Ben Wooding, Author at Five on a Bike

Making Care Homes Sustainable: Practical Steps Beyond Compliance

Ben Wooding — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 13:13:44 +0000

The care sector stands at a crossroads. With environmental sustainability regulations on the horizon and a planet facing unprecedented challenges, care homes can no longer afford to treat sustainability as an afterthought. Hannah Montgomery, co-founder of Grace Cares, recently shared practical insights on how care providers can embrace environmental responsibility while improving their bottom line.

Why Sustainability Matters More Than Ever

The connection between environmental health and human health has never been clearer. As Hannah points out, we’re living in a world where a child has died from air pollution, forest fires rage globally, and complex health conditions are appearing earlier in life across all age groups. “If we’re on a broken planet, then we’re going to put more strain on health and social care services,” she explains. This creates a compelling case for the care sector to become part of the solution.

Simple Steps to Get Started

Audit Everything First

Before making changes, care homes need to understand their current position. Hannah recommends starting with comprehensive audits:

Key discussion points include:

Energy usage baseline assessment (many local authorities offer free energy audits)
Water consumption monitoring
Food waste measurement
Single-use plastic inventory

“If you don’t know where you are now, what are you going to do?” Hannah asks. These measurements provide the foundation for setting realistic, measurable targets.

Rethink Single-Use Plastics

One of the most impactful changes involves challenging assumptions about single-use items. Hannah references the Royal College of Nurses’ “Gloves Off” campaign, which demonstrated that reducing glove usage in certain situations actually decreased infection rates while saving money and reducing waste. The key finding: staff washed their hands more frequently when not relying on gloves.

This evidence-based approach can help care homes make informed decisions about when protective equipment is truly necessary versus when it’s used out of habit.

Energy Efficiency Wins

Small changes can yield significant results:

Turning thermostats down by just one degree makes a substantial difference
Replacing traditional lighting with LED alternatives
Taking advantage of local authority match funding for green improvements

The Business Case for Going Green

Sustainability isn’t just about environmental responsibility; it’s smart business. Hannah highlights several compelling reasons:

Recruitment Advantage: Younger generations increasingly prioritize employers with strong environmental policies and work-life balance. Care homes with clear sustainability commitments may find it easier to attract quality staff.

Tender Success: Local authority contracts increasingly include ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) requirements. Care providers with documented sustainability efforts will be better positioned for these opportunities.

Cost Savings: Many green initiatives reduce operational costs while providing upfront funding support from local authorities.

Thinking Planet as Stakeholder

Perhaps the most transformative suggestion Hannah offers is conceptual: “Think of the planet as a stakeholder.” In every meeting and decision, asking “What would the planet think about this?” can shift organizational culture toward more sustainable practices.

This approach, combined with alignment to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, provides a framework that regulators will recognize and respect.

Moving Beyond Compliance

While regulatory requirements may be delayed, care homes shouldn’t wait for mandates to act. The environmental challenges we face require immediate action, and the care sector has both the opportunity and responsibility to lead.

As Hannah concludes, this represents a fundamental culture change. Success requires making sustainability engaging and integrated into core operations rather than treating it as an add-on requirement.

The path forward is clear: start with measurement, implement evidence-based changes, and embrace the planet as a key stakeholder in every decision. The result will be care homes that are not only more sustainable but also more attractive to staff, more competitive in tenders, and better positioned for long-term success.

About Caring Conversations

Caring Conversations is a collaborative series created in partnership with The Care Show and produced by Five on a Bike. Designed to spotlight the voices shaping social care, the series features candid interviews and conversations with care providers, sector leaders, suppliers, and decision-makers across the industry.

Whether you’re a manager, innovator, front-line caregiver, or supplier, Caring Conversations offers a platform to share insights, spark ideas, and connect with the wider care community.

Interested in joining the conversation or sharing your perspective? We’d love to hear from you.

Presented by The Care Show | Produced by Five on a Bike

The post Making Care Homes Sustainable: Practical Steps Beyond Compliance appeared first on Five on a Bike.

