Our founder and MD, Stella Shaw, is a co-founder of CareBoodle alongside registered nurse Liz Blacklock (Lapis Care) and GP Dr Kirsten Protherough. And we’re so proud to share that they have just won a £75,000 Women in Innovation Award from InnovateUK. CareBoodle is one of only 61 winners chosen this year from a record 1,590 women founders who applied, in the programme’s 10th anniversary year.
For a home care team like ours, this is more than an award. It’s national recognition that the people closest to those we support: carers, on ordinary shifts, who are out there and can catch a serious health change early.
What CareBoodle Does
CareBoodle is a digital tool that helps care professionals spot delirium early.
Delirium is a sudden change in someone’s mental state. So think of confusion, disorientation, and a shift in awareness that comes on over hours or days. It’s common in people over 65, and it’s often mistaken for dementia or missed altogether. Yet caught in time, it’s frequently treatable.
And the main thing: catch it early and act, and people are far more likely to recover, keep their quality of life, and stay in their own homes.
With that in mind, the people most likely to notice that first change are care professionals. Until now, they’ve rarely had a structured way to name what they’re seeing or a clear route to escalate it. But CareBoodle changes that.
It turns clinical expertise into a straightforward assessment any carer can complete, with a clear escalation route when something is wrong. In short: it’s the digital escalation tool for carers. A way to act on the feeling that something has changed.
Built By The People Who See The Problem First
CareBoodle was created by three healthcare professionals on an equal footing: registered nurse Liz Blacklock, founder of Lapis Care in Hampshire; GP Dr Kirsten Protherough in Worcestershire; and Stella Shaw, a registered nurse and senior lecturer who founded StellaCares NW here in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire West.
And running a home care company is precisely what grounds CareBoodle in the reality of day-to-day care. As Stella puts it:
“A tool like this only earns its place if it fits the shift a care professional is actually working. With my experience and from running a home care company, I know what the day looks like, and I know how easily an early change gets lost. CareBoodle gives our teams a way to catch it and act on it. Winning this backing tells us the case for care-led technology is being heard.”
The scale of the problem is significant. Unmanaged delirium costs the NHS an estimated £10.8 billion a year, yet up to a third of cases can be prevented if caught early. Early detection isn’t just better for the person, it eases pressure the health service can’t easily absorb.
What The Award Will Fund
The £75,000 grant comes with a 12-month package of business support, training and networking. It will fund two things: an independent evaluation led by the Association for Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester (running from July 2026 to June 2027 with three care providers taking part) and further development of the tool itself, refining how easy it is to use and readying it for wider roll-out.
Why It Matters To Us
Everything we do at StellarCare NW is about helping people stay well, independent and at home for as long as possible. CareBoodle is that same belief, built into a tool: giving carers the confidence to notice, name and act on the early signs that make all the difference.
We’re incredibly proud of Stella, of Liz and Kirsten, and of what this recognition says about the value of care-led innovation.
If you’re interested in a career where your observations genuinely matter, StellarCare NW is always keen to hear from people who want to make a real difference in home care. If stories like this inspire you, follow us to keep up with our team, and fill in our recruitment form today.
To find out more about what this means for you or your loved one’s care, get in touch with our team for a free, no-obligation chat.