We’re pleased to share that we’ve been named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026, marking the third year in a row we’ve received this national workplace recognition.
This year, we’ve also received the Industry Award for Very Big Organisation in the Health and Social Care category – a recognition that shines a light on the people who make care and support happen every day.
We are proud of this achievement because this award is about colleagues. The Support Workers, Nurses, Registered Managers, operational teams, specialist colleagues and central teams who support people with complex needs to live safer, fuller and more independent lives.
It is a moment to pause, say thank you, and look ahead. It’s our nature to keep wanting to do more to make our workplace even better.
“I love the fact that we are helping people to achieve their goals in life.”
Colleague
A recognition shaped by colleague voices
The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, in partnership with WorkL, celebrates organisations across the UK that are leading the way in employee engagement, workplace culture and colleague experience.
Being recognised for a third consecutive year is especially meaningful because it is shaped by colleague feedback.
Across ivolve, more than 4,000 colleagues support over 1,150 people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs and other complex support needs across nursing, residential and supported living homes. Their work is skilled, emotional, practical and deeply human.
It is the colleague who notices when someone is quieter than usual. The Nurse who brings clinical confidence and compassion into complex moments. The Support Worker helping someone try something new for the first time. The Manager creating the kind of team culture where people feel supported enough to do their best work.
“This recognition belongs to our colleagues. They are the people behind it, they are the reason it matters.”
Tim Davies, ivolve CEO
Feedback that counts
In feedback, colleagues talked about teamwork, development, belonging and the difference they make every day.
One colleague shared: “I love the fact that we are helping the people we support achieve their goals.” While another described ivolve as “a safe environment for us and the people we support.”
Others spoke about training and development helping them grow in their role, good progression opportunities and the feeling of working somewhere with purpose, support and strong team relationships.
Those words matter because they are not polished campaign lines. They are lived experience. And while not every colleague will feel the same every day, they help show what is possible when people feel listened to and connected to the purpose of their work.
Tim Davies, CEO of ivolve Care & Support, said the recognition is a chance to celebrate colleagues, but also to open up a wider conversation about social care. “This recognition belongs to our colleagues. They are the people behind it, and they are the reason it matters.”
He continued, “We are delighted to be recognised again, but this is bigger than ivolve. It is a chance to celebrate the expertise, commitment and humanity of caring professionals in the sector, and the role social care plays in society.”
“Care is skilled work. It takes judgement, resilience, emotional intelligence and the ability to build trust in complex situations. These are human skills that technology cannot replicate, and they will only become more valuable in the future.
There is more to care than people think
Social care is often talked about through the lens of pressure and challenge. Those challenges are real, and the sector cannot pretend otherwise. But that is not the whole story.
Every day, social care helps people build confidence, reconnect with their communities, develop independence and live in a place they call home. It supports families. It creates local jobs. It gives people meaningful careers. It helps people with complex needs be heard, understood and supported in ways that can change the course of their lives.
At ivolve, this work is supported by Strive, our model of support, which helps colleagues deliver proactive, person-centred support that focuses on outcomes, relationships and quality of life.
That means looking beyond tasks and routines. It means understanding what matters to each person, building capable environments around them, and helping people take steps towards the life they want.
Colleague feedback also shows how closely that purpose is felt day to day. One person said they value “job satisfaction, knowing we are making a positive difference.” Another spoke about the “focus on person-centred care” and the way colleagues support one another. These comments reflect the quiet, consistent work happening across ivolve every day – work that does not always make headlines, but changes lives.
When colleagues feel supported in their work, the impact reaches far beyond the workplace. It can mean someone feeling calmer, safer and more confident. It can mean a family feeling reassured. It can mean a person taking part in their community in a way they may not have thought possible before.
That is why colleague experience and the support delivered are so closely connected.
“The training and development opportunities have really helped me grow in my role.”
Colleague
Building careers with purpose
The Sunday Times Best Places to Work recognition also helps shine a light on care as a career.
At ivolve, colleagues come from many different backgrounds. Some join with years of experience in health and social care. Others arrive from retail, hospitality, customer service, education, logistics or completely different sectors, bringing valuable life experience and people skills with them. What connects them is a desire to do work that matters.
Care can be an interesting, varied and long-term career. It offers opportunities to build specialist skills, gain qualifications, grow into leadership, move between different types of support and make a visible difference every day.
That came through clearly in colleague feedback. One person said: “The training and development opportunities really help me grow in my role.” Another highlighted good progression opportunities, great training and support from other teams.
For others, it is the relationships that stand out. One colleague described feeling grateful for the support they had received and that “no two days are the same.”
For us, that is the heart of the story. It is about recognising the thousands of colleagues who care deeply, while continuing to build a workplace where people can thrive.
Through our academies, leadership development, wellbeing support, colleague forums, recognition schemes and internal engagement channels such as Connect, we continue to invest in the people who make our work possible.
The aim is simple: to keep listening, keep improving and keep creating an environment where colleagues feel supported to give their best.
"Ultimately, success in social care is
not measured by awards. It is
measured in lives changed."
Tim Davies, ivolve CEO
Thank you to our colleagues
Getting a place on the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list for a third year is a meaningful moment. Receiving the Health and Social Care Industry Award makes it even more special.
But the real achievement belongs to colleagues and their dedication. The people who celebrate small steps because they know those small steps can be life-changing. It belongs to the people who make ivolve who we are.
Tim added: “Ultimately, success in social care is not measured by awards. It is measured in lives changed. When colleagues feel supported to give their best, the impact for the people we support can be profound.”
So today, we are saying thank you. Thank you to every colleague who shared their voice. Thank you to every team creating homes where people feel safe, seen and supported. Thank you to everyone helping show that care is not a fallback career. It is a career with purpose, skill and a future.
We hope that this will open some honest dialogue about the value of careers and work in care, and just how much we must do to have that value seen. That’s what this is about.
So, let’s have the conversation.
Start your career in care
If you are looking for a career that is varied, meaningful and built around human connection, ivolve could be the place for you.
Whether you are an experienced care professional, a Nurse, a graduate, a future leader or someone ready to move into work with more purpose, we would love to hear from you.