Navigating the Changing Landscape of Social Care: A Conversation with Adam Hutchison

Ben Wooding — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 11:16:17 +0000

Facing the Reality: The True Cost of Care

In a recent visit to the Caring Conversation Studio, Adam Hutchison, CEO of Belmont Healthcare, addressed one of the sector’s most common challenges: the shock families experience when faced with the cost of care. Often sought during a crisis, residential care can come as a financial surprise, with families asking, “How much?” often at the worst possible time.

“Home First”: A Better Care Journey

Belmont Healthcare has taken a progressive stance with a “home first” approach, supporting individuals in their own homes through domiciliary care services before considering residential care. This model gives families more control and awareness, changing the psychology of the decision-making process and easing people into the idea of long-term care.

Local Authority Funding: Not Always a Compromise

Contrary to the perception that publicly funded care means low margins, Adam explains that high-acuity care allows providers like Belmont to command fees on par with private payers. With around 75% of Belmont’s revenue coming from local authorities and NHS contracts, Adam describes these partnerships as both financially viable and strategically sound.

Fewer Customers, Stronger Contracts

From a business management perspective, working closely with local authorities offers significant benefits. Instead of negotiating with hundreds of families, Belmont can work with a single customer like Kent County Council to secure placements for hundreds of residents. “It’s almost like a block booking,” Adam says, highlighting the operational efficiency this model offers.

Supporting Managers in Commercial Realities

While this model streamlines funding, it adds complexity to the role of care home managers. They’re not only responsible for care delivery but are increasingly expected to act as sales and marketing professionals. Belmont is addressing this by investing in training and support to help managers respond to leads and represent their services effectively.

The Hidden Value of Community in Care Homes

Beyond financials, Adam passionately spoke about the emotional and social value of care homes, particularly in combatting loneliness. Referencing a TED talk by Johann Hari, he stressed that community and relationships are more essential to wellbeing than even health or wealth. “People forget the social isolation piece,” he adds, emphasizing that care homes offer more than just physical care, they offer connection.

Localised Design That Feels Like Home

Belmont’s commitment to community extends to its physical environments. Partnering with local designers, the company creates familiar and comforting spaces tailored to each location. For example, one home in Kent features a beach hut-themed lounge that reflects its seafront setting making it feel more like home than an institution.

A Forward-Thinking Model for a Complex Sector

With seven care homes and more on the way, Belmont Healthcare is proving that thoughtful, adaptive leadership can create a sustainable and compassionate model for care. Adam Hutchison’s approach blends financial realism with human-centered care, offering a blueprint for how the sector can thrive despite ongoing challenges.

About Caring Conversations

Whether you’re a manager, innovator, front-line caregiver, or supplier, Caring Conversations offers a platform to share insights, spark ideas, and connect with the wider care community.

Interested in joining the conversation or sharing your perspective? We’d love to hear from you.

Presented by The Care Show | Produced by Five on a Bike

The post Navigating the Changing Landscape of Social Care: A Conversation with Adam Hutchison appeared first on Five on a Bike.

How Care Homes Can Attract More Private-Paying Clients: Insights from Springup PR

Ben Wooding — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 14:24:39 +0000

In a sector as personal as social care, trust is everything. And trust is built through stories, clarity, and consistency. Whether you’re a boutique provider or an established operator looking to boost private-pay enquiries, Spring Up PR’s advice is simple: invest in the long game.

At the heart of the care sector, change is constant. Speaking live from the Care Show in London, Adam James, founder of Springup PR, offered valuable insights on how care homes can thrive in a market increasingly geared towards private-paying clients.

Traditionally, private-pay beds have been the domain of larger, luxury care providers. But that’s shifting. More and more smaller and mid-sized operators are recognising the potential and moving into this space. According to Adam, the transition isn’t just about offering a plush environment, it’s about clear messaging, smart marketing, and building long-term visibility.

Springup PR specialises in helping care homes increase occupancy, particularly by targeting private-paying families. “We help care homes get more enquiries in order to increase occupancy faster… And we do that via PR and marketing,” Adam explained.

