasis on a "supportive and positive" work environment.

•     The role of internal awards in recognising employee contributions and achievements.

•     The differences between internal and external awards, highlighting the benefits of internal recognition.

•     How the nomination and selection process for internal awards work.

•     Publishing and sharing the criteria used to evaluate and select award winners, ensuring fairness and transparency.

•     An overview of the annual awards ceremony and the importance of the atmosphere, venue, and key activities in creating an exciting evening.

•     Notable moments and success stories from previous awards events that "exemplify the impact of recognition".

•     How internal awards contribute to increased job satisfaction and motivation among employees.

•     Testimonials and feedback from staff members about the influence of receiving awards.

•     Upcoming changes or enhancements to the internal awards program.

•     Strategies for maintaining high levels of engagement and morale among staff.

•     Tips and best practices for implementing an effective internal awards program.

•     How other care organisations can tailor their recognition programs to fit their unique cultures.

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, Adam James from Springup PR talks to Robert Kilgour, founder in 1988 of Four Seasons Healthcare, who later founder of Renaissance Care in 2004. Renaissance Care operates 17 care home in Scotland.

Robert shares his insights on building successful care teams for multi-home care operators, highlighting the importance of effective senior management, financial and operational systems, and the use of technology.

He emphasises the need to invest in senior management ahead of acquisitions and the benefits of flexible working arrangements.

Robert also reflects on his journey in the care sector, the lessons learned, and the significance of valuing and supporting staff. He concludes with advice on avoiding common mistakes and the importance of learning from them including:

• Robert's journey from property investment, political think tanks to social care and his drive to reform  and improve the sector
• How your care provider can build successful care teams for multi-home operators.
• The importance of senior management, financial systems, and technology in creating a successful environment.
• How Robert created and retains a 12% annual staff attrition rate with only 1-2% agency staff use.
• Robert's passion for people and property and how this helps him within the care sector.
• The essential nature of having a great senior management team in place before thinking about acquisitions.
• The importance of operational and financial management systems as well as "leveraging technology to improve care quality and efficiency,".
• Robert's Cluster Expansion Strategy, what is it, how it works and how you can utilise it with your care provider.
• Utilising this strategy to expand in clusters thereby minimising outliers and creating strong foundations for growth.
• The benefits of having maintenance and staff banks in close proximity.
• Building a strong company culture through valuing staff beyond pay and fostering a supportive and rewarding environment for staff.
• How flexible working arrangements, introduced in April 2022, contribute to low staff attrition rates.

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, Adam James of Springup PR speaks with Kevin Humphrys, CEO of the Oakland Care Group, which includes Oakland Courts and Oakland Grange in West Sussex. 

Kevin is also the director of the West Sussex Partners in Care.

Kevin discusses the importance of leading by example, particularly in creating and sustaining a positive culture within care teams.

He shares his journey into social care, emphasising how diverse experiences have shaped his leadership style.

Kevin also highlights the significance of being approachable, actively participating in daily activities, and the value of transparent and empathetic communication.

He underscores the importance of mistakes as learning opportunities and emphasises consistent internal communication to foster a strong organisational culture

• Kevin emphasises the importance of leading by example to create a positive culture within care teams

•   His path to becoming a CEO was winding, with experiences in recruitment, banking, and car hire before social care

• How Kevin's experience in various areas of social care has shaped his leadership style.

•   Kevin highlights the need for leaders to be "approachable, participate in daily activities, and show genuine care for residents and staff".

•   Mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning and improvement; transparency and accountability are crucial.

• Effective communication methods include Teams, emails, intranet, and text messages to keep staff informed and engaged.

• The use of an app called "Vivup" allows for celebrating achievements and encouraging positive behaviour.

•   Kevin emphasises the importance of "being present in the homes," and spending at least one full day each week in each home.

•   "A culture that values compassion, understanding, and time fosters a positive environment for both staff and residents".

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Karen Miller, CEO of Broughton House Veterans Care Village in Salford which specialises in care for service men and women and their families.

Having served as an Army officer for ten years, Karen spent the next 15 years in the acute independent care sector, managing hospitals and diagnostic centres across the UK and the Middle East.

After brief "retirement" at her Snowdonia smallholding Karen began speaking at Broughton House on a voluntary basis before becoming CEO in 2020.

In conversation with host Adam James of Springup PR, Karen discusses the challenges faced by charity care providers, including a lack of funding, outdated facilities, and the impact of COVID-19.

Throughout the episode Karen shares her expertise and leading analysis on how you can become more commercially viable while providing high quality care including:

•   The challenges of deciding to build a new purpose-built facility with a shortfall in funding which was impacted by the onset of COVID.

•   Entering the "chaotic" situation of COVID, reduced numbers of residents and a departed home manager and how "the best laid plans had not come to fruition."

•   The company had "run out of money" and how a they secured a small amount of working capital form the local authority to turn the situation around.

•   How a further loan was required to stave off the challenges and undertaking a transformation of the operating model and a "radical rethink was required to weather the storm," and turn things around.

•   Setting clear costs for delivering care at Broughton House and the fees needed to cover these costs.

•   Managing the risks for residents where the charity is responsible for care costs by looking at individual care costs over time.

•   How as a charity they felt a need to "help at any cost," which had become "unsustainable," and the changes that were required to survive and continue to be able to care for as many people as possible.

•   Having difficult conversations with the board about new parameters and guidelines for admissions including not taking on new veterans funded by the charity and distinguishing between those who need support and can self-fund.

•   How the "camaraderie" of veterans allowed a smooth transition to a mixed funding model because "those who could afford to pay the full fee were putting money in to allow those who couldn't to share this amazing home."

•   Emphasising the need for new operating models, risk management strategies, and a self-paying model for the care home, as well as the importance of staff recruitment and retention.

•   Providing training for all staff, even long-serving team members, on processes, procedures and policies.

•   Offering competitive salaries, and enhancing the living wage to provide a motivating work environment.

•   Emphasising the need for new operating models, risk management strategies, and a self-paying model for the care home, as well as the importance of staff recruitment and retention.

•   How the changes implemented have enabled the home to continue their vital work with veterans and provide high-level care.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Samir Patel, owner of Oaklands Rest Home and head of operations at two-care home provider Manucourt.

Samir is also Executive Board Member of Hampshire Care Association.

In conversation with Adam James of Springup PR, Samir shares his knowledge on the importance of building and maintaining strong ties between care providers and local authorities.

Focusing on developing strong relationships which are mutually beneficial, Samir draws on his years of experience to explain how your care home provider can forge stronger ties with the local authority including:

•     How mutual respect and understanding as crucial for meaningful outcomes in negotiations.

•     Samir shares how respect and a professional attitude of understanding one another's problems is really important and trying to build those relationships.

•     How membership with the Hampshire Care Association, representing 40-50 care providers, facilitates collective action and communication with local authorities.

•     Working together to schedule regular face to face meetings among the group according to what works for each provider and holding honest conversations.

•     The power of working collectively with the association, representing about 4,050 care providers in the county of Hampshire, and local authorities and how this has grown CQC ratings across the area.

