Nic Gilbert - Chief Executive at St.Cuthert’s Care, who reflects on a challenging and rewarding 2025.
What were your key achievements this year?
All our services have retained high ratings from their regulatory body, despite the increased challenges faced across the social care sector. Our children’s home in Sunderland achieved Outstanding in all areas following its Ofsted inspection, a remarkable testament to the team’s dedication and skill. Holy Cross Nursing Home in Sunderland joined its sister home, St Catherine’s in Newcastle, in achieving the Gold Standard Framework, demonstrating excellence in end-of-life care. Together, these achievements highlight our focus on delivering consistently exceptional services across the North East.
How has St Cuthbert’s Care adapted to the challenges and opportunities of the past year?
The charity has a history of being responsive to the changing needs of those it supports, but the last few years have seen the challenges amplify. Like many in the sector, we’ve faced continued recruitment and cost pressures, yet we’ve seen incredible innovation and teamwork. We completed our third Independent Living Flat at Holy Cross in Sunderland and developed our dementia care methodology using circadian lighting. These milestones demonstrate how innovation and teamwork are helping us shape the future of person-centred care.
What are you most proud of this year?
Our staff team, whose dedication and professionalism towards the people we support, gives them and their families reassurance and peace of mind. This year, marks 10 years of St Cuthbert’s Care being a real Living Wage employer, reflecting our commitment to valuing and investing in our people. Alongside delivering high-quality commissioned services, we’ve been able to make a real difference in the community, including providing over 2,500 free meals at the Alan Shearer Centre to members with disabilities struggling with the cost of living and supporting homeless projects with sleeping bags and essential goods. I’m proud not only of what we’ve achieved but of the kindness and teamwork that continue to drive our charity forward.
Did the charity’s beneficiaries increase during the year?
Our services span all ages and needs, from children in care to adults with disabilities and older people in our nursing homes. While all areas are experiencing increased demand, the greatest pressure is in fostering where there is a real need for more foster carers to provide safe, loving homes for children. Recruiting and supporting new foster carers remains a top priority, as every additional carer allows us to offer stability, opportunity and a brighter future for vulnerable children across the region.
Tell us about your team.
We have just over 300 dedicated employees, each driven by a shared purpose: to enable people to develop to their personal potential. We invest heavily in training and professional development, offering clear career pathways and opportunities to gain specialist qualifications. Many of our senior team began their careers in entry-level roles, which speaks volumes about our culture of support and progression. We prioritise wellbeing because we know that good care starts with great people.
What guiding principle or piece of advice has shaped your approach to leading a care charity?
In a sector where challenges can shift focus quickly, it’s essential to remember why we’re here: to provide care, comfort and opportunity to those who need it most. Every decision, from financial planning to recruitment, is guided by this principle.
Your most memorable moment or event this year?
There are many but during the summer we recognised the phenomenal fundraising by Alan Shearer in raising £7million since 2012 to fund the Alan Shearer Centre. Hearing directly from the members and their families about how important the centre is to them was both moving and motivating.
What have you and your leadership team learnt from this year’s experiences?
The importance of teamwork and optimism. The external landscape can change quickly, but our ability to adapt with compassion has been our greatest strength. Clear communication across teams and services has also proved vital, when we work together, we achieve incredible outcomes.
Describe 2025 in three words…
Challenging, rewarding, exciting!
What are your top three priorities for 2026?
Continuing to deliver quality care across our services, recruiting people with the right values and skills to meet the growing demand for support and developing new services to address the unmet needs of vulnerable people across the North East.
What’s your New Year’s resolution for the charity?
To continue putting people at the heart of everything we do, supporting residents and families, empowering staff and volunteers and making a positive difference in every community we serve.
www.stcuthbertscare.org.uk