B&M Care founder who spent most of his childhood in care celebrates 40 years running care homes

In 1975, Bill Hughes opened his first care home in St Albans. Now forty years later, he runs 22 care homes in the Hertfordshire area.

“I was only 34 years of age, a new father and I just didn’t know if this was going to work out. I was scare about embarking on a new journey but I believed I had the right values and determination to make a home for these vulnerable people,” said Bill Hughes.

Mr Hughes was born in County Galway, Ireland in 1941 and spent most of his childhood in the care system, only making contact with his birth mother again at the age of 52.

Forty years on and those 10 residents in his first care home have multiplied to 1,000 with the opening of B&M Care’s 22nd home, Tremona in Watford.

Thirteen B&M care homes already operate in Hertfordshire and new sites are being constructed at Hoddesdon and Kings Langley.

With the addition of homes in Henley, Beaconsfield and Crowthorne, B&M Care is set to grow to 27 care homes by 2020.

With its own in house construction company, B&M Care design and construct all its own care homes.

“We focus on finding sites in the right locations and then building community hubs that are enabling environments to meet the needs of older people and people that live with dementia” said chief executive Ian Sloan.

B&M Care employs over 1,200 care and ancillary staff between their care homes and at their Hertfordshire head office in Hemel Hempstead. All B&M Care dementia homes in Hertfordshire are accredited by Hertfordshire County Council for their outstanding dementia care and B&M Care’s dementia lead, Caroline Inch, shares that experience and knowledge amongst the care homes.

“This year we have set up Dementia Seminars and Dementia Cafes which offer an important support network for people and carers in our communities,” said Ms Inch.

B&M Care is very much a family-run business, with Mr Hughes’ daughter, Dr Colleen Wood, the company director and clinical adviser and son Brendan playing a supportive role with various projects.

B&M Care homes have had a year-long programme of celebrations for the 40th anniversary, with homes holding garden parties, BBQs, street parties, car shows and vintage fairs.

“It’s been exhausting but great fun” said Mr Hughes, “the staff and residents have really put on some lovely events and I am enormously proud of them all”.

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