Care Home Awards 2023 – Outstanding Mid-size Group Care Provider (26-75 homes)

The Care Home Awards celebrates excellence and innovation in the UK social care sector. This award, for Outstanding Mid-Size Group Care Provider, recognises the quality of person-centred care that sits at the heart of Signature’s approach to supporting residents and families. This was the second consecutive year we won the grand prix prize for an organisation our size, having also won the category in 2022.

Our 2023 entry highlighted exceptional care and support across the organisation, including:

• A partnership with Stirling and Kingston Universities to co-design a new sensory room for the dementia community at one of our homes. Embracing the room’s included technology, our team created travel logs, researched past holidays, and recreated poignant experiences for residents, including a childhood growing up in Canada, and a life’s work at Westminster Hospital

• Recognising the power of music to support its dementia community, and developed in partnership with a local band, one Signature home formed a choir for its dementia residents who then wrote and recorded an original Christmas song, ‘It doesn’t have to be Christmas to be Kind’

• A Signature home threw a surprise birthday party for a resident themed on her favourite film star, Liam Neeson. Keen to exceed Penny’s expectations, the home arranged for Liam to call Penny on her birthday, with the Northern Irish film star following up with a bouquet of flowers

Care Home Awards 2023 – Signature at Hendon Hall – Best New Care Home

Signature prides itself on offering residents an exceptional place to call home, with our flagship home, Signature at Hendon Hall, exceeding all expectations. Opened in late 2022, the home quickly built strong relationships with the local community, including hosting a monthly community Memory Café.

Described as “truly exceptional”, the home won the coveted ‘Best New Care Home’ accolade in 2023. The judges praised Hendon Hall for its excellent debut, innovative design, and responsiveness to residents.

Transformed from Grade II listed Hendon Hall, originally built in the 18th century as the Manor House of Hendon Manor, the home was once owned by famous Georgian actor David Garrick (namesake for the London Theatre). Later reopened as a hotel, it famously hosted the England football team, including Sir Bobby Charlton, during their 1966 World Cup winning tournament.

Today, Hendon Hall combines period splendour, outstanding luxury accommodation, five-star amenities and exceptional care to create an incomparably safe and happy living environment. The home’s dementia community has been designed alongside the Gold Standard Framework from Stirling University, certifying it as a person-centred and truly wonderful place for individuals to be supported during their dementia journey.

Care Home Awards 2023 – Signature at Coombe Hill Manor ­ Best Indoor or Outdoor Communal Spaces

This award for ‘Best Indoor or Outdoor Communal Spaces’ is a testament to the home’s luxurious amenities and exceptional care. Inspired by the French impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, ‘Café Renoir’ sits at the heart of Coombe Hill and complements to a restaurant serving three-course, freshly prepared seasonal dishes.

The restaurant opens on to a beautiful, serene garden with ponds and a waterfall providing an idyllic setting for residents to enjoy cherished occasions with their loved ones. Residents can also connect with nature through regular gardening activities, embracing textures and smells from homegrown plants and produce to create a sensory experience.

Inside, Coombe Hill Manor boasts spa bathrooms, a hair salon, a fully-stocked library, an art studio and gallery, a sensory room, a multi-purpose activities room, and a cinema. Amongst a full range of activities, residents benefit from regular performances from the Royal Academy of Music.

Described by families as “truly amazing…patient, hard-working and kindness personified”, the team at Coombe Hill Manor go above and beyond for residents every day to ensure they maintain an active, engaging, and fulfilling lifestyle.

Knight Frank Care Home Awards 2023 – Signature at Hendon Hall – Renovation Award

Global property consultancy Knight Frank hosts an annual award ceremony recognising excellence in care home design and operation. Shortlisted homes form the Knight Frank Luxury Care Home Guide, a list of the top 100 care homes in the UK.

Receiving recognition for its extensive and sympathetic renovation work, this award for Signature at Hendon Hall commended its transformative makeover. Working with Farrans Construction, we completed an in-depth and complex restoration of the Grade II listed building.

