Care UK Stars Awards 2026

Elena is an outstanding business administrator whose dedication, kindness, and reliability make her a true part of the home. She supports colleagues, relatives, and visitors with warmth and patience, and is always willing to help. Elena has played a key role in colleague retention. Always organised, approachable, and ready to step in wherever needed, Elena exemplifies teamwork.

Aaron is an invaluable member of the team. He is always ready to support wherever he is needed - whether running stock to the floors or assisting the kitchen with prep and meals. He is kind, hardworking, and reliable. His positive attitude and willingness help to make a huge difference every day. The team would be lost without him.

Jason demonstrates a deep understanding of person-centred dementia care and supports colleagues through training and role modelling to provide opportunities for meaningful occupation for residents living on the dementia suite at Priors House. He worked with the team to create a very popular tea café for residents and their families to create positive memories.

Metchley Manor delivers a consistently outstanding dining experience, led by Head Chef Scott Tame, whose skill, creativity and commitment to sustainability set the tone for the home. Scott focuses on using every ingredient to its fullest, reducing waste and minimising reliance on supplements while ensuring meals support nutritional wellbeing. Residents regularly praise the dining experience, describing it as high quality and consistently enjoyable. The chef team works hard each day to create dishes that feel like fine dining, maintaining exceptional standards year after year. At Metchley Manor, food is not only enjoyed - it is a defining part of the home’s identity.

Raees’ kindness, professionalism, and dedication make him deeply valued by residents and colleagues. He goes above and beyond, is always willing to help and arrives with a smile. Raees knows each resident’s needs, interests, and routines, building genuine trust and meaningful relationships. He is a supportive team player who welcomes and guides new colleagues with patience and professionalism.

Oliver served an 8oz venison loin with fondant potato, Jerusalem artichoke and truffle purée, crisp kale and parsnip crisps, finished with a rich red wine reduction. Dessert was a lemon and Manchester honey cheesecake with mascarpone and honeycomb crisp, paired with a WaterADE ‘Vimto’ of raspberry, blackcurrant and spiced grape.

Natasha is an energetic and dedicated professional who brings commitment and expertise to her role. She leads by example, boosting colleagues’ knowledge and confidence, and is widely praised for the support she provides to both her team and residents. Natasha also extends her guidance to peers across the Essex region, demonstrating her willingness to share best practice and help others grow. She is devoted to her role, works diligently in line with policies, and is always striving to improve.

Jubilee House had an incredibly successful 2025, achieving an outstanding 96% overall score in the relative satisfaction survey. Families praised the welcoming atmosphere and the way the team helped them feel valued and included. Relatives particularly highlighted the excellent communication, which kept them fully informed and reassured about their loved ones’ daily lives and wellbeing.

“I could not wish for better care for my loved one. The staff are fantastic and so kind to her, even with her complex needs. She loves it there. Ten out of ten just is not enough to convey my appreciation for what they do.”

Invicta Court is consistently praised for outstanding housekeeping and laundry standards, which greatly enhance residents’ comfort, dignity and wellbeing. Led by Head of Housekeeping Caroline Cartwright, the team continues to maintain an immaculate, welcoming environment, six years after opening. The home is spotless, odour-free and homely, with laundry handled carefully, returned promptly and kept in excellent condition. The team is known for its friendliness, professionalism and strong relationships across the home. Visitors frequently comment on the team’s pride, attention to detail and smooth running of the department, ensuring Invicta Court remains a clean, safe and uplifting place for residents and families.

Halecroft Grange consistently demonstrates high standards of person-centred dementia care. The home embraces the one-page profile and flower of need which are central to helping residents with dementia to receive personalised understanding and support. Residents are encouraged to be involved in daily tasks around the home if they wish to do so, promoting opportunities for meaningful occupation and connections with others. Residents who experience periods of distress are supported with non-pharmacological approaches to care wherever possible which reduce the need for mood altering and behaviour modifying medication.

