Hundreds of residents from our 21 care homes have honoured the staff who enable them to live the best lives they can every day.
Colten Care’s Champions awards prompted nominations across nine categories reflecting a range of clinical and non-clinical care.

Individuals, teams, homes and departments were all recognised as the annual scheme culminated in a glittering evening at Bournemouth’s Highcliff Marriott Hotel.

Around 140 guests dressed up in style for the awards ceremony and celebration, hosted by TV presenter Dr Hilary Jones.

Nominees and audience members mingled at a welcome reception before stepping into a specially decorated ballroom for dinner, the ceremony itself and the opportunity to dance the night away.

Colten Care residents were represented by special guest Jean Smith, who lives in Poole home Bourne View.

She had previously met Dr Hilary at the home’s official opening in spring 2019 when her late husband, former Poole Mayor Ray Smith MBE, became the first resident to move in.

Catching up with the broadcaster and author once again as they stood on stage, Jean said: “I can’t believe I’m here.”

She then presented Rosa Santos, Senior Care Lead at Newstone House in Sturminster Newton, with the inaugural award for Resident and Relative Choice.

This category, which attracted more than 500 nominations from residents and families, was designed to recognise an individual or team ‘who have truly made a difference to your life or your loved one’s life since coming to Colten Care’.

The common theme for Rosa’s multiple nominations was her ‘kind and welcoming approach to both residents and relatives. Rosa has patience to understand residents needs so well which has such a positive outcome for their care’.
One relative wrote: “It is always a please to see Rosa on duty, she cared for my mother and father with such cheerfulness, she would make sure my father was helped upstairs to spend time with my mother when they were on different floors. She works hard to ensure our family are kept informed, added to this her professionalism and positive attitude.”
Among other category winners, Lucy O’Brien, Senior Administrator at Bourne View, who won the Warm Welcome award, described the moment her name was read out.

She said: “It was amazing, a total surprise. I was in a complete daze and then got quite emotional. It was lovely to go up and receive the award in front of everyone and meet Hilary Jones.”

[caption id="attachment_13326" align="alignnone" width="1262"] Colten Care resident Jean Smith, right, was Honorary Guest at the Colten Champions awards. She presented the inaugural Resident and Relative Choice award to Rosa Santos, Senior Care Lead at Newstone House in Sturminster Newton. With them is awards host and TV presenter Dr Hilary Jones.[/caption]
Colten Care Chief Executive Mark Aitchison said: “Colten Champions celebrates the pride and passion our amazing team shows every single day, caring for our residents and their families.

“It is an immense privilege to lead a team full of superstars, always prepared to go above and beyond.

“We thank everyone who put in a Colten Champions nomination and congratulate all the winners, finalists and nominees.”
Mark’s comments were echoed by Colten Care’s Chief Operating Officer Elaine Farrer, who added: “There are so many shining examples of our team supporting and caring for residents, embodying our values and consistently putting the resident at the very heart of all they do.”

After the ceremony, Dr Hilary said: “Colten Champions truly reflects the importance of quality care delivered by a team working together for the benefit of residents. It’s a great initiative and the awards evening is always such a happy occasion.”

As well as the Champions awards themselves, special congratulations were given on stage to Elena Barna, Home Manager at Abbey View in Sherborne, for the home’s recent Outstanding rating from sector regulator the Care Quality Commission.

It means that seven of Colten Care’s 21 homes in Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and West Sussex are officially rated Outstanding, with all the rest rated Good.

Our two Winchester care homes are celebrating excellent scores on a public review website.
Abbotts Barton and St Catherines View are both rated highly on Carehome.co.uk after latest independent reviews.

The achievement was celebrated in style with an autumn-themed afternoon party in the main lounge at Abbotts Barton attended by 32 residents.

Amid seasonal decorations such as scarecrows, sunflowers and autumn leaves, resident Russell McNeill said: “We are proud of our home and want to let people know about it.”

Scores for thousands of homes across the UK are shown on Carehome.co.uk based on ongoing feedback posted by residents and relatives.

An average rating from individual posts is coupled with the volume of reviews posted in the past two years to arrive at each score.

Abbotts Barton has had 15 highly positive reviews in the period and 91 in all, while St Catherines View has had 16 in two years and 65 overall.

The homes’ respective scores are 9.8 out of ten for Abbotts Barton and 9.7 for St Catherines View.

Virtually all reviewers say they are ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to recommend the relevant home to others.

The scores contribute to an overall 9.9-out-of-ten group rating for owner and operator Colten Care, making it one of the UK’s top 20 large care home groups.

There are currently more than 1,450 reviews on Carehome.co.uk across Colten Care’s family of 21 homes, all of which are registered for nursing care.

In one of the most recent reviews of Abbotts Barton, the son of a resident wrote: “A first-class facility, well maintained with caring, professional staff. My mother is settled and comfortable. I have peace of mind that she is being well looked after.”

And in a recent view of St Catherines View, a resident’s daughter wrote: “I would not want mum to be anywhere else. This is one of the best homes I’ve been in and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a place for their loved one to stay in. It’s a home from home.”

Colten Care’s Chief Executive Mark Aitchison said: “As the latest Carehome.co.uk score shows, people speak highly about both Abbotts Barton and St Catherines View.

“We continually receive compliments and testimonials about the companionship we provide, the first-class, locally sourced fresh food on our daily menus and the exceptional, welcoming environment in which our residents rest and relax.

“We complement all these benefits with professional nursing and in our dedicated dementia care homes such as St Catherines View, Admiral Nurse-led support.

“You also have the added reassurance of consistent, Colten-wide quality care standards. It is because of all these factors that we have such a consistently high group score and seven of our homes are rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission.

“Based on such third-party advocacy, we are the UK’s highest-rated care home group for our size.”