Market Harborough care home shortlisted for prestigious national award

 

A Market Harborough care home is celebrating after being shortlisted at the 2025 Healthcare Design Awards.

Care UK’s Oat Hill Mews, on Leicester Road, has been shortlisted for the Best Interior Design for a national awards programme that recognise innovation and excellence in the design of care facilities.

Oat Hill Mews, which is celebrating its one-year anniversary this January, has been designed with modern conveniences in mind, including a cinema, hairdressers and beauty salon. Assisted bathrooms are designed to maintain residents’ dignity and feature twinkling lights above the bath to create a spa-like experience, while the Namaste room provides a space for residents living with dementia to receive sensory and massage therapy.

One of Oat Hill Mews’ stand-out features is the entrance space, which was designed to be a focal point of the home. Right off the reception area is the home’s bright, welcoming café which has become a busy hub within the home and is well used by residents and visitors alike. 

The home has a functional design and is divided into three suites, for different levels of care needs. Oat Hill Mews also features five outdoor terraces and an accessible courtyard and garden, so all residents can enjoy the physical, mental and social benefits of getting outdoors.

Designers worked closely with Care UK’s hotel services team to ensure the dining area embraced Care UK’s ‘Dining with Dignity’ approach to supports resident health and wellbeing.

Themed décor throughout the home promotes reminiscence between residents, including nautical and coastal artwork, bespoke porthole windows, and the home’s bar, which has been named ‘The Locks’ after the Foxton Lock; a part of the county’s history for 200 years.

Oat Hill Mews provides the luxury of hotel-style living with a relatable, home-like atmosphere. Thoughtful designs encourage residents to form close-knit communities and kitchenettes allow residents to cook if they wish, supporting independence, health and wellbeing. Each suite also contains two bistro-style dining spaces, giving residents the choice of enjoying their meal in a larger and more social space or a more intimate, quieter space.

Susanne Stevens, Home Manager at Oat Hill Mews, said: “We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted in the ‘Best Interior Design’ category at the Healthcare Design Awards and are delighted to have been recognised nationally for our beautiful home. 

“Being shortlisted for this award demonstrates that Oat Hill Mews is a care home that has been designed to support independence, health and wellbeing. Whether residents are looking to have a chat in the café, relax in our cinema, or enjoy a pamper in the beauty salon, there is nothing we can’t offer to ensure residents lead fulfilling lives. 

“We’re all keeping our fingers crossed for a win later this year!”

The winners will be announced on 13^th February at Royal Lancaster Hotel, London.

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilling lives, while also promoting independence, Oat Hill Mews incorporates plenty of space for hobby and leisure activities, and has its own cinema, hair and beauty salon and bar. The highly skilled team provide full time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care.