•     Samir reflects on challenges posed by financial constraints and fee negotiations, advocating for open and constructive dialogue and the importance of data.

•     Despite political differences, Samir underlines the importance of maintaining focus on improving the quality of care by improving the sense of collectiveness and working together to help push the case and "leaving political flags at the door."

•     Samir shares his insights into the challenge of managing different types of people but that "change and challenge can also be a good thing and an opportunity."

•     "Inviting people into the home to help them understand the reality of what's happening on the floor," can help show people what challenges are faced by the care sector.

•     Samir shares his insights on collective action during the pandemic and the need for ongoing communication and partnership.

•     He talks about the Covid pandemic period and how the sector coped with "rapid change" and the strong need for the whole health patient care team to work as a unit.

•     Samir advocates for certainty in financial planning, urging early and transparent discussions to provide stability for care providers.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Charles Cross, CEO Of Anglian Care and Ashley Care home care agencies, as well as the co-founder of Emma.ai.

Charles explains why he chose to take on the challenge of turning around Ashley Care which was rated inadequate by the CQC and how he turned it around by going undercover to assess the issues first hand.

Charles explains how through consultations and digitalising the existing paper-based system he was able to transform the company.

In this episode, Charles outlines the processes he undertook to enact change within the company as well as the future of AI within the care sector and how it can be utilised to improve care including:

•   How to introduce a digital system to better capture care records, plans, audits and other documentation to address issues.

•   How Charles went undercover under the guise of a consultancy firm to assess issues within the new acquisition firsthand.

•   Utilising short meetings with staff across the company to better understand underlying problems and gathering feedback on areas for improvement which gave a "refreshing" insight into the company.

•   Implementing pay rises for care staff, who are "at the heart of everything," as well as increasing mileage rates, and providing more flexibility for shifts in changes geared towards improving working conditions.

•   Working with the existing team to explain "we're not looking to change everything, but we want to go back to square one and find out what's working for you and what isn't," and how this attitude got staff on board with changes.

•   Restructuring roles and responsibilities to address issues caused by decline in size and addressing motivation of remaining staff which is, "pivotal to the morale of the company to the engagement of your staff."

•   Educating and consulting with care staff on the benefits of upcoming digitalisation changes to gain support and how Charles urged the team to "stick with him" on changes that are designed to improve care and morale.

•   Looking into offering additional training and development opportunities such as NVQ courses to care staff to improve morale, care standards and staff retention.

•   Providing jackets and protective masks to care staff based on feedback from employee surveys because Charles believes that "staff need to know that their concerns are being taken on board and changes implemented."

•   Providing 24/7 support to care teams through Emma.ai to retrieve information and alleviate pressure on managers.

•   Continuing collaboration with the care sector and prioritising their feedback to develop Emma.ai's capabilities.

•   Charles explains how he "doesn't believe there is a place for AI devised care plans which dilute the data," as Charles believes should be "person centred" and devised by people with first hand knowledge of individuals.

•   How Charles "firmly believes that AI is the only answer to the crisis faced by the care sector," and how it can be utilised to improve care.

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, host Adam James of Springup PR talks with Harry Surdhar, co-founder of three nursing and dementia care homes, a journey he began in 2001.

His career in the care sector spans over 24 years, and is currently in the process of building a fourth care home. 

Harry's unique approach to his business is centred on the belief that a successful care home is built on a foundation of compassionate, well-trained staff, and that a strong internal culture is the key to longevity and reputation.

He prioritises quality of care above all else, seeing profit as a natural consequence of exceptional service rather than the primary goal. 

Harry is a strong advocate for recruiting individuals at a junior level and nurturing their potential through a process of organic growth. 

He doesn't prioritise academic qualifications but instead looks for core human qualities like caring, compassion, and empathy. His belief is that the necessary skills can be taught, but a person's fundamental character is what truly makes them an asset.

Harry views his role as a leader who serves his people, providing them with the tools and support they need to succeed. 

This ethos has resulted in remarkable staff retention, with some of his managers being with the company for a significant portion of his 24-year tenure with one 73-year-old former manager who is still with the company, now serving as an internal auditor.

In this episode, Harry shares the secrets to hiring and retaining care home managers based on his long journey in care and years of experience including:

• Why his recruitment process doesn't prioritize "any to higher academic qualifications," focusing instead on "what the person has from a human perspective."
• How he identifies potential in employees and fosters "organic growth," ensuring they understand the business from the ground up.
• The philosophy that his "core responsibility is to serve my people," acting as their leaderto help them grow.
• The "very, very successful part of business" is recruiting from a junior level and developing staff internally.
• Why "there is no substitute to what I call practical experience," and how he uses conversations, not formal interviews, to gauge a candidate's humanity.
• The reason he's "not really interested at that stage in the person's care experiences," and is more interested in them "as a human."
• Why he invests in his team, paying for qualifications to "ensure that we get the best" by investing in them.
• The story of his first manager, now 73 and still with the company, who was "willing to continue" and was transitioned into a new role as an "internal auditor."
• How weekly meetings with his managers serve to "empower them" and ensure they have the "necessary tools to ensure that what to expect from them that they can deliver."
• Why he values being "democratic" and "willing to listen and adapt to ideas" from his team.
• How his business strategy "never relied on just the first level of managers," and why he trains people to pass on leadership qualities to those below them.
• His perspective that "if somebody hasn't made a mistake, I think they haven't got something right either."
• The mistakes he made early on by bringing "co-founders on board who I felt were simply there for one reason, which was profit."
• Why the "profit revenue takes care of itself" if you don't compromise on service or product.
• The conviction that the "success of this business is not how many percentage of profits you make," but is "based on your reputation," which is built on your people.

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, host Adam James of Springup PR speaks to Lucy Corner, Managing Director of Cornerstone Care Solutions.

Lucy, a dual registered nurse with a background in the NHS, unravels the nuances of reviving care homes on the brink of failure through her extensive background in nursing and her proficiency in transforming struggling homes

Lucy provides invaluable insights for care providers seeking operational and financial success including:

•     Lucy's journey from managing nursing homes to establishing Cornerstone Care Solutions as well as how she found that she had, "a skill for the financial side and quite enjoyed the strategy of looking at failing homes."

•     The scenarios that often precede a care home's decline, emphasising the impact of high turnover among managers and staff and how it is often down to "issues with the culture and lots of whistleblowing staff, lots of incidents, accidents, problems."

•     Insights into red flags to watch for, including financial indicators like "late payment of wages" and quality red flags such as residents losing weight and developing pressure sores.

•     Providers are urged to proactively monitor financial and quality indicators. Lucy recommends, having a second oversight of the service with an operations manager or a quality monitoring team.

•     How external consultants can play a crucial role. Lucy emphasises, "We can do quarterly, six monthly or even monthly reviews of a service to let people know how they measure and whether they're improving, staying the same or getting worse."

•     Lucy stresses the paramount importance of prioritising quality care, and how "people need to know what's going on in their care homes."

•     With changing inspection methods, Lucy advocates a "robust documentation of improvement plans," and evidence showcasing "continuous enhancements." She explains how, with the new methodology with CQC, there'll be a portal that you can upload this evidence.

