Care Sector Leadership Recognised in King’s New Year Honours
The care home sector has received significant recognition in the 2026 King’s New Year Honours, with awards acknowledging contributions across adult social care delivery, care home leadership, and services supporting older people and residents with complex needs.
The honours span multiple levels of the sector, from group executives and organisational leaders to individual care home managers, alongside professionals whose work supports the broader infrastructure of care provision, including housing models and specialist services.
Executive Leadership
Paavan Popat, chief executive of TLC Group, has been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to intergenerational housing. Popat served as a member of HM Government’s Older People’s Housing Taskforce and led TLC Group to become the first care home operator globally to achieve Investors in People Wellbeing Platinum status.
Anna Selby, executive director of quality at HC-One, received an honour for services to adult social care, recognising her work on quality standards and care delivery across the national care home provider’s portfolio.
Professor Oonagh Smyth, CEO of Skills for Care, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), whilst Jennifer Mitchell Fairgrieve, chair of Libertus Elderly Services, was recognised for services to older people.
Frontline Excellence
At the individual service level, Susan Elizabeth Watson, home manager at Pytchley Court Care Home, received recognition for services to adult social care. Since joining the facility in 2018, Watson has led its transformation from an “Inadequate” Care Quality Commission rating to “Outstanding” in 2024, demonstrating the impact of effective operational leadership within residential care settings.
Wider Health and Care Recognition
The honours also acknowledged contributions across the broader health and social care landscape. Hilary May Evans-Newton, chief executive officer of Alzheimer’s Research UK, was recognised for services to charity focusing on dementia research and support.
Additional honours from the King’s Birthday Honours List 2025 included Professor Jane Cummings DBE for services to nursing and the NHS, and Beth Britton MBE for services to people with dementia and their carers.
Kathryn Smith OBE and Heidi Travis OBE were recognised for services to social care and palliative and neurological care respectively, whilst Christopher Badger CBE and Michelle Dyson CB received honours for services to adult social care and health and social care.
Dr Marie Polley MBE was recognised for services to social prescribing, Peter May CB for services to public health, and Dr Matthew Kearney OBE for services to preventative healthcare. Dr Alexander McMahon CBE received recognition for services to nursing, Lesley Rutherford MBE for services to palliative care, and Pier-Maxine Pritchard MBE for services to children and family social care.
These honours reflect the care sector’s continued contribution to society, recognising professionals who have helped raise standards, shape services, and support vulnerable populations across the UK. The recognition spans strategic leadership, operational excellence, research, and frontline care delivery, demonstrating the breadth and depth of expertise within the sector.
