The Business Advisors and Accountants Award
Hazelwoods
The judges selected Hazlewoods as the winner for its exceptional depth of expertise and sustained commitment to health and social care. With more than 30 years of sector experience and a team of over 100 advisers, the firm offers support across the entire business lifecycle, from start-up and expansion to succession planning. Its ability to advise individual operators, established groups and investors demonstrates impressive breadth alongside specialist understanding. The panel particularly admired its collaborative approach, and the value of advice tailored to the realities of care provision. Hazlewoods stands out as a trusted partner helping organisations make informed, confident decisions.
The Consultancies Award
Connell Consulting
Connell Consulting continues to set exceptional standards in social care advisory, combining outstanding sector expertise with strategic insight and commercial understanding. Its excellent reputation, trusted advice and consistent industry recognition demonstrate its significant contribution to the sector. The judges were particularly impressed by the company’s continued success, professionalism and commitment to excellence, making Connell Consulting a highly deserving winner.
The Insurance Award
Howden Group
The judges named Howden the winner for going beyond traditional insurance brokerage to become an active partner to the social care sector. Its nomination demonstrated a clear understanding of the pressures facing care providers and a willingness to create opportunities for learning, collaboration and shared progress. The panel was particularly impressed by this wider commitment to supporting the sector, rather than simply supplying an insurance product. Howden’s approach recognises that strong relationships and specialist insight are essential to managing risk effectively. Its contribution to connecting and supporting care organisations makes it a worthy winner in the Insurance category.
The Legal Services Award
Birketts LLP
The judges selected Birketts LLP as the winner for the strength and continued development of its Independent Healthcare team. Led by Greg Allan, the team has broadened its multidisciplinary expertise and strengthened its ability to support care providers with complex legal matters. The panel noted the growth of specialist workstreams, including a reported 75% increase in immigration instructions, reflecting the relevance of its services to sector needs. Birketts impressed through its combination of specialist knowledge, strategic investment in its team and responsiveness to changing demands. Its achievement demonstrates the value of comprehensive legal advice for the care sector.
The Manufacturers and Suppliers of Product & Services Award
Care Property Hub
The judges were impressed by Nisha Patel’s innovative approach to supporting social care through Care Property Hub. Her commitment to connecting property owners with regulated care providers has created meaningful opportunities for vulnerable individuals. Driven by personal experience, Nisha demonstrates exceptional determination, compassion and dedication to improving lives across the sector.
Care Home Interiors Group
The judges were impressed by Care Home Interiors Group’s commitment to quality, innovation and excellence in care home interiors manufacturing. With over 20 years of experience, the company combines specialist design, UK manufacturing and bespoke furniture to create welcoming, practical environments. Their focus on dignity, independence and wellbeing, alongside their dedication to raising industry standards, makes them truly deserving of this recognition.
The PR and Marketing Award
Prosperwell
The judges chose Prosperwell as the winner for its longstanding dedication to improving marketing and sales within the care sector. Drawing on ten years of specialist experience, Prosperwell identified a significant gap in reliable performance benchmarks and took steps to address it. The panel was impressed by this commitment to providing care organisations with clearer evidence to inform their marketing strategies, measure progress, and plan growth. Rather than relying solely on established methods, Prosperwell has sought to strengthen the wider sector’s understanding of effective practice. This combination of specialist knowledge, innovation, and practical value makes it a deserving winner.
The Recruitment Award
Brook Street Social Care
The judges selected Brook Street Social Care as the winner for its thoughtful approach to recruitment and its understanding of what makes an effective care professional. Its recruiters include people with direct experience of social work, care delivery and care home management, giving the team valuable insight into the pressures providers face. Rather than recruiting solely for availability, the organisation considers empathy, resilience, judgement, and motivation. The panel admired this emphasis on suitability and trust, recognising that recruitment decisions directly affect vulnerable people. Brook Street Social Care stands out for putting quality and human understanding at the heart of staffing support.
