A Suffolk man has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to social care after starting a business providing care homes in the region.

Ian Denton Turner, of Bury St Edmunds, will receive an OBE medal after he was recognised in the King's Birthday Honours list for services to social care.

Mr Turner is co-chair of the National Care Association and chair of the Registered Nursing Home Association (RNHA).

After reading pure and applied mathematics at Newcastle University, Mr Turner joined International Computers Ltd, now part of Fujitsu, in the early 1970s.

He worked as a programmer, then within operating system support, marketing, project management and sales management for nearly 20 years.

In 1984, he bought a property and converted it into a nursing home, and his business has now expanded into six homes with 270 beds, all within East Anglia, offering nursing and residential care to older people, and those living with dementia.

Two of the homes are currently rated as 'outstanding', including the very first home ever to be rated, and the other four are rated 'good'.

Mr Turner chaired the RNHA for nearly 20 years and in 2023 it merged with the National Care Association.

Recently, he has managed the Better Security Better Care and Digital Care Hub programmes, providing support to the adult social care sector to implement digital solutions and manage their cyber security.

Mr Turner said: "I am very happy to accept this honour which reflects the immense efforts  of all parts of the social care sector over the past decades and particularly during the pandemic."