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Julia Senah, qualified critical care nurse and founder of complex care provider, Almond Care, has earned a shortlist place for the prestigious Great British Businesswoman 2025 Awards!

As a finalist in the Entrepreneurial Businesswoman: Marketing and Social category, she has been commended for making significant contributions to her field – from building a successful and well-regarded company, to creating a meaningful impact on the lives and wellbeing of Almond Care’s clients.

Recognised as a leading entrepreneur in the care sector, Julia is passionate about providing care for those with complex injuries and disabilities, with a diverse range of experience in nursing and care.

On her achievement, Julia said: “I’m incredibly proud to be shortlisted for this award, and I’m excited to be recognised for the work that we’ve been able to do for the community through Almond Care.

“For me, being a founder and businesswoman is more than achieving commercial success – it’s about delivering something innovative that makes real change.

“Our incredible team has helped me achieve so much with Almond Care, so a huge thank you to every one of our carers and in-house team.

“I’d also like to say congratulations to all of the fantastic entrepreneurs who have been shortlisted for an award this year! It’s an incredible achievement and thoroughly well-deserved for all these talented women.”

Founder of Nuneaton-based complex care provider, Almond Care, Julia Senah, has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to business and the local community – winning the Excellence in Health & Wellbeing Award at the Ladies First Awards 2024.

The awards recognise and celebrate the professional development and achievements of women in the UK, based on three principles of inspiration, being informative and introducing like-minded professionals to the network.

As a leader in the complex care sector with a passion for delivering high-level, bespoke care to all clients, Julia was recognised for her success as Clinical Director of Almond Care – standing out as a driver of positive, sustainable change.

Julia said: “It is an absolute honour for my contribution to the healthcare industry to be recognised. My career has been dedicated to helping others, particularly those with complex conditions who need tailored support.

“Awards like these do an incredible job at bringing together leaders from every sector, giving us the opportunity to have some amazing conversations and get to know some talented people.

“Thank you so much to Ladies First Awards for the amazing evening and a huge congratulations to all the other winners!”

Nuneaton-headquartered Almond Care has cautioned against the use of non-Ofsted registered residential homes for vulnerable young people, following a high-profile case heard before the Liverpool Family Court.

The Court heard that some unregistered homes, despite being paid up to £20,000 by local authorities, left children at serious risk.

One child has now had to be placed under a Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) Order in another unregistered home as a result of a lack of security and support as their previous placement.

Almond Care has flagged the challenges posed to local authorities and young people under their care by unregistered and unregulated children’s homes, particularly for those with additional health or behavioural needs.

Julia Senah, Clinical Director at Almond Care, said: “We know that this is a serious problem faced by too many young people, that they’re not receiving the care and support they need from residential placements.  

“As a result, we’re seeing children put at increased risk because they’re not receiving the correct early intervention from specialist residential care providers. As we’ve seen from these cases heard in Liverpool, it’s putting young people in the way of physical and emotional harm, including becoming involved in criminal activity.”

A major contributing factor, said the care provider, is the lack of registration with Ofsted.

The body, responsible for assessing and rating schools and children’s services providers, helps to ensure that children’s residential care facilities are properly equipped, that staff have the correct training and knowledge, and that the home is able to provide a safe and inclusive environment.

Julia finished: “Children’s care homes have such an incredible responsibility towards the young people in their care – making regulatory bodies like Ofsted of utmost importance.

“While a lack of registration doesn’t necessarily indicate a poor service, it can mean a lack of accountability and benchmarks for success and improvement.

“What we have ultimately seen in the last few weeks is that there is little reason to avoid registration with Ofsted, and plenty of reason to do it.

“All our Almond Care Children’s Services homes are Ofsted-registered and rated Good. This is really important for us, because it helps us deliver support for our clients in line with the latest guidelines and maintain an excellent standard of care.”