 

This episode of the Care CEO Success Story podcast features Zoe Fry OBE, founding director of The Outstanding Society, who discusses her journey in social care, from a care assistant at age 13, becoming a nurse, and eventually purchasing and operating her own home, Valerie Manor, in West Sussex.

Zoe created a culture focused on high standards of care, empowering staff, and making them feel valued. This led to happy staff, happy residents, and glowing CQC ratings.

Zoe outlines her success in being very hands-on as a manager and owner, leading by example, fostering teamwork and support amongst staff, recognising and playing to people's strengths, and investing in staff wellbeing and training.

In this episode, Zoe shares her top tips and strategies on how she built and sold her CQC-rated "outstanding" home and now shares advice with other care providers including:

•    "Empowering staff to come up with suggestions and improvements" because happy staff means happy residents.

•    How Zoe's vision was to provide a high standard of care that would be good enough for her own relatives.

•    The importance of providing support and training while playing to you teams strengths and "providing the support for them and the tools to do their job very well".

•    How Zoe looked to create roles that played to the strengths of her team.

•    Gaining managerial skills through working in the NHS and embracing new areas for learning in finance and HR with help from peers.

•    Leading from the front and how Zoe would never ask anyone to do something she wasn't prepared to do herself.

•    Knowing your team's needs, adapting support accordingly, making staff feel valued and promoting peer support and teamwork.

•    Why Zoe sold her home to another provider committed to maintaining its culture.

·         The formation of the Outstanding Society, which aims to support the driving up of quality across the whole of England, and how it helps other care providers through sharing their expertise.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Tom Hartley, managing director of Carterwood, which represents 85% of the top 20 UK care providers in their efforts to grow their business through market and data analysis.

On the episode we discuss the outlook for care providers in 2024 - with some operators trading well while others are struggling with squeezed margins and the key factors behind this polarisation being exposure to self-pay residents, staff recruitment success, and location.

Tom outlines how his analysis shows occupancy should stabilise in 2024 but a change in government and regulations could pose unique challenges for the sector.

Tom also explains a number of growth avenues for care providers including NHS partnerships, machine learning and artificial intelligence and how best you can harness these opportunities.

Throughout the episode Tom shares his expertise and leading analysis on how you can position your care provider for success in a changing sector including:

•   How Tom sees a "polarisation" in the sector with some operators thriving and others struggling.

•   The key reasons behind this split in the market and how they will affect different providers.

•   How trading conditions "will continue to be very difficult" but could be "very rewarding" for those in the right part of the market with exposure to private paying clients.

•   The impact on fee rates and how Tom expects these to stabilise.

•   The impact of new regulation frameworks and a possible change in government.

•   Whether social care should be seen as a priority for an incumbent government and the impact of revisiting care funding reforms.

•   The importance of "exploring closer links with the NHS" and how Tom would advise all providers to explore this avenue.

•   Tom shares how "half of care providers are still operating with pen and paper systems" and how digitalising systems can offer avenues for both efficiency and growth.

•   The lasting impacts of COVID and how care homes can use digital care planning going forward.

•   The benefits for care providers of utilising data and how this has been something the care sector has "not fully embraced".

•   Being efficient with how your staff's time is best used and getting the maximum benefit for resident care and the operational side of the business.

•   The potential opportunities for a three-star care offering that isn't defined as luxury in a world of rising development and building costs.

•   The opportunities presented by AI and how these could be harnessed for the benefit of your care provider

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, Adam James talks with Shaleeza Hasham, Director of CHD Living and CEO/Founder of the Adopt A Grandparent charity.

Shaleeza shares her inspiring journey, detailing the origin of her family's care business and the creation of Adopt A Grandparent which combats loneliness by connecting volunteers with older adults.

In the episode Shaleeza:

• Recounts her family's immigrant journey to the UK, highlighting how her parents, refugees in the late '70s, established a care business, CHD Living, driven by a desire to give back to the community.  This led to the conversion of a training centre into a 15-bed nursing home.
• Explains how growing up in the nursing home "instilled values of patience and respect" for older people.
• After pursuing education and work outside the care sector, Shaleeza returned to social care due to her passion for it.
• Describes jow "Adopt a Grandparent" initially started as a local initiative in 2019, inviting young people to spend meaningful time with those in care.
• The concept gained traction, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown prompted a shift to virtual interactions, resulting in a "remarkable" response of over 40,000 volunteers.
• Driven by the alarming statistic that 23% of older people face premature death due to loneliness, the charity garnered international attention.
• Over 100,000 volunteers worldwide have registered, emphasising the "widespread impact and the diverse motivations" of participants, ranging from those without grandparents to individuals seeking to combat their own loneliness.
• Discusses the challenges faced in managing and expanding the program, emphasising the need for care providers to "commit to safeguarding participants," and how a mandatory training program for volunteers ensures "effective communication" with people living with dementia and an understanding of adult safeguarding.
• Acknowledges that as CEO of CHD Living - a multi-site care operator – there is a difficulty in  dividing her time. While her business projects take priority, her passion for Adopt A Grandparent "drives her to balance the demands of both roles."
• Explains how the charity's vision involves "growing its impact, developing technology for faster volunteer pairing, and establishing a champion role for each care group or region.," and that the use of AI in pairing, akin to a dating app, aims to streamline the process.
• Describes, future aspirations for Adopt A Grandparent, include providing bursaries for vulnerable individuals and unpaid carers.
• Shares her insights into grant writing, highlighting the importance of learning and seeking advice in the charity sector.
• Care providers and potential sponsors can visit the charity's website, adoptagrandparent.org.uk, to find information, and get in touch.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Issac Theophilos, owner of care consultancy Outstanding Care Homes having himself run an "outstanding" care home.

Issac shares how care home managers can achieve an outstanding CQC rating through leadership and culture, a coherent vision for improvement, studying CQC criteria and staff empowerment.

Issac discusses what practical steps you can take to implement a winning culture at your care provider and the importance of continual learning in achieving that outstanding rating.

In this episode Isaac shares his wealth of experience and his tips for success including:

•   How achieving "outstanding" starts with the directors having a vision for continuous improvement.

•   Managers must develop their CQC knowledge beyond the level 5 diploma and "speak the same language as the inspectors."

•   Managers should study CQC regulations and rating characteristics in depth as well as preparing evidence.

•   How a care provider's real culture shows when managers are away. "That's when the most successful care homes start running,"  says Issac.

•   "Attitude and emotional intelligence matter more than experience," so offer progression rather than small pay rises.

•   How outstanding homes also have areas to improve and identifying examples in each CQC domain that go "above and beyond".

•   "Productivity helps managers avoid distraction," and how a work/life balance and structured prioritisation enables you to support residents and staff.

•   How regulations frequently change so managers should dedicate time for their own development.

•   Ensuring you "prioritise frontline leadership training and identify any gaps in CQC  standards."

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, Ameet Kotecha, founder of Boutique Care Homes, discusses how care home design is vital for quality care provision.

Ameet shares insights into his 20 years of experience in designing, developing, and operating care homes.

