50 senior care leaders, two expert panels and the launch of the UK's first sales and marketing benchmark for care homes.
On 24th September 2026, Prosperwell hosted the first Care Growth Summit at Pan Pacific Hotel, London, bringing together 50 senior leaders from across the UK care sector for a morning of new research, practical panels and honest conversation about what it really takes to grow.
The invite-only event was the official launch platform for the Care Growth Index, the UK's first commercial benchmark for sales and marketing in care homes. Owners, CEOs and sales and marketing directors from independent, family-run, multi-site and premium operators were in the room to see the national picture first, and to hear from the operators already getting growth right.
The morning was opened by Angela Boxall, Chair of Care England and CEO of Majesticare, before Tobi Alli-Usman, Founder and Managing Director of Prosperwell, unveiled the Index findings. Drawing on more than 100 operators, 400 homes and 21,000 beds, the Index shows that occupancy runs on two engines: demand, how well a home generates enquiries, and conversion, how well it turns them into residents. Most operators invest in one. The ones pulling ahead run both.
Marketing and Sales, Given the Space They Deserve
The programme was deliberately split in two. A marketing panel with Tobi, Becky Crichton of Crystal Care Collection, Rachel Tiff of Oakland Care and Paul Wilkinson of Prosperwell looked at which channels fill the funnel and which actually win the resident. A sales panel led by Lisa Vile, Head of Sales and Customer Experience at Prosperwell, with Nina Rogers of Country Court Care, Stephanie Bowie of Signature Senior Lifestyle and Charles Taylor of Taylor & Taylor, got into what happens once families walk through the door.
Attendees singled out that structure as one of the most valuable parts of the day:
"To have it specifically around the way it was split between the marketing and the sales was actually very sensible, because too often it's all bundled together and actually they have very different functions for the business."
Another commented:
"The quality of the conversations today has been absolutely brilliant. I've really loved learning about all of the marketing and sales keys to success and everything that goes with that."
The morning closed with a fireside chat between Tobi and James McComas, General Manager of Champneys Eastwell Manor Hotel and Spa, on what care can learn from hospitality when every touchpoint is designed around the guest.
A Refreshing, Interactive Approach
For many in the room, what set the Summit apart was the format. Rather than listening to panels from a distance, delegates were encouraged to question, challenge and share their own experience.
"It's been fantastic today. It's been really different. Ordinarily you have roundtables and you have lots of discussions. Today it's been great because there's been lots of interactions. There's people on the panel talking about sales and marketing, but it's also about getting other people's ideas in the room."
Another attendee described it as "a really nice, refreshing talk", while others praised how clearly the findings were explained and how easy it was to turn them into action:
"I love the way it's all explained. You can ask these questions, you can hear, you can make notes on what you can do with that information. Love the way Prosperwell and the team do it. It's so worth it."
Come Together, Share, Grow
One message came through again and again: the sector is stronger when its leaders step out of their own buildings and learn from each other. One attendee put it simply:
"I would definitely say come. Get off the chair in the care home, come out to London or wherever it is, but you've got to do it. My biggest thing with the industry is that we've got to start sharing. Everyone's got to give insights and stop staying in your venues and your offices. Come together, share, grow, and get the industry to be a lot greater than it could be."
A Milestone Moment for the Care Growth Ecosystem
Commenting on the event, Tobi said:
"Seeing 50 of the sector's most commercially minded leaders in one room, looking at their own data for the first time, was something special. The Index tells us growth isn't luck. It comes from a handful of things done well and done together. Thank you to Angela, Care England, Knight Frank, our panellists and everyone who gave up their day to be there. This is the start of a much bigger conversation."
The full Care Growth Index report is available now at prosperwell.co.uk/care-growth-index.