The Supreme Court's judgment on deprivation of liberty

You may be aware that the Supreme Court has recently issued a judgment which significantly changes the legal approach to determining whether a person is deprived of their liberty. The judgement can be seen here A Reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland of a devolution issue under paragraph 34 o….

We would encourage you to familiarise yourselves with the judgment and carefully consider the implications for your services and practice. Please see the following links for further information: CQC statement on the Supreme Court's judgment on deprivation of liberty - Care Quality Commission and 2026-UKSC-16-Summary-for-website.pdf.

We ask that you refer to this updated position when making any new referrals to the DoLS team.  In addition, as the change came into effect immediately from 2 June, please review any recent DoLS referrals you have made. You should consider whether, in light of this revised approach, any of these referrals may no longer be appropriate.

We hope this offers reassurance whilst we wait for additional National guidance to be disseminated.  At this stage we don’t have further information, but if you have a specific query, you can contact the MCA DoLS Duty Team at Dolforms@essex.gov.uk

Essex County Council - Provider Hub
Skip to content
Text size:

Essex Care Sector Awards 2026: The Prospers

The Essex Care Sector Awards are back for 2026!

Celebrating the best of care in Essex demonstrated through innovation, achievement and outstanding contribution. 

The Awards are open to all providers who deliver a care service to Adults in Essex County Council’s Local Authority area.

Those shortlisted will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony, at Chelmsford City Racecourse, on 2nd December 2026 where the winners will be announced.

There are 15 Award Categories featuring new Awards for 2026!

  • Outstanding Carer/Support Worker
  • Outstanding Care Sector Nurse
  • Unsung Hero
  • Outstanding Leadership
  • Team of the Year
  • Prosper Champions Award (only open to care homes on the Prosper Project)
  • Ageing Well for Adults with Disabilities
  • PQIM Award for Adults with Disabilities (only open to care providers participating in the Provider Quality Mentoring (PQIM) programme)
  • Community Partnership
  • Dementia Care 
  • Mental Health & Wellbeing
  • Activities & Wellbeing
  • Rehabilitation and Reablement (only open to providers who deliver a service to people in their own homes)
  • Palliative Care
  • Equality, Diversity & Inclusion 

Please refer to the Award Criteria when completing your nominations

The Nomination window opens on 1st June 2026 and will close at 5pm 10th July 2026. Submissions received after the deadline will not be presented to the judging panels.  Please send your Nomination forms to theprospers@essex.gov.uk 

Please note Terms and Conditions apply

A full list of last years winners including those who were awarded Highly Commended and Commended can be found in the awards brochure.

Last updated: 11/03/2026