Social Care People
The judges Highly Commended Social Care People for its commitment to addressing one of social care’s most persistent challenges: finding and retaining the right workforce. The nomination highlighted Claire Dalton’s more than 20 years of recruitment experience, including first-hand responsibility for recruitment within a care organisation. That understanding has informed practical, affordable approaches designed around providers’ real needs. The panel particularly valued the combination of sector knowledge, personal dedication, and a determination to improve recruitment outcomes. Social Care People is recognised for showing how specialist insight and genuine commitment can help care services build stronger teams.
The Technology (Care Home) Award
Earzz Limited
The judges named Earzz Limited the winner for its innovative approach to identifying potential incidents in care home bedrooms between routine checks. Its technology detects and classifies relevant sounds, sending timely alerts to care teams when residents may need assistance. The panel was particularly impressed by the focus on privacy: the solution does not rely on cameras or wearables and does not store audio recordings. This thoughtful balance between awareness, dignity and practical support addresses a genuine challenge for overnight care. Earzz demonstrates how carefully designed technology can help staff respond promptly while respecting residents’ personal space.
Care Vision AI
The judges Highly Commended Care Vision AI for developing technology grounded in real care experience. Founded by Rishi Jawaheer, whose background includes growing up in a family-run dementia care home, the platform aims to reduce paperwork and simplify compliance so staff can spend more time supporting residents. Its integrated approach brings together care planning, documentation, medication management and workforce tools. The nomination reports adoption by more than 2,000 UK care homes, demonstrating significant reach. The panel valued the focus on practical problems faced by providers and the potential for well-designed technology to improve everyday care delivery.
The Technology (Home Care) Award
Log My Care
The judges selected Log my Care as the winner in the Home Care Technology category, recognising the importance of digital systems that support frontline care delivery. Home care teams work across different locations and need accessible, accurate information to coordinate support effectively. The panel valued the role of straightforward care management technology in reducing administrative pressures, strengthening communication, and allowing staff to focus on the people they support. This award acknowledges Log my Care’s contribution to a sector increasingly reliant on reliable digital tools. Its recognition reflects the importance of making technology useful for everyday care practice.
Nursebuddy
The judges Highly Commended Nursebuddy for its contribution to the use of digital tools in home care. Delivering support in people’s own homes requires reliable coordination, clear information and effective communication between teams. Technology that helps providers manage these responsibilities can make an important difference to the consistency of services. The panel recognised the relevance of solutions designed for the realities of domiciliary care and the need to keep the people receiving support at the centre of operational decisions. Nursebuddy’s recognition reflects the growing importance of practical, accessible technology in helping home care organisations deliver responsive services.
The Workforce Development Award
Realise Training
The judges chose Realise Training as the winner for its commitment to developing a skilled, confident and resilient social care workforce. Through training and apprenticeship programmes, it works with care organisations to support learning that is relevant to everyday practice. Its nomination highlighted partnerships with established providers, including United Response, Change Grow Live and Barchester Healthcare, alongside support for thousands of learners each year. The panel valued the scale of its contribution and its focus on meaningful workforce development. Realise Training demonstrates how strong educational partnerships can help care teams grow professionally and deliver better support to the people they serve.
Social Care TV
The judges Highly Commended Social Care TV for its sustained commitment to accessible, specialist learning across health and social care. Its online courses are designed to equip care professionals with knowledge and skills that support safe, effective services. The organisation works with local authorities, care home groups, domiciliary care agencies and individual learners, giving its training broad relevance across the sector. The panel appreciated the focus on practical education and professional development in a field where ongoing learning is essential. Social Care TV is recognised for helping care workers and organisations build confidence, competence and a stronger culture of learning.
The Wellbeing Innovations Award
Flourish
Flourish has built a workforce support ecosystem for adult social care, giving more than 130,000 care workers access through Click Learning at no additional cost. Flourish Wellbeing lets care workers assess and monitor their wellbeing, receiving personalised insights and practical activities. Flourish Rewards eases financial pressure through discounts and savings. Click Pulse gathers anonymous, real-time feedback, giving care workers a voice and employers benchmarked insights; it has received over 460,865 responses. Among Flourish customers, workforce wellbeing sentiment is 78% positive and rising each month. By valuing wellbeing, easing pressures and hearing voices, we strengthen culture, retention and consistent, high-quality care.