Contents Volume 11 Issue 3 March 2026


CARE HOME


ENVIRONMENT www.thecarehomeenvironment.com Volume 11 Issue 3 March 2026


CARE HOME


ENVIRONMENT www.thecarehomeenvironment.com Six things care


providers should know when contacted by HMRC


Boutique Care Homes embraces past, present, and future in West Sussex


In this issue Regulars


5 Comment Facing the future ... or not


6 Cover story Sector challenges inspiring technical innovation and solutions


9 News Features


Sector challenges inspiring technical innovation and solutions


14 Boutique Care Homes embraces past, present, and future in West Sussex Boutique Care Homes recently opened its fourth property – Keymer Hall Care Home in Burgess Hill, West Sussex. The Care Home Environment Editor Matt Seex visited the home to meet with the Boutique’s director of sales & marketing Carl Roberts, director of operations Martin Murphy, home manager Christine Bunce, and admissions manager Jenna Fowler


19 How thoughtful interiors shape lives, communities, and outcomes


When considering care home design, it is important to take different perspectives into account, as Mike Davies, managing director and founder of Catalyst Interiors, explains


24 Turning live operational insights into smarter decisions and real action


Fiona Hale, managing director of CoolCare, explains the critical importance of making operational decisions based on real-time data


28 Six things care providers should know when contacted by HMRC 14


With care homes facing mounting financial pressures, Jonathan Cooper, founder and director of The Director’s Helpline and The Director’s Choice, offers some tips on staying on top of your tax obligations


32 Designing futureproofed care facilities for an ageing population


David Tibbs, senior partner at ORA Architects, explains how a Passivhaus-standard Bedfordshire development is leading the way for the next generation of care homes


36 Food sector trends: cost pressures, conscious choices, and culinary creativity Rachael Venditti, development manager at allmanhall, explains how care homes can – and must – align their catering operations with their sustainability goals, while not compromising on quality


39 Technology qualifications: another box-ticking exercise? 28


Sam Hussain, CEO and co-founder of Log my Care, asks whether the government’s introduction of a technology qualification for social care represents the start of meaningful investment in the sector or just another exercise in box-ticking


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Cover image courtesy Intercall THE THE


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