Care Home Professional – August 2019

22 CARE HOME PROFESSIONAL | August 2019

THE BIG INTERVIEW PAUL NEWMAN, CEO, GREENSLEEVES CARE

H

aving previously pursued

a successful career with

the Royal institute of British

Architects and the Royal College of

GPs, Paul got his first taste of social

care after he was charged with putting

together the strategy and vision of

the care home arm of a Benevolent

Fund looking after people within the

drinks industry.

After pursuing a successful

restructuring programme, Paul was

approached by a headhunter about

leading Greensleeves.

“They hooked me in,” Paul told CHP.

“I really liked what the organisation

stood for. I liked the Board. They were

keen to grow and that had been my

background with RIBA and the Royal

College of GPs. My original background

was in marketing at university so I

have always been on the business

development side of things.”

During the intervening six years,

Paul has led Greensleeves through

a period of stable financial and

operational growth.

“When I arrived turnover was £18m

and we helped just over 500 older

people across 17 services,” Paul noted.

“We now have 25 services. Turnover

hit £40m in the last financial year and

will exceed £50m this financial year

as we add new homes and help over

1,000 people.”

The Greensleeves geographical

footprint reaches to Pelsall in the north,

the Isle of Wight in the south, Wiltshire

in the west and Suffolk in the east.

The majority of the provider’s homes

are in the south, south east and east of

England, however.

In terms of new development, the

charity’s next new home will launch

in Ely, Cambridgeshire. The home

was completed in July and will admit

residents from September.

“Our logic is not to go outside our

current footprint,” Paul said.

“We don’t want to dilute our

operations more than they are already.

“A lot of not for profit providers are

based in one area because they were

once the local services’ care homes

before they got spun out. We were part

of the WRVS and most of their homes

were donated to them.”

Growth has been delivered through

a three-pronged strategy, entailing

investing in the maintenance and

future proofing of its existing estate,

acquisitions and new developments.

“Having a blended approach and

investing in existing stock and buying

good operating homes and also opening

brand new homes future proofs you in

the long run,” Paul noted.

The combined acquisition and

development approach means

Greensleeves is able to offer residents

a choice of purpose-built, modern or

older, converted properties.

“I have lunch with our residents who

are living in our older stock who say

they don’t want to see out the rest of

their life in a white box,” Paul said.

“Some of our homes have real

character. At the end of the day,

whatever the building looks like, it’s the

care that is the most important thing.

For us, trying to achieve personalised,

Glebelands care home in Wokingham