Meet the Team
Robin Sutton
Chair
More About Robin
Robin is a Non Executive Director of the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and is heavily involved as a provider of care services covering the spectrum from meals on wheels, day care, supported living and residential care.
Robin has enjoyed completing an Innovating in Healthcare program with Harvard University looking at smart phone applications in the field of dementia. He is Chair of Torbay Pharmaceuticals, a Director of the Trust’s subsidiary SDH Developments Limited, and a Board member of Health and Care Innovations LLP.
Robin has been involved with various providers in Devon since the formation of the Devon Care Kite Mark and a keen supporter of collaborative work across the care sector. Recently, he has been involved in discussing key issues with SWAST and providing a formal process that providers can access, and most recently involved with the framework for enhanced health in care homes with the NHS.
Louise Arnold
Director
More About Louise
Louise Arnold joined Peninsula Care Homes, a family company in 2005 and is now Managing Director. Owning 5 homes across Devon caring for over 200 people living in our homes and over 250 staff. Louise has been an active member of various organisations across Devon to share best practice which contributes to developing her own homes.
Louise attended University of Birmingham and Cranfield University and completed courses with Maria Montessori Institute Montessori for Dementia and Ageing and Dementia Care Matters, which helps shape Peninsula’s approach within the homes.
Lucy Bull
Director & Communications Officer
More About Lucy
Lucy returned to her roots in care and became a manager at Castle Grove Nursing Home at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. She was just completing an MSc in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health at Bristol University when the 2020 March lockdown started, and her public health expertise became a useful tool! Lucy grew up in Devon, learning the ropes from her parents, who started Castle Grove, a “hotel with nurses" in 1984. Life after university led Lucy to a career in media, working for the BBC in Bristol for over a decade. She says that working in local radio used some of the same skills she learnt as a care assistant: “listening is a crucial skill - and sometimes you know that you are the first person that a listener has spoken to that day - it was vital that they felt heard, and it often led to some fascinating stories”.
Since returning to Devon, Lucy worked in education for five years as an Education Visits Co-ordinator and Press Officer. She embarked on the MSc in 2019 to enhance her knowledge and skillset and received a Distinction.
Geoffrey Cox
Director
More About Geoffrey
Geoffrey is the Managing Director of Southern Healthcare but prior to a career in Residential Care, Geoffrey was a practising Solicitor for 25 years. In 2008, Geoffrey became a Board member of the Registered Nursing Homes Assn and instigated formation of the Devon Care Providers Association which with others lobbied for Provider concerns. He then became a Provider representative to Devon County Council and to Devon Safeguarding Adults Board. In 2011 he became a member of a group which initiated 2 Judicial Reviews upon funding matters in Devon both in 2011 and 2012, which was a substantial and successful undertaking.
In 2012, he became a steering group member of the newly formed ‘Devon Care Kite Mark’ group which is a collaborative, existing to share, develop and promote best practice.
Geoffrey completed a Masters degree in Dementia studies at Stirling University in 2013 and has run circa 10 Devon Care conferences since 2011, which have been growing in impact each year, with significant key speakers.
MARGOT WHITTAKER
Director
More About Margot
Margot Whittaker is Southern Healthcare’s Director of Nursing and Compliance.
Margot has been involved with Southern Healthcare’s four nursing homes for the past eighteen years in a nursing career spanning four decades.
She is also a founder member of the steering group for the Devon Care Kite Mark Group.
Through the years, Margot has been heavily involved in ensuring and supporting excellence in care home management and compliance to meet the continual challenges of the Care Quality Commission regulations and expectations. She is devoted to raising standards in nursing care within all nursing homes.
Margot is currently developing an Adult Social Care Nurse Foundation Programme with the support of local colleges and universities. This unique scheme will involve training and support through a specific set of competencies needed to fulfil the increasingly complex role of nurses working in care homes.
“I am passionate about improving standards in Southern Healthcare’s four homes and throughout the sector. I firmly believe that the development of meaningful, quality relationships throughout the homes, the team and within the family groups are the key to ensuring a place where all can benefit from an enjoyable environment and a greater sense of wellbeing.”
