About Colten Care

Why we exist

From the outset, the organisation was guided by a simple conviction: the dignity, safety and quality of life of each resident must come before everything else.

Later life deserves to be lived with substance and choice.

When someone moves into a Colten Care home, their character and preferences remain central, and the quality of life they value remains the benchmark. Respect for the individual guides how care is adapted and how each resident is supported to live well each day.

The organisation’s responsibility is to uphold dignity, safeguard wellbeing and ensure that life within its homes continues with purpose, security and professional care.

Fulfilling that responsibility relies upon stable leadership, clear oversight and consistent support across every home.

Stability in how homes are run

Colten Care is led by a Board of Directors who hold both strategic and operational responsibility for the organisation. Chief Executive Mark Aitchison ensures financial discipline, organisational strength and long-term stability. Chief Operating Officer Elaine Farrer, whose nursing career spans more than four decades, oversees care and the lived experience within the homes, ensuring that professional practice is upheld in every detail.

Both have been part of Colten Care’s leadership for more than a decade. That continuity is reflected in the consistency with which each home is run.

Colten Care operates 21 homes across Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and Wiltshire, all working within the same established structure of leadership and accountability.

Central operational and clinical teams provide oversight and guidance, while local management and care staff lead day-to-day life within each home. Employed nurses are present across all homes day and night, delivering both clinical oversight and nursing care.

Because each location has its own employed nursing team and clinical lead, responsibility remains close to residents from the first day. The same teams remain involved over time, providing continuity as needs change.

Colten Care has long prioritised stable leadership and well-supported teams across its homes and central functions. Today, 124 colleagues have worked for the organisation for more than 20 years. That depth of experience is evident in how homes are led and how residents are supported each day.

Each home operates within an established structure of oversight and review.

Governance and oversight

All Colten Care homes operate within a structured governance framework. Clinical standards are overseen by senior leaders, with regular internal review and external inspection.

Policies guide staffing levels, training, medication management, risk assessment and safeguarding. Homes are supported by central teams in learning and development, estates, catering and quality assurance to ensure consistency in how expectations are applied.

This governance provides assurance that care is monitored carefully and improved continuously. Clinical practice is reviewed regularly, concerns are taken seriously and accountability sits clearly within the organisation. Communication remains open, ensuring families are informed and involved as needs change. Nothing important is left to assumption.

A reputation earned over time

Colten Care’s reputation has been earned through more than four decades of caring for older people within its communities. It reflects the relationships built with residents and families, the advocacy that follows lived experience, and the quality of care and life sustained over time.

Families choose Colten Care because they see that quality of care and daily life are upheld steadily, year after year. Independent inspection and review provide external assurance that this approach is visible in daily practice. Seven homes are rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, with all remaining homes rated Good. These ratings assess leadership, safety, responsiveness and overall quality.

Colten Care has been recognised as one of the Top 20 care home groups in the UK on carehome.co.uk every year for the past eleven years, based on independent reviews from residents and families.

In 2025, Colten Care was named Best Care Home Group of its size at the UK National Care Awards.

This reputation has been built deliberately and is protected with the same long-term responsibility that has guided the organisation since 1981.

Protecting standards for years to come

John Colwell, co-founder of Colten Care, remains actively involved in the business, maintaining oversight of the principles established alongside his founding partner. His continued presence reflects a clear intention that the organisation remains strong, stable and true to its original purpose.

Alongside him, the second generation of the founding families form part of the Board of Directors, ensuring that long-term ownership and experienced leadership remain closely aligned.

For families, this means care delivered within an organisation built to endure, supported by a proven track record and a reputation earned through sustained excellence.