Fremantle Court, our 90-place flagship nursing home, developed by leading architects, Hunters, and built by Castleoak, was recognised for its excellence, winning the Dementia Development category in the UK Building Better Healthcare Awards.

The annual awards celebrate innovation, architecture, people, products and services that are helping to transform patient care in the UK.

Designed with the purpose of creating a happy, comfortable, desirable and safe place to live and work, Fremantle Court, based in Stoke Mandeville, sets the standard in a new generation of care homes specifically created to meet the needs of people living with dementia.

The BBH Award is a further hallmark of design excellence following Fremantle Court’s recent award by the University of Stirling of its Gold Standard for dementia care design.

Sensitively designed to enable residents to maintain independence, while supporting their needs, Fremantle Court gives flexibility of choice with kitchens in each wing, to create a ‘home from home’ look and feel.

Tudor Williams, head of facilities at The Fremantle Trust, said: “Our experience in successfully running care homes for over two decades has given us the knowledge and understanding of what works best from an operational viewpoint and this was seen by the designers as an important contributing factor to the success of the design.”

Featuring large open plan areas, Fremantle Court is designed around the principle of three group living wings, each with their own enclosed garden or allotment space. Residents can enjoy multiple destinations, with comfortable lounges, winter gardens, seated areas and the ‘home heart’ – a central hub and focus for social activities.

Commenting on the award, chief executive of The Fremantle Trust, Steve Flanagan, said: “We’re thrilled to receive this recognition and are extremely proud of Fremantle Court as a pioneering development, drawing on the latest innovation and creating a high quality home environment which provides tailored support while enabling independent living.”

James Wallace, director of architecture at Hunters, added: “Fremantle Court is a high specification nursing home that responds to the complex needs of people living with dementia, using technology and carefully integrated spaces in a way that challenges traditional architecture and raises the bar in dementia care design.”