But how can care homes make this shift effectively?

1. Nail Your Messaging

The first step, according to Adam, is making sure your messaging resonates with your target audience, typically adult children looking for care for their parents. “They’re not familiar with the sector, so everything you present… From your website to your brochures… Needs to be clear, comforting, and confidence-building,” Adam advised.

2. Focus on Local Visibility

It’s not about national media exposure. Local visibility is where the magic happens. “A well-placed story in your local press or local radio can go a long way in building trust,” Adam said. Families often look for providers within a specific geographic area, and familiarity can significantly influence their decision.

3. Leverage Testimonials and Resident Stories

Human stories are powerful tools in care marketing. Sharing real-life testimonials and resident experiences helps potential clients connect emotionally and see your service through the eyes of others. Adam recommends weaving these narratives into your website, newsletters, and social media.

4. Invest in SEO and Online Presence

Your website is often the first touchpoint. Is it easy to navigate? Is your care philosophy front and centre? Are your enquiry forms accessible? But it doesn’t stop there. Search engine optimisation (SEO) ensures your site shows up when people search for care in your area. Adam pointed out that ranking for search terms like “care home near me” or “residential care [your town]” can make a measurable difference.

5. Take a Consistent, Long-Term View

One-off campaigns rarely move the needle. Spring Up PR works with care homes on an ongoing basis to help them build and maintain visibility over time. “Marketing needs consistency,” Adam stressed. “It’s about being front-of-mind when a family needs you… Not just shouting once and disappearing.”

About Caring Conversations

Whether you’re a manager, innovator, front-line caregiver, or supplier, Caring Conversations offers a platform to share insights, spark ideas, and connect with the wider care community.

Interested in joining the conversation or sharing your perspective? We’d love to hear from you.

Presented by The Care Show | Produced by Five on a Bike

The post How Care Homes Can Attract More Private-Paying Clients: Insights from Springup PR appeared first on Five on a Bike.

The Value of Memories

Ben Wooding — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:01:33 +0000

Short form videos are ‘ a dime a dozen’ and the fastest ways to interact with an ever growing audience. A tool, perfect for capturing a person’s attention. It maximises key information in a short amount of time in order to keep the viewer engaged as well as making it easy to pass on. With a mass amount of potential clients having access to a social platform, such as Instagram, TikTok or Linkedin, it can provide great potential to boost a business’s digital presence.

Within the care sector, a lot of care homes find many benefits to using social media. Whether that being a testimonial of a client or staff’s experience with the brand or a welcome tour giving a brief yet impactful introduction to the home.

At Five on a Bike we work with one of the sector’s leading luxury care providers. We have striven to establish and grow their virtual library by capturing and delivering exceptional video content. Loveday & Co is a luxury residential, nursing and rehabilitation service with several bespoke homes in the Kensington and Chelsea area.

As “London’s only senior-living Members Club”, they took pride in wanting to record and share the memories and experiences of their members. On the regular, we traveled into the capital and shadowed the party, capturing all of the wonderful moments. From an exclusive tour of Wimbledon to dining at The Savoy on The Strand. Even at times we were invited to Kensington and marveled at the musical and theatrical events within the home. These were perfect occasions to show off what Loveday offers to their members.

Generally with what a care home can provide, activities are perfect to help the well being of a seniors’ life to keep residents cognitively active and mobile, so that they can make the most of their care.

From a marketing perspective and for digital viewing, this is ideal as it advertises to future clients, it keeps families of members engaged with their lives, and it can expand communication with the greater community.

When working on the productions for these videos, member’s involvement in the activities was crucial. Even though we had qualified permission to film there on the condition that members were unidentifiable, it was a problem when you are trying to show the reactions of members in order to give emotional value to a video.

So, how did we get over this hurdle? Locations, people of interest, hand gestures and lots of backs of heads. Even though you couldn’t see a smile on a member’s face you could tell from the way they clapped, hugged a member of staff, had an arm over a loved one’s shoulder, that they were happy and taking in all of the enjoyment.

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