The Care Labs Named Surrey Innovation Finalist
The Care Labs, the free digital knowledge platform from Boutique Care Homes, has been named a finalist in the Digital & Technology Innovation category at the Surrey Care Awards 2026.
This year’s awards carry the theme Compassion in Action, and judges said they had met to review every entry and were “very impressed with the high standard and numbers of nominations across all categories,” before shortlisting The Care Labs among the finalists.
Launched in March 2026, The Care Labs is a standalone platform at thecarelabs.co.uk, open to anyone navigating a care decision, with no registration required. Its content spans six pillars: Dementia Care, Family Support, Funding and Finances, Health and Wellbeing, Life at Boutique, and Preparing for Care. It has reached 1,641 users since launch, and its content is now being aligned with Level 3 Health and Social Care curricula, so it can also serve as a study resource for the next generation of care professionals.
The idea began with Carl Roberts at Boutique Care Homes, drawing on his own family’s experience of finding care for his grandmother. “I remember how hard it was to find clear, honest information when we needed it most, we were making huge decisions with very little to go on,” he said. “The Care Labs exists so other families don’t have to start from nothing the way we did. Being recognised for it in Surrey means the idea is landing the way I hoped it would.” The concept was developed further through Carl’s MBA research at Wrexham University before it became a live platform.
Ameet Kotecha, Founder and Managing Director of Boutique Care Homes, said the finalist place reflects a wider commitment. “We built The Care Labs to give something back to every family thinking about care, whether they ever come through our doors or not,” he said. “That it’s being recognised as innovation, alongside the work we do in our homes, tells you everything about where we think this sector needs to go.”
Winners will be announced at the Surrey Care Awards Gala on Friday 6th November 2026 at Denbies Wine Estate, Bradley Lane, Dorking. Arrivals and drinks begin at 6:30pm, dinner follows at 7:00pm, and the awards ceremony, hosted by La Voix, leads into an evening of dancing.
For a family-run group with five homes across the South East, competing for an innovation award might seem an unusual entry. But The Care Labs was never built to win awards, it was built to be useful, and that, more than anything, is what has carried it this far.