TUSHAR SHAH
Director
More About Tushar
We see the Devon Care Homes Collaborative as a real opportunity for all of us to come together, share ideas, and find practical ways to make care in Devon stronger, smarter, and more sustainable. It’s exactly the kind of environment where we know our teams can add value.
Our journey in care started long before Centrum Care Homes. Back in 2007, we co-founded and grew several Bluebird Care franchises, building them from the ground up into high-performing, well-respected services. That experience gave us a strong foundation in quality, compliance, and building trust with families and staff, lessons that still shape how we work today.
Through Centrum Care Homes, we’ve since been involved in running and growing operations across Devon and Berkshire. Together with our teams, we’ve turned around services rated Inadequate or Requires Improvement by bringing in strong leadership, clear governance, and cultural change. Equally, we’ve celebrated Outstanding ratings where people and systems aligned to deliver truly exceptional care. Those journeys have reinforced for us that success in this sector is always about people, quality, and innovation. Our core ethos at Centrum is: “We build teams who run businesses.”
To enable this, we’ve embraced digital transformation. Person Centred Software, Camascope, YourHippo for training, iAuditor for safety and auditing, and HRPartner.io/Rotacloud for workforce management have all helped streamline our operations, freeing teams to focus on residents rather than paperwork.
That experience aligns closely with the Collaborative’s mission. We are open to sharing what has worked for us, particularly around turnarounds and digital adoption, while also learning from the insight and expertise of others.
We also bring a commercial and strategic perspective. Running care services today requires balancing financial pressures with the ambition to deliver outstanding care. Our background in property investment and development helps us think long-term, plan creatively, and make decisions that keep services both stable and sustainable. Alongside this, mentoring and coaching businesses outside the sector has given us transferable skills we bring into care leadership.
What excites us about the Collaborative are its values: Caring, Trust, Respect, Openness, and Integrity. These are values we embed in our homes. For us, leadership means being transparent and approachable, encouraging candid conversations, focusing on solutions, and building genuine trust, not just with staff, but with residents, families, regulators, and the wider community.
Looking forward, we see huge potential in data and innovation. At Centrum, we are already exploring AI-powered tools to analyse care data, identify trends, and predict issues before they escalate. We are keen to share that journey and explore how such tools could benefit services across the Collaborative.
Ultimately, we see this role as a chance to work collectively, share learning, and raise the bar for care across Devon. The challenges we face: staffing, regulation, financial constraints are significant, but by collaborating, sharing expertise, and thinking innovatively, we believe we can build a stronger, more sustainable future for our sector.
SHRIEN DEWANI
Director
More About Shrien
ISSAC THEOPHILOS
Director
More About Issac
I currently serve as Director of Bliss Care Homes. My work began in 2022 with the turnaround of Aveland Court Care Home, which at the time had been issued a 28-day closure notice by the CQC. I registered as Manager, working intensively with the existing team and owner to stabilise the home. Following acquisition, we undertook a full refurbishment, strengthened governance, and embedded quality improvement practices. Within months, CQC rated the service Good in all areas, and the home is now thriving with full occupancy and a strong workforce of 30+ staff. This hands on transformation demonstrates my ability to deliver sustainable change under challenging circumstances. We now have two care homes in Torquay.
Alongside operational leadership, I have worked as a consultant to many care homes across England, supporting providers in addressing compliance challenges, avoiding closure, and improving ratings. Through this work, I have helped homes move from Inadequate to Good or Outstanding, guided providers in responding to enforcement notices, and represented care homes in meetings with CQC and local authorities. My consultancy experience has given me a broad perspective on systemic issues in the sector, from workforce retention and cost management to leadership development and innovation.
I am also the author of How to Get Outstanding: An Ultimate Guide for Care Homes, a book that has sold over 5,000 copies and is widely used by care providers striving for improvement. In addition, I have developed tools such as the Care Leadership Assessment Score (CLA Score), the first competency test for care home managers, to address leadership challenges within the sector. These contributions reflect my commitment to thought leadership and my drive to share knowledge for the benefit of the wider community.