He emphasises the importance of good design in enhancing residents' lives, especially those living with dementia.

Ameet discusses design elements such as signs, lighting, colour palettes, and outdoor spaces, highlighting their impact on residents' well-being.

He also touches upon the differences in design between residential and dementia care areas, stressing the importance of staff training to meet residents' specific needs.

Furthermore, Ameet emphasises the role of ethos and values in care home design, advocating for a warm, loving environment where trust and transparency are vital.

On the episode Ameet:

•     Explains why good design is essential for person-centred care.

•     How to design for people with memory issues, when around 70% of care home residents live with dementia or memory loss.

•     Talks through the importance of meaningful outdoor which "add significantly to the quality of residents' lives."

•     Reveals the importance of good wayfinding signage.

•     Explains the differences in design for dementia vs. residential areas with attention paid to functionality as well as being "visually stunning."

•     Explains the importance of  internal colours and how these should be calming which makes a home feel relaxed, not "like an institution."

•     Explains how, "It's about trying to make care home spaces as homely as possible while meeting the needs of individuals."

•     The importance of focusing on "creating a community, not just a care home," with "a proper, authentic, person-centred care philosophy."

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast discusses how care providers can design homes that are optimised for both residents and staff.

 My guest is Avnish Goyal, chair of Hallmark Care, which was founded 27 years ago and operates 20 homes across England.

Avnish is also CEO of Savista Developments and Santhem Residences, a retirement living venture in Sheffield.

 Committed to delivering outstanding relationship-centred care in luxury care homes, Avnish is also at various stages of planning for sites in Brentwood, Ingatestone, Billericay, and Bromley with more high-quality sites of one to three acres being sought.

 In this episode Avnish discusses his own journey from accountant to the care sector, and also shares secrets to how you can build your own care provider through making a positive difference to residents with innovative designs and high-quality facilities as well as a commitment to staff development through training and strong processes, including: 

•     The importance of building a quality team, implementing strong systems and processes, and providing the right equipment for delivering great care.

•     The recruitment process at Hallmark Care Homes being values-based, and how they offer a strong induction to ensure staff are well-prepared.

•     How the company has introduced a real living wage for all its care homes. 

•     How Avnish addressed retention and recruitment difficulties by supporting staff with a cost of living crisis support fund and bonuses during COVID.

•     The importance of placing a strong emphasis on training and development, including dementia programs and leadership training.

•     How the company organises empowerment days to connect team members with the ownership and reinforce family values.

•     Avnish also shares insights into building new care homes with innovative designs, spacious rooms, and en-suite facilities. 

•     The way they have focused on creating dementia communities that don't feel institutional and are visually appealing.

•     How food quality and presentation are essential for resident satisfaction, and they hire trained chefs.

•     Avnish also highlights the Championing Social Care initiative, which aims to celebrate and enhance social care and raise funds for charity.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Johann van Zyl, CEO of Cornerstone Healthcare, the UK's fastest growing specialist care start-up.

Johann's passion for healthcare and deep love for working with and leading people led Johann to discovering his calling in the sector.

Cornerstone Healthcare operates three specialist nursing homes in the south of England, with two more due to open in the south west in early 2024.

Under Johann's leadership, the company has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Health Investor 'Complex Care Provider of the Year' in 2020 and 2021 and 'Specialist Care Provider of the Year in 2023', and has become a leading operator in the specialist care sector.

Despite much of the company's operation being during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cornerstone Healthcare is the UK's fastest growing specialist care start-up, having increased turnover by 91.6% from £12m in 2018 to £23m in 2023.

In this episode Johann examines his approach to business, his particular perspective, the importance of staff retention, creating an environment where employees feel safe and supported as well as offering hybrid hospitals to bridge the gap between hospitals and care homes including:

•      How Johann started in mining exploration, but found his passion in healthcare

•      The secrets behind launching a fast-growth specialist care provider.

•      The importance of having a well-formulated idea, a strong business partner and an investor or equity backing.

•      Why ensuring staff feel safe and supported is key to retention, alongside comprehensive  training and aiming to be one of the top employers.

•      How Cornerstone Healthcare prioritises the well-being of its staff, maintaining a low staff turnover rate, and a high level of staff satisfaction.

•      How success is attributed to a unique focus on providing specialised care for people with challenging behaviours associated with progressive neurological conditions and mental health issues.

•      Plans to achieve significant growth through a combination of mergers and acquisitions, purchasing existing facilities, and developing new purpose-built homes.

•      How ensuring competitive pay rates has contributed to the company's success in retaining high-quality staff.

•      The impact of a niche focus on their substantial growth, maintaining an impressive occupancy rate and ensuring a strong presence in the sector.

•      How Johann's dedication to the well-being of both the residents and the staff has been a driving force behind the company's rapid growth and success.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Samantha Crawley, CEO of Bracebridge Care, a provider focused on creating care homes that provide exceptional living and working environments.

Samantha is dedicated to building a culture of excellence and ensuring that care homes become places people are proud to be a part of.

With over 25 years of experience in the care sector, Samantha has been a strong advocate for vulnerability in leadership, believing that leaders should "stay real" and admit when they don't have all the answers.

Samantha emphasises the importance of building a network of trusted individuals who can provide valuable expertise and support and highlights the significance of succession planning and developing future leaders within the organisation.

In this episode, Samantha shares her thoughts on leadership, including:

•     Emphasising the value of "staying real" and admitting to feelings of imposter syndrome.

•     How building a team of trusted individuals who excel in areas where the leader may lack expertise is crucial.

•     Succession planning and how empowering team members to give opinions and share ideas is key to developing future leaders.

•     Why Samantha believes vulnerability and honesty about challenges can foster growth and inspire confidence in team members.

•     Why leaders should focus on leaving people feeling inspired, energised, and wanting to work with them.

•     Why holding oneself accountable for interactions and learning from mistakes is essential for growth.

•     Vulnerability in leadership does not equate to weakness; it is a sign of strength.

•     How different leadership styles can be learned and adapted depending on the situation and individuals being led.

•     Why seeking knowledge and understanding from leadership books, such as those by Simon Sinek and Brené Brown, can enhance leadership skills.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Helen Baxendale, Clinical Director at Exemplar Healthcare.

Helen is a registered nurse with a background in the NHS and social care and has worked in various roles within the care home sector, including nurse, deputy manager, home manager, and operational management.

She worked for Bupa for 10 years, eventually becoming an ops director, before returning to her nursing clinical roots.

Five years ago, Helen joined Exemplar Healthcare as the clinical director, focusing on caring for people with complex needs.

In this episode, Helen discusses how she has helped Exemplar in striving to deliver the best possible clinical and social outcomes for residents including:

•   The importance of tracking clinical outcomes in nursing homes, such as infections and wounds, to ensure the physical health of service users.

•   Avoid hospital admissions whenever possible, considering the complex mental health issues of the individuals in their care.

•   A focus on individual goals and aspirations of service users, aiming to provide a sense of home and support until the end of their lives.

•   Prioritising helping service users achieve their goals, whether it's maintaining communication with family, going on holiday, or engaging in everyday activities.

