How I overcome challenges of running 7 care homes in one county!

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories Podcast, Adam James of Springup PR speaks with David Poxton, Director of Ashmere Derbyshire, a family-run group of care homes operating seven homes in Derbyshire. 

Representing the third generation of leadership in the business, David grew up in and around the homes, helping out during school holidays and learning the ropes in a hands-on environment and transitioned to full-time involvement in 2002.

Under David’s leadership, Ashmere Derbyshire has prioritised quality, continuity, and personal connection in care. 

His decision to keep all homes within an hour’s drive reflects his philosophy of hands-on management, and allows him and his team to remain closely engaged with staff and residents.

One of David’s core beliefs is that high-quality service drives long-term success. 

He has embedded a culture of continuous improvement, valuing transparency, feedback, and innovation. His leadership style emphasises empowerment, open communication, and shared responsibility across the organisation along with the partnership with Investors in People, which helped identify internal communication gaps.

David continues to evolve Ashmere’s operations to meet the changing landscape of care. 

From developing in-house training programs and face-to-face inductions to launching communication apps and regular feedback loops. 

In this episode he outlines the keys to running multiple care homes in a single area including:

 

•     How David’s approach is rooted in personal involvement, “we’ve always been hands-on – it’s how I learned the business growing up, and that’s how we still run it today.”

•     The importance of keeping all homes close by because. “if a home's an hour away, I can be there that same day – that accessibility matters for quality.”

•     The benefits of being a family run business and how “if something goes wrong, I get a call from my dad – it’s a strong incentive to get it right.”

•     Embracing new technology and how “when I started, we had two computers and one printer. Everything was paper-based,” to widespread digitalisation.

•     The importance of direct communication, “we implemented apps to ensure the flow of accurate information from senior management to every staff member.”

•     Face-to-face training is a cornerstone of their approach: “People in care respond better to people than to screens – so we do all our training in person.”

•     How all new staff undergo a one-week, in-house induction, including a personal session with David: “I want them to know who I am and that they can come straight to me if needed.”

•     Why Ashmere promotes a no-blame culture because “if something goes wrong, it's about what we learn from it – not who we blame.”

•     Feedback is embedded into operations: “We bring new staff back after a month for coffee and cake – and ask what worked and what didn’t.”

•     How the Investors in People process revealed communication gaps that were unknown internally, leading to improvements in how messaging is shared across roles.

•     Utilising staff driven innovation because “they know best what works on the floor.”

•     David’s belief in continuous evolution means “we never want to be doing the same thing next year that we did this year.”

•     How accountability is part of the culture: “You can’t walk through a local supermarket without bumping into someone who works for us – and they’ll let you know what they think!”

•     Why longevity and local reputation are central to Ashmere’s identity and success.