CEO, Millennium Care Homes The Millennium Care Journey Interview Ghulam Haider Founder Millennium Care Group Wigan, Greater Manchester
Tajammul Gurmani
Aims: When did you start this business and how many care homes do you have across the UK?
Ans: We have started the care home business about 30 years ago and are currently running 5 care homes.
Aims: What types of care do you provide?
Ans: We are providing Residential, Nursing, Dementia, and Dementia with Nursing facilities.
Aims: Millennium Care recently received B Corp accreditation. What’s your strategy and day-to-day operations?
Ans: Accredited in July 2024, becoming the first UK care home provider to earn this accreditation, scoring 81.2 on the B Impact Assessment, which is well above the average score of 50.9. We reflected performance across governance, worker well-being, community engagement, environment, and customer care. We have set up dedicated B Leaders spanning across care home managers and head office to review B Corp criteria and integrate it into every policy. We are committed to consider workers, community, environment, and residents in all decisions, not just shareholder returns. We run regular staff workshops and collect improvement ideas, better waste sorting, and new community partnerships. We carry out regular surveys and work to action plans for improvements. Staff voice is built into our governance. We have created a feedback platform for staff called “Your Millennium Voice” and management are accountable for acting on feedback. We hold regular staff meetings where team members can propose changes. We work with Intergenerational England, supporting projects that bring children into homes for shared art or music sessions. We partner with local charities such as Wigan Youth Zone to design activities and support the local community. Our latest home, Langtree, is designed with modern efficiency standards, outdoor access for residents, and low-carbon design elements. Our supplier policies screen for sustainability and locally sourced food. Residents are involved in green initiatives such as gardening and recycling projects. We produce an annual impact report that publicly documents what we have achieved and what we still need to improve for each stakeholder group.
Aims: Can you share a recent initiative that improves your values?
We were a gold sponsor for the “Access All Ages” launch, hosted at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall. The event featured music workshops that brought participants together aged 3 to 103. We didn’t just fund the event, we integrated prior programming into our homes. Managers and staff had already worked with Intergenerational Music Making and Intergenerational England to bring music sessions into our everyday calendars.
Aims: You are following the Care and Independence household model. What are the biggest benefits and challenges you see in growing this model?
Ans: Langtree and Worthington Lake follow the household model and their designs include small households with dedicated kitchen and living spaces, enabling residents to choose activities, help prepare food, and maintain autonomy. The household model creates a better staff and resident relationship. Consistent staffing means less reliance on agency workers and more trust. Staff satisfaction improves because they see the outcomes of their care more directly. We have seen a reduction in resident distress and anxiety, lower use of antipsychotics, and fewer hospital admissions.
Aims: How do you ensure the quality?
Ans: All of our homes are rated Good or Outstanding with CQC. Regular internal audits mirror CQC domains to prepare for inspections and improve quality. Staff receive training on best practice standards. Most recently, staff received training in Material Citizenship with Dr Kellyn Lee. Material Citizenship is a person-led care approach that focuses on how everyday objects, possessions, and environments enable people, especially those with dementia, to retain agency, identity, and well-being.
Aims: Your care homes provide green spaces and unique design. How do these features impact the residents’ mental and physical health?
Ans: Our commitment to green spaces and the household design isn’t just aesthetic, it is strongly tied to better mental and physical health outcomes for residents, especially older adults and people living with dementia. The benefits include: Stress reduction – access to greenery lowers cortisol levels and reduces agitation. Mood elevation – nature views and time outdoors are proven to lift mood, reduce depression, and increase feelings of well-being. Sense of normalcy – gardens create familiar, homelike environments that support reminiscence and orientation. Encourages movement – even light gardening, walking or sitting outside involves more physical activity than staying indoors. Improved sleep – daylight exposure helps regulate circadian rhythms, reducing sleep disturbances that are common in dementia. Respiratory health – better air quality and ventilation when doors and windows open onto green space
Aims: As a team leader, what do you think about your staff?
Ans: Our staff are the lifeblood of our service. We recognise that the quality of care depends on staff well-being, skills, and motivation. Staff are not just employees, they are stakeholders and the foundation of care quality.
Aims: You are offering an advanced dementia model. What technologies are you using for dementia patients?
Ans: Care management software with AI integration to reduce paperwork for staff and improve real-time tracking of care plans. A proactive falls prevention call bell system (Arquella) includes motion sensors for night-time movement alert, reducing the need for intrusive monitoring.
Aims: Do you promote community partnership programmes in Millennium Care?
Ans: A longstanding collaboration with Intergenerational England and Intergenerational Music Making – boosts resident well-being and engagement, offers youth intergenerational experiences, and creates partnerships between generations. We are a gold patron of Wigan Youth Zone, funding mental health and sports projects. This enables an intergenerational partnership whilst supporting youth employment, training, and volunteering roles. We work with The Brick, a Wigan & Leigh-based anti-poverty charity offering support, housing aid, and related services. We have a community pantry run from Norley Hall Care Home, operating a twice-weekly food bank for the local community.
Aims: What do you think about the future and social impact of the elderly care industry?
Ans: We see our social impact as central, not optional. We believe the future of elderly care must balance commercial success with social good.
Aims: What are your goals for the improvement of Millennium Care Homes?
Ans: To deliver consistently high standards of person-led, homelike care. Shifting from institutional routines to flexible, resident-led living. Improving dementia care through a non-pharmacological approach, using design features, enhanced staff training, and integrated technologies.
Aims: What’s your message for the public?
We are on a journey, and we are serious about it. We are not claiming to be perfect, but we are promising to try. We believe in putting people and the planet first. Our B Corp certification isn’t a badge, it is our promise to residents, staff, families, and the community that we will always strive to do better, together.
