Orchard Care Homes’ Chief Executive Officer Hayden Knight takes key policy board role at Care England

Orchard Care Homes has announced this week that its Chief Executive Officer Hayden Knight has been appointed to the Policy Board of Care England.

Care England is the largest and most diverse representative body for independent providers of adult social care in England. As such it offers a unified voice for members and the care sector as a whole.

Orchard Care Homes operates 23 care homes across the North of England and Midlands. The group’s mission is to provide truly individualised care, tailored to the person.

Orchard’s Dementia Promise aims to remove the stigma surrounding dementia and encourage positive care approaches, with the goal of achieving true equity and respect for people living with dementia.

Under Hayden’s leadership, the group are working to eradicate formulaic “care home life” and make the experience of living in their homes as close to normal life as possible.

The group’s specialist dementia care model, Reconnect, is available at a number of homes across the group. The Reconnect ethos is to help people reconnect with their lives, enabling them to have a sense of purpose and contribution to their home. These Reconnect Communities focus on meaningful engagement and occupation for people living with dementia and offer genuine inclusion and choice.

Hayden will be working with the Policy Board to identifying the major issues for the social care sector and developing the key strategic priorities for Care England.

He said: “I am delighted to be entrusted with this role for Care England. It is vital for our people to be well represented and their interests taken into consideration as our sector undergoes rapid change now and into the future.”

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, added: “Hayden will be a valuable addition to Care England’s Policy Board because he brings a wealth of experience and a track record of innovation in the social care sector.”

Hayden takes up his role with immediate effect.

For more information on Orchard Care Homes please call 01423 859859. Last year Orchard Care Homes was named winner of the LaingBuisson Award for Excellence in Large Residential Care. It has also achieved a five-star food rating at every home across its portfolio.