LOCAL CARE HOME MANAGER/HOSPITAL DIRECTOR SCOOPS COVETED CARE TITLE

Sonia Fairhurst at Newton House  in Grantham has been crowned General Manager of the Year for the Central East Division in the Barchester Care Awards 2026 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 14,000 residents living in Barchester’s 271 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’.

Almost 6,000 nominations were received from homes and hospitals across the UK. All entries were a very high standard and Sonia is over the moon to have been named the winner for the Central East beating hundreds of other nominees.

As the winner for the Central East Division, Sonia, 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 the General Manager/Hospital Director of the Year national award.

General Manager, Sonia Fairhurst said: “It is such an honour to have been named Manager of the Year out of all the homes in the entire division, I couldn’t believe it when I heard!  But this is very much a team effort, I couldn’t have achieved this award without the hard work of everyone here so this really is for everyone at Newton House.  I am so proud of our home, our fantastic team and most of all, our wonderful residents.”

Newton House is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers.