We're a Sunday Times Best Place to Work 2026

ivolve is One of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026 – 3 Years in a Row!

A third consecutive win shines a light on ivolve colleagues, their passion for care and support, and the rewarding careers being built across social care.

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.

When thousands of colleagues across ivolve took part in this year’s annual colleague survey, they weren’t just sharing feedback about their workplace. They were helping support something much bigger.

Thanks to record participation in our annual colleague survey fundraising initiative, we’ve proudly donated funds to both Alzheimer’s Society and Cancer Research UK, turning colleague feedback into meaningful support for two charities that touch the lives of millions of people across the UK.

The donations were formally presented during a special cheque presentation event attended by representatives from both charities, celebrating the collective impact that can be achieved when people come together with a shared purpose.

At ivolve, listening to colleagues isn’t simply something we do once a year. It’s part of how we shape our culture, improve experiences and create a workplace where people feel valued, heard and empowered to make a difference.

This year, however, the survey delivered something even more powerful. For every completed survey response, we pledged to donate £1 to charity, giving colleagues not only the opportunity to share their views but also a direct say in where the money would go.

The result was our highest ever level of survey engagement, with thousands of colleagues from across our nursing, residential care and supported living homes in England and Wales taking part.

Together, those individual responses created a collective contribution that will now help support people affected by dementia and fund life-saving cancer research.

How Colleague Survey Fundraising Made a Difference

At ivolve, we believe that every voice matters. Our colleague survey plays a vital role in helping us shape the future of our organisation.

The insights colleagues share influence decisions, improvements and priorities across the business, helping us continue building an environment where people can do their best work while delivering meaningful care to the people we support. The colleague survey fundraising initiative was designed to reinforce that belief.

By linking survey participation directly to charitable giving, colleagues could see first-hand how sharing their views could make a difference beyond their own workplace.

The response exceeded expectations. Thousands of colleagues took the time to provide feedback, demonstrating not only their commitment to improving ivolve but also their desire to support causes that matter deeply to them.

When it came to selecting the charity, colleagues were invited to vote for the cause they wanted the donation to support. The result was incredibly close, so rather than selecting a single winner, we chose to split the funds between the two charities that received the highest number of votes: Alzheimer’s Society and Cancer Research UK.

The decision ensured that both charities would benefit from the generosity and engagement of colleagues across the organisation. It’s a simple idea, but one that reflects something important about our culture.

We know that meaningful change often starts with small actions. Completing a survey may seem like a small act on its own, but when thousands of people come together, those actions can create a powerful impact.

That principle sits at the heart of our employee value proposition and the culture we’ve worked hard to build. It’s also one of the reasons ivolve has been recognised as one of the UK’s Best Places to Work by The Sunday Times for three consecutive years. We know that when colleagues feel listened to, valued and involved in shaping the future, everyone benefits.

"We simply can't reach those who need us without support from incredible fundraisers like ivolve Care & Support."

Jodie Jarecki,
Regional Fundraiser – Alzheimer’s Society

Supporting Causes Close to Colleagues’ Hearts

The charities selected by colleagues represent causes that affect countless families, communities and colleagues across the UK.

Alzheimer’s Society works tirelessly to support people living with dementia, fund groundbreaking research and campaign for change.

Speaking following the cheque presentation, Jodie Jarecki, Regional Fundraiser for the East Midlands at Alzheimer’s Society, highlighted the difference the donation will make.

“We are so grateful that ivolve Care & Support chose to support Alzheimer’s Society. We provide vital support to people living with dementia, funds groundbreaking research and campaigns to make dementia the priority it should be. It will take a society to beat dementia.”

She continued, “There are around a million people living with dementia in the UK including 14,006 in Derbyshire. We all have a role to play in ending the devastation dementia causes. We simply can’t reach everyone who needs us without the continued support of our incredible fundraisers like colleagues at ivolve Care & Support.”

"Thank you so much for choosing to support Cancer Research UK. Every penny raised goes towards vital life-saving research."

Joyce Clifford,
Alfreton Representative – Cancer Research UK

The donation will help Alzheimer’s Society continue providing vital support services while funding research aimed at improving lives and finding solutions for future generations.

Cancer Research UK, meanwhile, remains the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving and improving lives through research, influence and information.

Representing the charity at the presentation event was Joyce Clifford, Chairman of the Alfreton and District Committee for Cancer Research UK.

Reflecting on the occasion, she said: “A lovely morning to celebrate, and so well organised. Thank you so much for choosing to support Cancer Research UK. Every penny raised goes towards vital life-saving research.”

This is why initiatives like this matter. Behind every donation is the potential for hope. Hope for better treatments. Hope for greater understanding. Hope for brighter futures for individuals and families facing some of life’s toughest challenges. And we’re proud to be part of that in some small way.

A Workplace Where Feedback Matters

The success of our colleague survey charity donation initiative is a reflection of the culture we continue to build.

Across our organisation, we support more than 1,150 adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs and complex support needs through more than 185 homes and support services across England and Wales.

Delivering high-quality support starts with having engaged, motivated and valued colleagues. That’s why listening matters.

Every year, our colleague survey helps us better understand what’s working, where we can improve and how we can continue making ivolve a great place to work. The feedback we receive directly informs actions, priorities and improvements across the organisation.

Divisional Head of People for England, Keeley Denman, believes this year’s initiative demonstrates the power of collective action. “The response from our colleagues demonstrates their shared commitment to making a difference and shows that small individual actions – such as completing a survey – can come together to create a significant collective impact.

“The success of our colleague survey fundraising initiative reflects the culture we continue to build, while also reinforcing our commitment to giving back. Our annual survey remains a key part of how we gather insight and shape our future and we have been delighted it has further benefitted not one, but two charities close to the hearts of our colleagues.”

That commitment to listening has helped shape a culture where colleagues feel able to speak up, share ideas and influence positive change. We’ve recently been recognised as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work for the third consecutive year, reflecting the experiences and feedback of colleagues across the organisation. While awards are never the goal, they provide a valuable reminder that listening to colleagues and acting on what they tell us makes a real difference.

Whether it’s supporting people to achieve personal goals, volunteering within local communities, raising money for important causes or sharing ideas that help improve our organisation, our colleagues consistently demonstrate the values that make ivolve special.

"The success of our colleague survey reflects the culture we continue to build, while also reinforcing our commitment to giving back"

Keeley Denman
Divisional Head of People for England at ivolve

Small Actions, Lasting Impact

The cheque presentation marked the end of one fundraising initiative, but it also highlighted something much bigger.

When people feel heard, they engage. When they engage, they contribute. And when thousands of people contribute together, remarkable things can happen.

What began as colleague survey fundraising became an opportunity to support two incredible charities, fund important work and demonstrate the positive impact that colleague voices can have both within and beyond the workplace.

At ivolve, we’re incredibly proud of every colleague who took the time to complete the survey, cast their vote and help make these donations possible. Their feedback will continue helping us shape the future of ivolve.

Their participation has already helped make a difference to two charities doing extraordinary work. As we begin reviewing this year’s feedback, we’ll continue using those insights to strengthen our culture, improve colleague experience and ensure ivolve remains a place where people can thrive.

Because when colleagues feel heard, supported and empowered, positive things happen – for our teams, for the people we support and, as this initiative has shown, for the wider communities around us too.

Looking for a workplace where your voice matters?

At ivolve, colleague feedback helps shape decisions, drive improvements and create positive change. Explore our latest opportunities and discover how you can build a meaningful career with us.