In this episode of Care CEO Success Stories Podcast, Adam James of Springup PR interviews Amanda Scott, CEO of Forest Healthcare, which operates 13 care homes across London and the Southeast of England.
Amanda has been leading the company for over six years, working to improve both the quality of care and the culture within the organisation.
Under her leadership, Forest Healthcare has become a model for how to consistently achieve top-tier care ratings, earning recognition as one of the top 20 care home providers through carehome.co.uk for six years running.
Her approach focuses on delivering exceptional service by embedding core values into the daily operations and fostering a culture of respect, empathy, and support.
Amanda shares the secrets behind the success and reveals why several Forest Healthcare homes have embraced being “veteran-friendly”
The episode includes:
- How Forest Healthcare has achieved top 20 recognition in the CareHome.co.uk awards for six consecutive years and how you can too!
- The importance of embedding core values, “choice, going above and beyond, respect, empathy, and always supporting residents,” in every aspect of the business.
- The “game changing” cultural shift that made high standards achievable across the company.
- How educating and engaging staff through recognition systems is crucial for success.
- The importance of creating an environment where employees feel “empowered to deliver the best care possible”.
- How Forest Healthcare awards “recognition pins” to staff who exemplify the company’s core values, “creating a tangible way to honour and motivate team members”.
- The importance of showing appreciation for staff, noting that a culture of gratitude can have a profound impact on morale and performance with “a thank you going a long way”.
- The importance of feedback and customer reviews in shaping care standards and why Amanda encourages families to provide honest feedback, “even when there are areas for improvement”.
- How Forest Healthcare actively encourages families to leave reviews on Carehome.co.uk by making the process easy and transparent, ensuring that both positive and constructive feedback is heard.
- The role of recognition in care quality and its role in creating a “positive reinforcement cycle,” that helps improve care quality and boosts staff morale.
- The unique challenges of running multiple care homes, including maintaining consistent standards across all locations and ensuring staff are “aligned with the company’s mission”.
- How one of her home managers, a former army wife, brought the idea of becoming veteran-friendly to Forest Healthcare which has been successfully embraced at several homes, helping to support veterans and their families.
- Reflections on the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it underscored the importance of maintaining high standards of care in the face of crisis and uncertainty.
- Why Amanda is optimistic about continuing to grow Forest Healthcare while maintaining the company’s commitment to excellent care and employee engagement, despite 2025 holding new challenges.
- The importance of open, honest communication with both staff and families, which is essential to creating an environment where everyone feels heard and supported.