Amy works well with the Specialist Dementia Lead for Invicta Court, attending all lifestyle meetings. The home maintains strong ties with its local area, with the community taking part in events and contributing to shared projects. Brand standards for Relish and Namaste are fully met. Residents are involved in planning activities as well as running activities in the home. The wishing tree initiative supports residents to achieve unfulfilled aspirations.

Once again, Lonsdale Mews continues to impress as the team maintains its outstanding score of 10 on carehome.co.uk, as well as achieving another top score with its Google reviews reaching a score of 5 out of 5. The positive reviews and testimonials show both current and future customers the excellent care being provided at Lonsdale Mews.

“The team at Lonsdale cared for my mother for 17 months. Over that period their commitment and compassion never wavered. Excellent facilities, imaginative social activities, dedicated staff and always a friendly welcome. Definitely recommend.”

Brian is known for his outstanding dedication, creativity, and genuine care for residents, colleagues, and the community. As well as keeping the home safe and well maintained, he creates extraordinary displays and immersive experiences that bring joy and connection to everyone in the home. He plays a key role in Care UK campaigns, including the Fixer Upper project.

This award goes to the home which, after an exacting assessment of its performance over the year, has shown that it has demonstrated significant and sustained improvement. This award uses internal and external performance data, including customer feedback, quality ratings, colleague satisfaction, and commercial performance.

This award uses a range of internal and external performance data to identify the team that has supported each other to drive the highest improvements in the past 12 months. It is based on consideration of all key metrics including customer feedback, quality ratings, colleague satisfaction, and commercial performance.

Jonsaba is deeply valued by residents and colleagues. She knows each resident well, listens patiently to their worries, and explains things clearly with warmth and cheerfulness. Jonsaba leads her team with confidence, and ensures care is not only safe, but consistently excellent. She identifies learning needs, provides training, and supports new colleagues, strengthening the whole care team.

This award recognises outstanding leadership among our home and day centre managers. It recognises the importance of leaders who support their teams with inspiration, motivation, and clear direction to deliver exceptional quality and commercial performance based on a strong, values-based culture within the home.

This award recognises outstanding leadership among our home and day centre managers. It recognises the importance of leaders who support their teams with inspiration, motivation, and clear direction to deliver exceptional quality and commercial performance based on a strong, values-based culture within the home.

This award recognises outstanding leadership among our home and day centre managers. It recognises the importance of leaders who support their teams with inspiration, motivation, and clear direction to deliver exceptional quality and commercial performance based on a strong, values-based culture within the home.

This award goes to the region that has worked as a team to deliver consistent and exceptional quality across all measures mentioned above. This award recognises both the leadership of the regional director and the way home managers have shared best practice to drive exceptional performance.

Elizabeth Lodge has had another successful year spending most of 2025 with 100% occupancy. The home scored exceptionally well on mystery shop training and the home manager was quick to jump on the few areas identified for improvement with additional training for all colleagues. The home has built a strong local reputation through a combination of great care, meaningful relationships with the local community, a vibrant social media presence and a consistent flow of positive online reviews. The home’s relative satisfaction for new residents was also strong, with
a score of 98% for how well the admissions process was handled.

Dawn is a long‑standing and essential member of the leadership team at Cranford Grange. Despite major refurbishment works throughout 2024, she successfully maintained high occupancy in one of Care UK’s largest homes. Following the relaunch in January 2025, she worked tirelessly to rebuild and sustain near‑full occupancy. Dawn has exceeded all KPIs, achieving 95% in the mystery shop and consistently maintaining a carehome.co.uk score of 10.

Lisa’s dedication, compassion, and proactive approach have transformed the wellbeing of residents at Lonsdale Mews. She goes above and beyond, provides calm support, and is deeply trusted. She is known to be a natural leader, supporting colleagues and taking on extra responsibilities. Her kindness, passion and commitment make her a standout colleague and a true star.

This award goes to the home that has demonstrated outstanding and consistent quality across all measures. This award recognises a team that has lived our values to deliver excellence across all the performance measures mentioned above.