•   How a research project on friendship and sexuality revealed the majority of service users aspire to have friends.

•   Maintaining communication through a service user ambassador group, allowing for feedback, ideas, and support to be shared across 42 homes.

•   Robust governance processes and digital transformation efforts, ensuring consistent standards and quick response times across a multi-site organisation.

•   Weekly group calls and clinics via Zoom to provide support and upskilling opportunities for service users, families, and staff, addressing various topics and improving outcomes.

•   How the clinical team, including clinical nurse managers and specialist nurses, closely collaborate with care home staff to monitor and support the clinical needs of service users.

•   Forging a strong interlink between the clinical team and operations team, leading to effective outcomes in care provision.

Amar Marjara is the CEO of Peterborough Care, a family-run care group operating five care homes in and around Peterborough. 

His journey in care began in 1999 when he stepped into the business founded by his mother, Sumeet Marjara, a former NHS nurse and one of the early pioneers of private elderly care.

Inspired by her ethos and commitment, Amar has carried that legacy forward, evolving the company while staying true to its values.

Under Amar's leadership, Peterborough Care has achieved exceptional staff retention, with his shortest-serving manager having been with the company for ten years, and many team members beginning their careers as domestic assistants before progressing to leadership roles.

His approach centres on nurturing staff who genuinely care about older people, believing that everything else can be taught. But empathy must come from within.

Amar maintains a hands-on leadership style, often working directly in the homes and mentoring managers and frontline staff. 

He strongly believes in presence, listening, and mutual respect as the backbone of strong care delivery and has minimised recruitment agency use to just 0.2%.

He remains personally involved in recruitment and induction processes, ensuring new team members align with the care home's ethos, and in this episode, Amar discusses what he has learned about recruitment including:

• Why empathy is non-negotiable, because, "you can teach someone to be competent. You can't teach them to care."
• The importance of consistency in care teams as "without the people that deliver the care, we can't set out to do what we want to do."
• How Amar has achieved exceptional retention metrics with his shortest serving manager having  been with the company for ten years.
• How Amar has minimised recruitment agency use to 0.2%.
  
• How Amar, "hires for heart, not just skill," and the importance of meeting candidates face to face.
  
• Developing talent from within with three managers having started as domestic assistants, and one now running an Outstanding-rated home.
• Empowering managers while remaining accessible, giving them, "complete autonomy—but they know they can call me anytime. And they do. Daily."
• Why, "being present isn't a formula. But it gives people reassurance, and that's everything."
• Creating emotional safety through not treating questions as annoyances because, "you're dealing with people's lives."
• Onboarding that embeds culture through, "passing on our ethos and philosophy."
• The impact of pay incentives and why ethos and philosophy matter more.
• Creating loyalty beyond pay because, "there are probably better paid jobs out there. But our managers aren't looking."
• Mentoring through listening and developing a culture where leaders care about their teams, not just manage them.
  
• Creating a culture of challenge and feedback because, "some of our best systems came from being challenged by our own team."

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features John Godden, MBE, CEO of Salutem Care and Education, a leading provider of care and education services.

With a strong passion for improving the lives of others, John has dedicated his career to making a meaningful impact in the healthcare and education sectors, and was awarded an MBE for services to the care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

John's leadership has been instrumental in shaping Salutem Care and Education into a provider focusing on a person-centred approach and commitment to promoting independence, choice, and dignity for the individuals it supports.

Under his guidance, the company has expanded its services, establishing a strong presence in the care and education sectors across the country.

By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional development, John ensures that Salutem Care and Education remains at the forefront of delivering good-quality care and education services.

In this episode John shares his thoughts and experiences on uniting the cultures of different care providers, including:

•   How Salutem Care and Education was formed by merging three private providers and one charity provider, with the goal of creating one successful specialist care provider.

•   Bringing together different providers with their own cultures and challenges into a single organisation with its own culture.

•   The strategy incorporated acquiring existing operators that need upgrades in management, capital, culture, and environments.

•   The importance of creating a unified culture appropriate for the care sector

•   The process of building a culture involved distilling the shared values through conversations and identifying the right set of priorities.

•   Overcoming hiccups included changing behaviours, addressing reticence to corporate involvement, and balancing employment packages for different services.

•   The dedication and resilience of the care staff during acquisitions.

The podcast also discusses the importance of open communication, feedback loops, and facing challenges head-on to create a positive and united culture in a specialist care provider.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Bhavna Keane-Rao, Managing Director and a founding member of BKR Care Consultancy.

With over 23 years of experience with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and 13 years as a care consultant, Bhavna has established herself as an expert in the care sector.

Bhavna's expertise lies in helping care facilities improve their services using her deep understanding of the challenges faced by care providers and assists them in navigating the complex regulatory landscape.

With her extensive knowledge and experience, Bhavna has successfully supported care providers in transitioning from a "requires improvement" status to achieving an "outstanding" rating.

In this episode, Bhavna offers practical solutions and guidance to providers, ensuring compliance with regulations and enhancing the overall quality of care and helping providers achieve excellence in their services.

This includes:

•     The secrets behind going from "requires improvement" to "outstanding" in the care sector with real-life case scenarios and Bhavna's expertise on improving services.

•     The importance of recognising indicators in the governance system and addressing them promptly.

•     The challenges of not knowing what you don't know and how CQC regulations can change over time.

•     The issues care providers often face due to lack of training, despite their efforts.

•     The advice Bhavna gives to providers to document interactions with inspectors and raise concerns through emails to establish a timeline.

•     How legal advice can be sought if a provider believes the CQC report is inaccurate or unfair.

•     How providers should avoid sending an action plan based on feedback before challenging the draft report, as it can limit their ability to dispute the findings.

•     Draft reports and how they can be influenced by the information and evidence providers provide during the process.

•     Building a strong relationship with inspectors and engaging them early on by sharing positive feedback, discussions with stakeholders, and actions taken to address concerns.

•     How by involving the manager and the community, and creating outstanding characteristics, this can contribute to turning around a "requires improvement" rating to "outstanding."

•     Upcoming changes in CQC regulations, with the introduction of quality statements and a focus on the five key questions.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Aneurin Brown, Managing Director of Hallmark Care Homes, a leading operator of care homes and retirement communities in the UK.

Aneurin began his career in entertainment, working in live events and pursuing his passion for theatre and music before being introduced to Hallmark through a colleague and was immediately drawn to the care sector.

He joined Hallmark as a Hospitality Services Manager and quickly fell in love with the vibrant atmosphere and positive environment of the care homes.

A commitment to learning and a willingness to try various roles led to his rise within the company.

In this episode, Aneurin shares his journey from entertainment to care with a positive mindset and hard work and the transferable skills he has brought with him.

This includes: 

•     Transitioning from the entertainment sector to becoming a leader in the care sector. 

•     The power of referrals and the immediate attraction to the vibrant culture and positive atmosphere of Hallmark's care homes. 

•     Passion, commitment and the importance of caring and enjoying the work in the care sector, along with the drive to continuously improve and go beyond expectations. 

•     Recognising the significance of teamwork and collaboration in both the entertainment and care sectors. 