My expertise spans:
- Regulation & Compliance – in-depth knowledge of CQC frameworks, audits, and governance.
- Strategic Growth & Finance – experience in acquisitions, corporate financing, and sustainable business planning.
- Leadership & Workforce Development – mentoring managers and directors, fostering wellbeing, and building strong teams.
- Innovation & Influence – public speaking, publishing, and sector-wide initiatives to raise standards and profile.
My educational background includes an MBA in Healthcare Leadership and Management, a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Adult Residential Management, and a degree in Adult Nursing, supported by further training in corporate finance at the London School of Economics.
I am motivated to join the Board to contribute my operational experience, strategic insight, and passion for excellence to collective efforts that will shape the future of care in Devon. I believe the challenges our sector faces demand collaborative solutions, and I am eager to play an active role in supporting providers and promoting outstanding care across the county.
MARTA BROYD
Director
More About Marta
DOMINIQUE LLOYD
Director
More About Dominique
Dominique and her husband Kevin bought Bay Court Residential and Nursing Home in Budleigh Salterton in 2022, after relocating to the South West in pursuit of a life more rooted in the community.
She holds a degree in Textiles & Production Management, and began her professional journey in industry, before moving into recruitment. After a career break to care for her two children (now aged 15 and 11), Dominique launched her own recruitment consultancy.
Her parents have owned a residential home in Bristol for the last 20 plus years and having passion for nurturing environments and delivering quality care led her to buy Bay Court. She is dedicated to creating a warm, safe and enriching home for residents, supported by a team she inspires to offer the very best in residential and nursing care.
Hobbies include, volunteering, being a member of her local church and animals. Dominique has 3 mini schnauzers, goats, chickens and sheep, all of whom come into Bay Court to visit!
JONATHAN LOBB
Director
More About Jonathan
Jonathan is a Director for Devon Care Homes Collaborative.
MALCOLM BAKER
Company Secretary
More About Malcolm
I worked for NatWest for 37 years as a Senior Relationship Manager before taking a redundancy package and subsequently joining Morris Lane, where I have been working now for just over 5 years.
My role at Morris Lane is varied and includes marketing and new business. I am also the Treasurer for the Dorset Care Home Association, a Director and Treasurer of the Dorset Parent Infant Partnership (DorPIP), a local charity, and a non-executive Director of East Boro Housing Trust (a housing association and now part of the wider Aster Group).
In my spare time, I am a world ranked Real Tennis player and enjoy playing this, as well as tennis, cycling and following Weymouth FC and Manchester United.
MICHAELA COSWAY
Administrator
More About Michaela
I've always lived in Devon and currently reside in Exeter.
I attended Mount Saint Mary’s Convent School, followed by Saint Wilfrid’s School in Exeter and, with a passion for literature, later undertook undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in English at the University of Plymouth.
As an Administrator, my main responsibilities include membership, the website, newsletters, events and sponsorship.
In my spare time, I enjoy eating out, trips to the theatre, reading, music, travelling, walking, and generally just being outdoors, spending time with family and friends.
SARA SMALL
Contract Manager DSPT
More About Sara
You may have seen me on various DSPT events, where I provide training, support and delivery for the DSPT contract.
I'm originally from Hertfordshire and moved to Devon in 2001. I've worked in admin and PA roles for over 15 years, over a variety of sectors - you name it I've done it! Most recently I did a lot of land agency and farming administration, partly because I also run the family business, rearing our own sustainable produce (we specialise in pedigree Dexter beef and Black Welsh Mountain sheep). I've really enjoyed learning about the impact of data security on the care sector (something I never thought I'd say!) as the DSPT programme is really very well put together.
When I'm not thinking about data security or farming, I'm ferrying my three Smalls to their various hockey/theatre/swimming lessons.
Family Small all share a passion for the outdoors, nature and the sea.
If you'd like to know more about DSPT please get in touch.
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