Horam care home scoops glittering prize

Oaklands Court at Horam has been named as Care Home of the Year (South).

It beat off strong competition to win the accolade at the second annual Caring UK Awards.

The awards recognise excellence, innovation and achievement in all corners of the industry.

To come out on top, the home went through a rigorous assessment process, which involved a site visit by a member of the awards team who toured the facility, chatted to residents and staff and examined all areas of the business from Care Quality Commission reports to dignity within care.

Detailed reports were then compiled and passed on to an expert judging panel, which decided the winners in each category from the shortlists.

The judging panel included Nadra Ahmed OBE DL, of the National Care Association, Raj Kapoor of Alzheimer’s Society, Mario Kreft MBE of Care Forum Wales, Professor Jane Murphy, co-lead of the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre at Bournemouth University and Caring UK editor Dominic Musgrave.

Caring UK Awards event director Judith Halkerston said: “All our winners have had an arduous journey to this point – the standard of entries was overwhelming and every facility that walked away with an award should be extremely proud.

“Our awards night was an amazing celebration of the caring industry as a whole – it was lovely to see everyone having such a great time and receiving the recognition that they rightly deserve.”

Awards were presented in 20 categories at a glittering ceremony at Leicester’s Athena venue, attended by more than 500 care industry professionals and hosted by journalist and broadcaster Christa Ackroyd.

Karen Pratt, General Manager of Oaklands Court, said: “It is without doubt the staff who create and maintain the standards of the home.

“Oaklands Court has an extraordinarily low staff turnover which speaks volumes of the happiness of the home, our staff and most importantly our residents. Team members and residents alike are immensely proud of being crowned Care Home of the Year.”