•     Leadership at Hallmark and how the influence and vision of Chairman Avnish Goyal has shaped the company's commitment to high-quality care and constant improvement. 

•     Embracing a broad role and how a willingness to learn and take on various responsibilities, including auditing care plans has given Aneurin a well-rounded understanding of the care sector. 

•     His journey to success and progression within Hallmark by stepping up to fill vacancies, showcasing dedication, hard work, and a positive mindset. 

•     The belief that enjoying the work is essential for success in leadership roles. 

•     Hallmark's focus on continuous development, not only in terms of physical facilities but also in providing outstanding care and sharing initiatives with others in the sector.

This episode of the Care Home PR And Marketing podcast features Simon Crowther, Managing Director of Tamar Homecare and Care Skilled Consultancy.

Simon specialises in investment, acquisitions, turnarounds and business development drawing on years of experience in the sector.

On this episode, Simon will be sharing his unique insight into how to accelerate growth in your care provider through fostering positive cultures, reducing staff turnover and bringing in more residents.

This includes:

•     The importance of having a clear budget and knowing what you are looking for in a home care company.

•     Different methods of finding businesses for sale, including working with brokers, utilising CQC and business intelligence databases, and leveraging social media presence.

•     Examining the need for a well-established management structure and a good reputation in the acquired company as well as Simon's preference for acquiring providers with a good rating from the CQC to focus on growth rather than full scale turnarounds.

•     The importance of valuing a care provider properly, considering factors like EBITDA to give an overall picture of the health and suitability of a care provider for acquisition.

•     The importance of having a management team in place and its experience with interviewing and assessing potential managers and deputy managers.

•     Checking with the local authority to assess demand and contracting systems before entering a new area.

•     The benefits and differences between serving private clients and local authorities, including profit margins and administrative efficiency.

•     Managing relationships with multiple stakeholders, including service users, families, and local authorities.

•     Marketing strategies for targeting local authorities and private clients, including filling tenders, business-to-business marketing, and business to consumer marketing.

•     The effectiveness of PR, digital marketing, social media campaigns and offline strategies like flyer drops and advertising in local papers as well as hyperlocal marketing and search engine optimisation to help establish a strong online presence.

•     The significance of building a positive company culture and the benefits it brings, such as reducing staff turnover, increasing margins, and attracting more residents.

•     Targeting recruitment efforts towards people considering a career in social care and why they should choose to work for their company.

•     Simon also introduces the concept of avatars, creating profiles of typical job seekers with different motivations, to tailor job advertisements and address their specific needs.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Clare Connell, CEO at Connell Consulting.

Connell Consulting is an award winning provider of commercial due diligence and strategic consulting in the health and social care sector.

Clare was selected for the HealthInvestor Power 50 list for the last 5 years. In 2018, 2019 and 2022 she was also voted Sector Expert by her peers on the Power 50 for her knowledge of the sector.

On this episode, Clare draws on her knowledge to share an insight on optimising the value of your care provider ahead of a sale.

This includes:

•     The pitfalls and differences between specialist care and elderly care in terms of exits and risk, commercial due diligence, profit margins, and more.

•     Exploring the challenges of staff recruitment and retention post-COVID with suggestions on focusing on areas with better job markets and affordable housing.

•     Unveiling the secret to healthy profit margins, Clare highlights the significance of strong operators, high occupancy rates, motivated staff, and effective fee negotiation.

•     For investors looking to buy care businesses, the quality of services, future-proofing, location, private funding proportion, and home manager strength are important factors.

•     How the physical environment of a home as well as staff training and development can increase fees for your care provider.

•     The age profile of residents, with younger age profiles being more attractive due to higher fees and easier refilling of vacancies.

•     Discovering the essential steps to prepare for a lucrative exit, including maximising EBITDA, addressing underperforming homes, streamlining operations, and crafting a compelling growth story.

•     Other key aspects to consider when evaluating a care provider for an exit including quality, fees, occupancy rates, growth plans, reputation, staff retention, and the length of time in service.

•     Discovering how proactive recruitment, staff retention strategies, and smart cost management can boost your bottom line.

•     How specialised care and residential elderly care have different considerations for investors, including the quality of services, future-proofing, local market competition, the strength of the home manager, and the age profile of residents.

•     Prepare for the pitfalls in the process of being up for sale, the twists and turns that come with this and how to deal with them.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Tony Stein, CEO of Healthcare Management Solutions - the UK's largest professional management company in the care sector.

Tony has over 20 years experience in care and has provided services to over 750 accounts with Healthcare Management Solutions.

A qualified chartered accountant with a strong background in finance, Tony has forged a strong reputation operating homes in partnership with local authorities.

On this episode, Tony sharing wisdom gained over the last 20 years and sharing his thoughts on care now and into the future.

This includes:

•     How Tony helped form Healthcare Management Solutions off the back of the 2008 financial crisis to re-vitalise homes that had fallen into the hands of banks and insolvency firms.

•     The impact of the current split between NHS healthcare funding and local authority funding for social care.

•     The effects of having vacancies in care homes and not enough space in hospitals and how this is leading to people not receiving the correct care at the right time.

•     What Tony would do to improve the situation including centralising funding for care and regulatory focus on providing safe, high level care across the board.

•     Finding ways to end the postcode lottery surrounding social care through central funding but still allowing local authorities to commission the services needed in their areas.

•     How health and social care are affected by an ageing population and how changes to the make up of our society are impacting the existing structures for care provision.

•     Shifting the focus away from decisions that are politically prudent towards decisions focused on societal benefit.

•     How we can learn from other social care systems around the world, but we still need to build a bespoke system that fits our specific requirements rather than copying other successful systems directly.

•     The impact of the current assessment of people requiring social care and how that process in itself can be stressful and difficult for the person seeking care as well as their family.

•     The need for regulators to ensure that care providers can both demonstrate their experience in the field and are moving with the times and modernising with the demands of the changes in society.

•     The moral issues surrounding care and financing of care as well as the value of people who genuinely care working in the care sector.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Rich Adams, CEO of Sears Healthcare, which operates three care homes in Hampshire.

Richard joined the company from its beginning and is responsible for strategy, quality assurance and business performance and set the vision to be a leader in the sector with high-quality care which places residents and people at the heart of everything.

Having started his career as a care assistant at the age of 17 and training as a nurse, Richard worked for the NHS in neuro-intensive care, and mental health. 

Having previously held roles with Avery Healthcare and Bupa, Richard has a broad and varied experience in the sector.

On this episode, Rich discusses how Sears Healthcare recruits care teams and gives them the opportunity to both develop and excel.

This includes:

•    What you can do as an care provider to make yourself attractive to prospective employees.

•    How the perception of your care provider from the outside can impact on whether good people with see you as an attractive opportunity.

•    The shifting dynamics of the recruitment process for senior roles from outsourced recruitment agencies towards building in-house profiles for key roles and leading the process.

•    Using the interview process to determine what makes new employees tick and how they feel about topics outside of the workplace.

•    Taking a different approach to traditional interview questions to find out what people would do in a certain situation rather than what they have done in the past.

•    Thinking about what systems and structures your care provider can put in place around new hires to allow them to adapt and shine in a new role.

