Divisional winner for the care awards!

Lou Kneller at Denmead Grange in Denmead has been crowned Dementia Care Champion of the Year for the South West Division in the Barchester Care Awards 2025 and is through to the national round of judging.

The Barchester Care Awards celebrate the staff who go the extra mile for the benefit of the residents living in Barchester’s care homes and private hospitals across the country. Categories range from ‘Registered Nurse of the Year’ and ‘Carer of the Year’ to ‘Dementia Care Champion’ and ‘Activities Coordinator of the Year’.

Over 5,000 nominations were received from homes and hospitals across the UK. All entries were a very high standard and Lou is over the moon to have been named the winner for the South West beating hundreds of other nominees. Lou was nominated by her team, residents, relatives and visiting professionals.

As the winner for South division, Lou is through to the national finals in which the overall winner is decided.  They will join winners from across the UK at a special awards event in October to celebrate their outstanding achievements and discover if they have won a national award.

General Manager, Abbie Johnston, said: “This is an amazing achievement and the whole home is supporting Lou. We are so proud of her. Lou really understands each resident and their journey and she goes above and beyond to support the resident, their families and the Memory Lane Team. I could not think of anyone who deserves this more"

Denmead Grange is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals.