Countrywide Care Homes (2) Limited Gender Pay Statement

April 2024 – March 2025 Published April 2026

Gender Pay Statement for Countrywide Care Homes 2 Limited

Throughout the MMCG Group we are committed to offering high quality residential care, nursing homes and support services to older and vulnerable people in our communities. We could not achieve this without the dedication and hard work of our colleagues and team members. In light of this, we strive to provide a positive working environment wherein gender equality is encouraged and supported. 

This statement has been published in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017, pursuant to which Countrywide Care Homes Limited is required to publish a report on the gender pay gap within the organisation. The gender pay gap report indicates the difference in average hourly earnings for men and women. The calculations are based on employer payroll data from a specific date each year, being 5 April 2025.

Gender Pay and Bonus Gap

When comparing the average hourly rate of pay, there is a negative difference, meaning that on average women are paid slightly more than men. This shows a slight change from last year's published figures.  Fluctuation in figures as the make up of the workforce changes year to year is not unusual.

When comparing median values, the difference in pay between male and female employees is less than 0.1%, representing an improvement on last year’s already minimal gap. This median figure of 0.08% provides a more accurate reflection than the average hourly pay, as it is not influenced by unusually high or low earners.

Whilst the bonus gap figures may initially appear disproportionate, this is explained by the absence of any male employees receiving a bonus during the relevant period. This reflects the fact that no men were employed in the Deputy Manager or Home Manager roles, being the roles in which bonus payments were eligible. Of the female employees who occupied these roles, bonus awards were not universal as only 4 out of 8 of the eligible employees received a bonus. This meant that only 1.35% of the total female employee workforce received a bonus, thus demonstrating that bonus allocation is determined by KPI performance rather than gender.

The proportion of male and female employees across all quartiles of our workforce is relatively evenly split with:

This statement explains why there is a gender pay gap within our organisation and what we are doing to reduce this gap. 

Why we have a gender pay gap

Our workforce consists of 85% women and 15% men. In the last 12 months, the proportion of male employees across the lower quartile has increased from 16% to 21%. This demonstrates that more men are entering the industry which suggests that the gender pay gap is likely to reduce in the future. Notwithstanding this, we are still committed to increasing the number of men employed by the organisation and ensuring that we have an appropriate mix of genders occupying  roles of all types and at all levels.

Our pay structure is banded according to role only, not gender, meaning that pay differentiation only occurs as a result of an employee's position. Similarly, bonus pay is determined by position and performance, not by gender. All remuneration rates within the Group are competitive and in line with market practices. Accordingly, we are satisfied that our existing pay structure and/or rewards policy are compliant with the Equality Act. 

How we intend to continue to address the gender pay gap

In order to address the inherent imbalance within our sector we have implemented/intend to implement the following policies: 

• Recruitment –   

  • We are committed to recruiting based solely on merit and not gender. Consequently, we continually review the way in which we describe/advertise our job vacancies and source our candidates; ensuring that all vacancies are presented in a gender neutral way. 

  • We encourage internal progression and support those candidates through industry relevant qualifications and seeking internal promotion opportunities.

• Programmes and workshops – 

  • We want to ensure that all those in care giving and middle management positions are aware of the opportunities available to them and are able to develop the skills required to attain leadership positions. 

  • We are committed to educating our managers and leaders about gender imbalances and unconscious bias.

• Remuneration – 

  • We continue to monitor the remuneration rates offered by the organisation to ensure that pay is banded solely according to role and not gender.

We anticipate that Countrywide Care Homes Limited's continued commitment to this cause will be reflected in the gradual reduction of our gender pay and bonus gap over the coming years. 

Our gender pay gap figures have been calculated in line with the gender pay gap reporting legislation. I confirm that these figures have been verified and are accurate.

Farouk Mangera

Chief People Officer 

April 2026