•    The importance of being able to engage in a conversation during an interview and what that says about prospective new hires.

•    What to look for during the interview process including new hires asking their own questions and displaying a passion and curiosity.

•    Trusting your instincts when assessing whether someone will be a good fit with your care provider and the importance of the face-to-face interview.

•    Looking at processes you can put in place to help new team members thrive in their role and talking to them about what they need to develop.

•    Facing up to challenges and learning from mistakes, asking the right questions about why a situation occurred and discussing what could be done differently to avert a repeat.

•    Understanding that people are different and learning to take the right approach to managing people to get the best from them.

•    The importance of trust across the team and how this makes people want to follow the organisational culture and strive to do things better all the time.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Angel Boxall, CEO of Majesticare, a 3-home care provider currently going through a growth phase.

Angela has over 25 years experience in social care, having started out as a part-time activities coordinator and joining Majesticare in 2006. 

Angela went on to manage a home in Derbyshire for the company and has subsequently filled a number of leadership roles for Majesticare.

On this episode Angela discusses the strategies and methods that have helped Majesticare become an employer of choice which have provided a huge boost to both recruitment and retention and helped to fuel the growth they are currently undergoing.

This includes: 

•    Utilising the skills developed climbing the ranks and finding enjoyment in leadership roles while encouraging others to find the same passion for their role and view care as a career.

•    Launching a 'continue being me' initiative which encourages team members to be themselves and love what they do.

•    The introduction of five core values, devised in conjunction with staff, of trust, family, creativity, happiness and heart which underpin everything the company does.

•    Using focus groups to garner feedback from the team and encouraging a culture of openness and honesty from staff to build an environment where people can be themselves.

•    Using group activities as part of the recruitment process which allows potential employees to relax, interact with residents and other team members, and lets the interviewers see who people really are and how they engage with others in a comfortable environment.

•    Creating personalised onboarding packages to welcome new team members and make them feel part of the team immediately as well as encouraging conversations with existing staff members on internal communications platforms.

•    'Just for me' moments replacing supervision to remove the stress and aims at staff development and growth.

•    Becoming a safe and inclusive space for everyone and developing unique strategies to work on supporting team members to tackle anything that they may be experiencing head on through wellbeing plans and counselling.

•    Drawing on experiences in and out of a work as well as staff feedback to keep developing a safe, supportive and engaging place to work where people want to stay and feel comfortable being themselves.

•    How the data supports the benefits of looking after and investing in people through twelve-fold increases in staff retention.

•    Breaking down barriers and being accepting of new technologies and ways of working to encourage a new generation into care as a career.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Joanne Balmer, CEO of Oakland Care.

Joanne joined Oakland Care in 2019 when it had three homes. They now have eight homes with a ninth opening in April and other homes  in the pipeline.

Joanne was also awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen's birthday honours list for services to social care during the pandemic - always prioritising the physical and emotional wellbeing of residents and team members.

On this episode, Joanne focuses on how to build real sustainability into your care provider in the drive for net zero carbon emissions, and includes:

•    The importance on focusing on resident and team member led implementation of sustainability policies rather than a top-down approach, so ensuring buy-in and passion from the ground up.

•    Looking at changes that can be made within your care provider and how you manage people, time and financial resources to start the move towards net zero in an environment of rising costs.

•    Starting small creative solutions to address your carbon footprint including procurement and how supplies are delivered to your care homes, as well as how staff travel to work and changes they can make at home.

•    Calculating how much your operations contribute to carbon emissions and what you can do to offset if you can't reduce them.

•    Working in the community to enact positive change in your local environment through litter picks or tree planting with team members and residents.

•    How the drive for sustainability at Oakland Care was accelerated by staff feedback on what was being done by the company to reduce its carbon footprint.

•    How sustainability committees with representatives across every care home feedback progress to senior management and how they work together to drive improvements.

•    How sustainability is a social responsibility, with Joanne believing that caring for residents, the team and the environment go hand in hand.

•    Looking at waste management and reducing the percentage of waste that goes to landfill as well as looking to recycle as much as possible.

•    Publishing sustainability targets online as a means to both outline what steps are being taken as well as measuring success in specific areas.

•    How pushing for sustainability also helps drive increased enquiries across the care homes.

•    Understanding that while installing carbon neutral technologies into new buildings may be considered costly they will improve sustainability in the long term.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Dr Sanjeev Kanoria, Chairman and co-founder of Advinia Healthcare.

After training at Kings College London, Sanjeev worked for over 15 years in liver transplantation surgery and also has a Phd from University College London for his research into reducing live injury. He was also a consultant in healthcare, strategy and finance at McKinsey & Co until 1999 when he co founded Advinia Healthcare with his wife, Sangita.

In February 2018, Advinia acquired 22 care homes and 2,700 beds from Bupa in a move which put it among the top ten private care providers in the UK. Today, Advinia operates 38 care homes with 3,250 beds.

On this episode Sanjeev reveals how he built a top ten care provider from scratch, and discusses:

•     How to devise and implement the right processes from the outset to allow a care provider to grow steadily and get the best from the team.

•     Targeted, steady acquisitions and utilising centralised processes to integrate them into a care provider over time, so building investor confidence.

•     Drawing on managerial experience to create a centralised knowledge base that can be disseminated throughout the company and used even if managers move on.

•     Understanding key performance indicators and allowing information to flow from new care home managers or newly acquired homes to the senior management team who can see where assistance is needed and address any issues quickly.

•     Simple and clear processes to allow new team members to quickly understand how the company works and implement them which allows cohesive and productive working practices.

•     Targeting the right homes for acquisitions and taking into account not only immediate considerations, such as location, but thinking ahead with environmental factors and how energy efficient a building is.

•     The acquisition of a large number of homes from Bupa and how Advinia approached addressing problems at the homes using their existing processes and a huge investment in technology.

•     How adopting e-learning methods allowed Advinia to train staff thousands of staff across Scotland and England and boost retention.

•     Adapting industry standard software to create bespoke systems to meet the needs of the company.

•     How self development and learning as well as continued critical analysis allows for a care business to grow sustainably.

•     Being aware of, and trailblazing new technologies including trialing new artificial intelligence solutions for people living with dementia.

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, Adam James of Springup PR talks with Claire Rintoul, CEO of Sheffcare — a Sheffield-based charity running nine care homes and two care centres.

Claire brings over four years of leadership at Sheffcare having previously led several charitable organisations. 

Sheffcare supports around 1,000 people annually, delivering care for older adults in Sheffield.

Before entering adult social care, Claire worked in the broader charity world.
Stepping into social care, she encountered a "hierarchical and closed" culture — one she set out to transform. 

Her mission: build trust, empower staff, and make culture the foundation of everything.

Under Claire's leadership, Sheffcare introduced structural reforms — from a Leadership Charter to regular drop-ins and a strong internal comms platform — to foster transparency, mutual respect, and continuous improvement.

