Howard House Care Home, Kilmarnock

Howard House is a thriving care home with so much going on. Children from local primary schools regularly join us for activities, along with members of a wonderful local art group who teach classes especially for our residents!

A mobile hairdresser also visits us and other nursing homes in Kilmarnock for regular appointments in our hairdressing salon.

We are very lucky to have some wonderful family and friends who work hard to support our care home. They once raised £1,000 towards for our activities fund with a sponsored walk!

Our chef and catering team make mealtimes a real highlight, preparing everything from fresh soups and roast dinners, to home-baked cakes and sweets for afternoon tea.

Many of our residents love to roll up their sleeves to get involved with cooking, and have even taken part in the Howard House bake off. A small group regularly sit in the conservatory and prepare the vegetables for our chef. And in the secure garden at the back of the care home we ’grow our own’, from tomatoes and strawberries to aromatic herbs.

Set in a leafy residential area, the team at our Georgian care home take full advantage of the central location to keep our residents well connected to their local community in both Kilmarnock and further afield.

Sharing a minibus with our fellow nursing home in Ayrshire, popular spots to visit include the Whitelee Windfarm in Eaglesham, the Riverside Museum, Glasgow’s award-winning transport museum and Dumfries House in Cumnock.

We also take part in a project with Alzheimer’s Scotland, which organises ‘football memories’ reminiscence events. These are wonderful for our residents who live with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia or memory loss.

Our residents have previously loved to get dressed up to go to tea dances in Troon, join residents from other nursing homes in Kilmarnock and East Ayrshire at Centrestage for sing-alongs, as well as visiting the Portmann Hotel for afternoon tea.

In the summer we have organised barge trips with the Seagull Trust Cruises, which provide canal excursions for people with mobility needs and physical disabilities, with wheelchair-accessible boats. These trips are so inclusive and are perfect for our residents, some of whom have a wide range of nursing care and health and mobility needs, from epilepsy and Huntington’s disease to acquired brain injuries, Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.

As well as providing residential, dementia, nursing, palliative care and end of life care we also provide respite breaks. At Howard House Care Home we provide short-stay emergency respite breaks.

These flexible stays are ideal to give caregivers supporting elderly relatives at home the chance to take some time for themselves, while our highly qualified care and nursing staff provide care for their loved ones.

These relief breaks are also ideal if you are considering transitioning into care and want a flavour of life at Howard House.

Soozi began her career in social care at just 18 years old, starting as a care assistant in 1998. Inspired by the support of experienced colleagues and a passion for making a difference, she quickly progressed to team leader in 2000. After having her children, she continued to develop her career, qualifying as a Registered General Nurse (RGN) in 2007. From there, she advanced through roles including Charge Nurse in 2009 and Deputy Manager in 2012, where she also achieved her SVQ Assessor qualification.

Committed to continuous professional growth, Soozi completed her SVQ Level 4 in Leadership and Management in 2015 and achieved her career goal of becoming a Home Manager in 2019. She joined Sanctuary in April 2021 and values the organisation’s strong ethos, including its commitment to staff recognition, reward, and reinvestment.

Soozi is passionate about improving quality of life for residents, celebrating their achievements, and creating opportunities for them to share their stories. She believes the staff team plays a vital role in building trusting, meaningful relationships with residents and their families, helping to create a warm, welcoming and vibrant environment.

Proud of her career and determined to succeed, Soozi considers her greatest personal achievement to be providing security for her family. Outside of work, she is very active and enjoys road and trail running.

Her advice to families is simple: you will know when you have found the right care service—it should feel warm, welcoming, and full of life, and most importantly, it should feel right for you and your loved one.

It is usual for residents in care homes to contribute to the cost of their own care. Some people have the resources to pay for this in full, whilst others make means-tested contributions. 

Our weekly fees are individual to each of our residents and are subject to a pre-admission assessment, which is required to understand the level of care and support needed.

Howard House Care Home - Weekly Charges per Person (2026)

•  Self-Funder Care - From £1,350

*May be in the region of 30% more - depending on the type of room that's right for you. 

Visit our Paying for Care page for information on how to pay for care at Howard House Care Home.

There are 63 beautifully decorated en-suite bedrooms. 

At our Kilmarnock care home, we provide residential care, dementia care, nursing care and pre-bookable respite care. 

Our home was rated 'Good' for Wellbeing and Care and Support in our latest Care Inspectorate report. 

Facilities at Howard House include en-suite bedrooms, a hairdressing salon and wheelchair-friendly landscaped gardens. 

Activities at Howard House include arts and crafts and light exercise sessions to trips out in our minibus.