London, UK: Penrose Care is honoured to announce that its co-founder and managing director, Robert Stephenson-Padron, was adjudicated as the “Most Outstanding Leader in the Care Sector in the UK” at the 2014 UK Over 50s Housing Awards ceremony held at the Westbury Hotel, London on the night of November 13^th. The ceremony, held jointly with the Global Over 50s Housing Healthcare Awards, recognise excellence in the health and social care industry across the globe.

On the occasion of receiving the award, Robert Stephenson-Padron said:

“I am honoured to receive this prestigious award. Thank you to the Penrose Care team, especially our co-founder, Dr. Matthew Knight, who embarked with me in 2012 to build Penrose Care – the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK.

At the awards ceremony with some of the world’s most prestigious care firms, I called on those who can, to pay their workers a Living Wage as Penrose Care does. The UK’s care sector has sadly become known for low standards and low pay – this needs to change. By paying care workers a Living Wage vs poverty wages, we will start to transform social care into a career of choice rather than a job for those without choice. Indeed, at Penrose Care, we have shown that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation must be caring.

To my peers, I noted a recent public testimony of the family member of one of our dementia care clients that exemplifies why ethics in care matters. Before finding Penrose Care, her mother used a home care agency referred by her local authority that was meant to be their ‘best provider’. Despite the designation, within just six months, her mother was sent 35 workers with corresponding stress and dismay. The story improved however, after finding Penrose Care through our work with civil society charity Citizens UK. In the nearly six months supported by Penrose Care, her mother was seen by 1 primary worker and 2 back up workers – just 3 workers. By being ethical, Penrose Care is able to attract and retain special people with a vocation to care – ethics in care matters!”

Penrose Care is based in Belsize Village in Hampstead, a region in the Borough of Camden, London. On the occasion of Mr. Stephenson-Padron receiving the award, the Mayor of Camden Lazzaro Pietragnoli stated:

“I would like to congratulate Mr. Robert Stephenson-Padron on receiving the prestigious UK Over 50s Housing Award 2014 for ‘The Most Outstanding Leader in the Care Sector in the UK’.

As the founder and managing director of Camden-based Penrose Care, Robert has been committed not only to providing high quality standards of care for his customers but also to implement the best practices for his employees.

In a fast growing sector, where too often the focus is on containing the cost of the service rather than improving its quality, Robert and Penrose Care are a testimony that a private company may be unilaterally committed to provide the London Living Wage to its employees, to offer them specific and formal training, to guarantee to them set hours and pay them for travelling time.

Robert’s decision to comply with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter and with the Living Wage Foundation’s guidelines is really commendable, especially since Penrose is one of the few companies in the sector to do so.

This award is a testimony of his determination and enthusiasm in improving the quality of care in Northern London and a very encouraging message for everyone in the sector.”

The award ceremony included a variety of prestigious care firms from around the world including British residential care provider Barchester Healthcare, Nautical Lands Group of Canada, World Class Retirement Complex of the Philippines; world class health care investment firms Oaktree Capital and HCP; and British namesakes including Lloyds Bank and Knight Frank estate agents.

ENDS

Media Contact

Penrose Care

Robert Stephenson-Padron

robert.padron@penrosecare.co.uk

+44 (0)207 435 2644

Notes to the editor

Additional photographs from the UK Housing Over 50s Awards pending and expected on 17 November 2014.

About the UK Over 50s Housing Awards

The UK Over 50s Housing Awards have been created to celebrate and reward the best individual and company performances in the over-50s housing sector in the UK. The Awards recognise the rapid growth of the over-50s housing sector in the UK, and the capacity of individuals to influence and set new performance standards across the UK. The Awards focus on elevated performance; the creation of new business models; contrarian thinking; recognising and embracing new trends; market leadership; inspirational performance and the elevation of the customer experience. The awards have been running since 2009. 20 key national awards represent the pinnacle of performance in 2013 – 2014. In 2014, over 978 entries have been received. An additional 321 nominations have been made by third parties.

About Robert Stephenson-Padron

Robert Stephenson-Padron, aged 30, is a healthcare industry expert and former public servant. Prior to starting Penrose Care in 2012 with Dr. Matthew Knight, he was a healthcare research analyst at Merrill Lynch (2010-12), which he joined from Barclays Capital/Barclays PLC (2007-10). From 2003-2006, he served as a commissioner of the City of Berkeley, California, USA. Mr. Padron holds a BA in Economics from UC Berkeley and a Master in Economics & Finance from the Universidad de Navarra. Mr. Padron, growing up jointly in Gonzales, California and the northern cities of San Luis Obispo County, California, attended Gonzales High School and Templeton High School.

About Penrose Care

Penrose Care is an ethical provider of home care services London, United Kingdom to adults with disabilities and elderly persons, including those with dementia. The company operates upon a fundamental belief that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation itself must be caring. As the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK, Penrose Care in 2012 became one of the first four providers in the country to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer and in 2013 the first independent sector provider to be compliant with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter.

Penrose Care’s ethical approach promotes higher quality social care workers and low staff turnover which in turn results in excellent care. Penrose Care is headquartered in Belsize Village, north London and was founded by Robert Stephenson-Padron, a healthcare research analyst, and Dr. Matthew Knight, a hospital physician.

Penrose Care’s managing director, Robert Stephenson-Padron, with his UK Over 50s Housing Award.