In this episode, Claire shares insights on building a values-driven culture in care, including:

• Why culture drives performance, morale, and the quality of care.
• The power of a Leadership Charter "written by managers, for managers" to promote fairness, empathy, and consistency.
• The human reality of care work: "We're looking after people. Every day matters."
• Why she worked 12-hour frontline shifts — including as a janitor — to fully understand staff challenges.
• Overcoming resistance to change and why giving staff a voice was non-negotiable.
• Creating transparent, two-way communication via digital tools and open leadership access.
• Building psychological safety: "Scared people can't do their best work."
• Developing a lean leadership model that trusts managers on the ground to lead.
• Leading values-based recruitment with respect, responsiveness, and personal induction by Claire herself.
• Navigating the tensions of culture change and holding firm on core values.
• Delivering outstanding care on tight budgets.
• The impact of the staff-led 'Everyone Matters' group on major decisions.
• How new digital tools connect teams, celebrate wins, and break down silos.
• The role of early adopters in driving culture change: "There was always a critical mass who believed this was the better way — we built from there."

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Rebecca Pearson, General Manager of Bupa Care Services in the UK and part of the Bupa Global, India and UK (BGIUK) Market Unit which is comprised of 122 care homes and 10 Richmond Villages.

Rebecca has been with Bupa for over 25 years, having previously been Operations Director for Bupa UK Care Services for eight years and prior to that worked for Bupa UK Insurance, where she held positions including Head of Operational Sales.

With a team of 10,000 people caring for around 7,000 residents, engagement from the team is vital.

On this episode, Rebecca discusses how to secure such engagement, including: 

•     Appreciation of how important engagement and connection is with your care team who deliver care to residents.

•     How to drive forward quality and outcomes relying on a direct connection with those delivering care on the front line.

•     Answers to challenges encountered when developing a care business often lay with people working on the front line.

•     Asking questions of front line care staff to discover what makes the job difficult and how things can be improved, and using that information to inform boardroom decisions through a continuous feedback loop.

•     Establishing ways to support your care team in making things easier and more rewarding that ultimately improves resident care.

•     Being able to adapt standardised practices for communication to suit the needs of different groups of people to ensure constant engagement with the team.

•     Using "engagement champions" on the ground at each care home who feedback information from the frontline to the board room through monthly meetings as well as disseminating information to the team itself about improvement.

•     Utilising feedback on changes to ways of working to improve the delivery of those changes and ensuring they are working for the team on the ground.

•     The benefits of using engagement champions in homes to discuss how things are going with the team and enabling them to ask questions directly rather than through the management team.

•     Hosting events to discuss what has been achieved and things to celebrate as well as anything coming in the pipeline where openness and honesty are actively encouraged.

•     How "loving work" has become a mantra for Bupa internally - and how changes to the business are made with this in mind.

•     Building confidence in the team that they can be open, as well as crating a culture where everyone feels happy and comfortable.

•     Using a biannual survey to gather information on how everyone is feeling being a part of the team and what changes can be made to drive continued improvements.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Mike Parsons, founder and CEO of Barchester Healthcare for 21 years - and one of the UK's most successful care entrepreneurs.

Under his guidance, Barchester grew to 151 care homes across the UK, employing 17,000 people.

Mike now sits on the board of Barchester's holding company.

After rising to be managing director of an advertising agency in a 20-year career, Mike was first inspired to move into the care sector while searching for residential care for two aunts in the early 90s.

Having driven around a number homes, Mike was struck by how many did not seem to offer the high level of care he wanted for his aunts and, spotting a gap in the market, formed Barchester in 1992.

In this episode, Mike discusses how he built Barchester and became one of the foremost care entrepreneurs in the UK including:

•     The growth of Mike's vision after identifying a gap for a half private half local authority care home which provided high standards of care, valued its team and created a brand that was associated with great food, facilities and locations.

•     How Mike funded and built Barchester including renovating a derelict building to become his first standalone home.

•     Utilising his core principles of good care, facilities and staff to build an excellent local reputation through word of mouth - to steadily fill his home over two years.

•     Using a knowledgeable and experienced consultancy team to fill knowledge gaps and make good hires in key roles - as well as using his own advertising experience.

•     How Mike's work history in advertising shaped his vision of Barchester as a brand and how this drove his desire to grow the business through associating with quality, picturesque locations and a premium service.

•     The expansion of the company through further renovation projects and acquisitions as well as the pitfalls and difficulties associated with incorporating existing homes and obtaining funding for continued growth.

•     How Mike maintained the company's brand through targeting suitable and stable care providers for acquisition where the ethos was easily transferable.

•     Setting realistic and achievable goals for acquired homes to grow into the best home in their specific region while maintaining the values of the Barchester brand.

•     The importance of leading from the front, hiring high quality managers as well as building and maintaining strong relationships across the company and knowing everyone personally.

•     How the strength of a care provider's brand is vital for its continued growth, as well as the reasons behind Mike's eventual retirement from his role as CEO in 2013.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Keith Crockett, CEO of Lovett Care, which has eight homes across the UK.

Keith has a wealth of experience working with care providers, investors and private equity groups before joining Lovett Care.

In this episode Keith talks about his first six months as CEO - and the difference moving the senior team to a new headquarters made.

In the episode Keith reveals:

• The impact a new CEO's "fresh pair of eyes" a care business can make
• Why bringing the senior team together more regularly face to face helps manage the growth of a care provider .
• How bringing in a new centralised headquarters sends a strong message about the aims of the business.
• How to grow a care provider from a small family-owned business to a more substantial operator - while keeping resident care at the heart of those plans.
• The importance of location when selecting a centralised head office space in relation to where homes are situated and transport links for the team.
• How a fresh new space is important in making the team feel valued and happy coming into work and the positive impact this has on the wider business.
• The importance of blending flexible working with a more traditional face to face approach and the importance of finding what works best for everyone.
• How improving existing homes to maintain a high standard of care helps raise occupancy.

This episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast features Amanda Scott, CEO of Forest Healthcare, which runs 13 care homes in London and the south of England has for the last three years been rated a top 20 medium-sized care home group by carehome.co.uk

Amanda is a qualified nurse who has worked in health and social care for over 30 years and joined Forest Healthcare in 2019.

In this episode Amanda talks about how the group gained recognition for its services in the carehome.co.uk ratings including:

• Why, in the first place, Amanda values the carehome.co.uk rankings system, and why care providers should partake in the rankings.
• The vital importance of having care delivery as your central focus.
• The consistent work that goes on to maintain positive carehome.co.uk reviews from residents and their families.
• The benefits of being in the top 20 and the challenges that come with that.
• Upholding the core living values of Forest Healthcare and celebrating positive carehome.co.uk reviews with the homes' teams that reflect those core values e,g. choice, going "above and beyond", respect, empathy and support.
• The importance of being aspirational - and why you need to clearly define your care provider's mission, vision and values, and turning these into actions and outcomes.
• Spreading the word about your care provider.
• Celebrating positive carehome.co.uk reviews - but also recognising the life-changing impact that your services are having on residents that have led to the feedback.
• Leaving a positive legacy on the lives of residents and their families.
• Encouraging feedback and making clear how much it is valued and taken on board.
• Working directly with anyone who has negative feedback to establish what happened and how it can be avoided.