Hendon Hall has an extensive history. Originally built in the 18^th century as the Manor House of Hendon Manor, it was once owned by famous Georgian actor David Garrick (namesake for the London Theatre). Later reopened as a hotel, it famously hosted the England football team, including Sir Bobby Charlton, during their 1966 World Cup winning tournament.

With many original features to preserve, the renovation team alternated between traditional building techniques and modern methods of construction. We had a clear vision to deliver a state-of-the-art luxury care home that married period features and communal areas that paid homage to the home’s history.

Care Home Awards 2022 – Signature Senior Lifestyle – Outstanding Mid-size Group Care Provider (26-75 homes)

We were honoured to be named ‘Outstanding Mid-size Care Group’ at the 2022 Care Home Awards, a true testament to our team’s passion, professionalism, and dedication. This award recognised our leadership within the care sector and our talent, strategic vision, and devotion to the wellbeing of residents, team members and their loved ones.

Our 2022 submission highlighted some industry leading new initiatives, including:

• Launching the ‘Wake Up To Better Benefits’ initiative, which substantially increased the pay and recognition of our team members to help attract and retain the most talented, passionate, and committed carers. A standout benefit includes carers earning an extra day of paid leave per year, up to 30 days leave (plus Bank Holidays).

• Introducing a new relative’s gateway allowing relatives to log into our care planning system to see real-time updates on the care their loved one is receiving. This provides unparalleled transparency, honesty, and peace of mind.

Partnering with 2016 MasterChef winner Jane Devonshire, who continues to advise our hospitality team and develop our dining offer. Jane leads training classes for our Chefs, creates video recipes for resident’s families, and helps design our seasonal menus as part of a first-class dining and nutrition experience.

Great British Care Awards 2022

Sonya Fenwick, South East Registered Manager of the Year (Signature at Coombe Hill Manor)

Signature at Coombe Hill Manor was honoured to receive two awards at the hotly contested 2022 Great British Care Awards (South East Region). General Manager Sonya Fenwick was named Registered Manager of the Year, whilst the home was named Palliative Care Team of the Year.

Sonya ‘s has an unparalleled commitment to residents and team members, ensuring Coombe Hill Manor consistently provides exceptional, luxury supported living and dementia care. Recognising the significance of co-production in social care, Sonya has worked tirelessly to ensure her team prioritises the involvement of residents, relatives and their loved ones in care planning from the outset of their Signature journey.

Sonya’s team provides activities programmes to help residents lead meaningful and fulfilling lives as part of a drive to promote independent living. This included creating a pop-up restaurant to match resident’s ideas and choices. The team cooked with and for residents, while pairing wines and running a “travelogue”, enabling residents to share stories of countries they visited. Everyone was able to enjoy new experiences from around the world in the comfort of their home.

The judges were impressed by Sonya’s energy and enthusiasm, noting she “is not afraid to combine her managerial responsibilities together with a ‘hands on’ approach” and that “she clearly loves her job and her residents”. Sonya has also embraced new ways of caring, partnering with Kingston University to create a comprehensive sensory room for the benefit of residents on their dementia journey.

Signature at Coombe Hill Manor, South East Palliative Care Team of the Year

Signature at Coombe Hill Manor was honoured to receive two awards at the hotly contested 2022 Great British Care Awards (South East Region). General Manager Sonya Fenwick was named Registered Manager of the Year, whilst the home was named Palliative Care Team of the Year.

The Signature at Coombe Hill Manor team describes their mission as ‘Championing Quality of Life’ – and nowhere is this ethos more strongly embodied than at the end of a resident’s life through the compassionate and meticulously planned palliative care offer.

The home has achieved Beacon Status, the highest award on the national Gold Standards Framework. The care home hosts relatives overnight, manages any pain or discomfort a resident may be experiencing, and all individual and collective needs are taken care of. End-of-life care is not limited to the residents themselves but extends to support friends, families and loved ones that are left behind, too.

Commenting on the home’s palliative care, judges highlighted that, “the team at Signature put a lot of hard work into preparing and training staff to support people with dementia with end-of-life care. They have a great person and family-centred approach to ensure that people and their families experience good palliative care. Their empathy and commitment to this cause shone through.”