The carehome.co.uk Top 20 awards are decided on review scores, so a steady review habit is how a home gets into contention. You do not apply. Listed care homes are entered automatically.
An award will not fill a room on its own, but it can reassure a family comparing homes. Reviews come first, and our care home reviews guide shows how to earn them fairly.
How are the Top 20 awards decided?
According to carehome.co.uk’s awards page, the 20 highest review scores in each of its 12 regions win, measured at 11:59pm on the cut-off date. Winners are listed alphabetically, so nobody is ranked first.
A home needs at least five published reviews in the awards period, and must meet the site’s regulatory criteria.
Adult day care centres and extra care housing are not included in this scheme. Groups have their own awards.
Other award schemes have their own rules, so check each one.
What an award signals
To a family comparing homes, an award is independent recognition. It says other families’ reviews have put this home among the highest rated in its region. Professionals who refer families may notice it too.
Make the most of a win
People need to see it. Display the badge on your website, frame the certificate in reception, and mention it in enquiry follow-ups and newsletters.
A win is also a story, and our care home PR page explains how we help homes tell it.
How do you use a win honestly?
Always give the year and the name of the award. Take the badge down or change the wording once it is out of date.
Inviting every family builds a steady flow of reviews and a stronger score.
A strong score, held to the cut-off date, can put you in the running.
An award can add to the trust a family feels.
That trust can help bring enquiries.
More families bring more reviews.
None of it depends on one big effort. It depends on the same steady habit that underpins everything good about reviews.
Barry Jobson, founder
25 years in brand, digital and marketing, six of them only in care. Barry writes the Quick Wins email every week and still answers the phone.
The questions people ask. Answered in a line or two.
How do care homes win awards?
On carehome.co.uk, by having one of the 20 highest review scores in your region at the cut-off date, with at least five published reviews and meeting its regulatory criteria. Other schemes have their own rules.
Do care home awards actually bring enquiries?
They can help, because a family sees independent recognition. We have no reliable figure for how much. Keep asking each family how they heard of you, so you can judge it for your own home.
How is award eligibility decided?
It varies by scheme. carehome.co.uk enters listed care homes automatically and uses review scores. Check the criteria for any other award you are interested in.
