HC-One Scotland’s Darnley Court Care Home has been shortlisted as a finalist at The Healthcare Design Awards 2025 for the ‘Best Specialist/Dementia Care Design’ category.
The Healthcare Design Awards 2025, organised by Nexus Media Group, recognise innovation and excellence in the design of health and care facilities. HC-One Scotland’s Darnley Court Care Home, located in Glasgow, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the prestigious award after incorporating an innovative design for its specialist dementia care community (SDCC).
Recognising the importance that natural light, calming rooms and sensory areas as well as activity rooms and a dedicated dementia-friendly garden can have on the wellbeing of the residents, the community has been designed to feel like a ‘home from home’.
Showcasing Darnley Court’s use of circadian lighting throughout the communal spaces, tranquil and low arousal design in the hallways and dining room and the range of activity and pastime spaces throughout the home, the award nomination sought to highlight the peaceful and joyful setting that the home has created.
Professor Graham Stokes, Director of Dementia and Specialist Service Innovation commented:
“People with advanced dementia have a reduced ability to filter stimulation and can become overwhelmed and distressed if their environment is not carefully curated to support their wellbeing.
“The design of Darnley Court itself is a key aspect of creating the specialist care community with everything from the lighting, colour schemes, signage and communal areas working in tandem to foster the tranquil environment that the home strives to achieve.”
The SDCC model at Darnley Court, which was unveiled in July 2024, pioneers an enhanced therapeutic service by focusing on the welfare and wellbeing of people who are emotionally distressed by their dementia and therefore require specialist care and support.
‘Carmichael’, Darnley Court’s Specialist Dementia Care Community (SDCC), aims to become a national model, reshaping dementia care for people with complex needs and easing pressure on NHS and social care services. The Carmichael team use specialist techniques and approaches to reduce people’s stress and distress, including life story work, appreciative inquiry, horticulture activities, Namaste care and functional analysis.
Based on a positive behaviour support methodology, the team interprets distress as a communication of need, and by meeting their needs residents living at Carmichael have a real quality to their lives. As a result of this holistic approach whereby psychosocial interventions are viewed as a first resort, there have been significant reductions in antipsychotic medication usage and a reduction in distress incidents.
Rosamma Matthew, HC-One Scotland’s Darnley Court Care Home Specialist Dementia Lead, said:
“It is an honour for Darnley Court Care Home to have been named as a finalist of the Best Specialist/Dementia Care Design at The Healthcare Design Awards 2025.
“I am proud of the positive impact that the Carmichael team has made by taking advantage of the innovative designs to positively impact the lives of residents and set new standards of excellence. I look forward to the award’s ceremony next month.”
Whether it is a new-build, extension, or regeneration project, The Healthcare Design Awards celebrate projects that do not just demonstrate good design, but are making a positive impact on people’s lives, whether they be patients, staff, residents, or visitors. There have been a record number of entries across the six categories at this year’s awards ceremony.
The winners will be announced at a grand ceremony at The Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Thursday, February 13.