Supporting and empowering people with mental health problems and learning disabilities to thrive: the Chiron Care way

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the development of a new supported living service in the community, Chiron Care (UK) Ltd. It mainly focuses on Sam Antwi-Marful, who established Chiron. It describes how he used his varied experiences and philosophical insights when launching Chiron Care and in ensuring its financial viability. The second author is an experienced healthcare journalist and editor, who, like all the authors, has a background in mental health nursing. He visited some of the homes provided by Chiron Care and conducted an in-depth interview with Sam. While the paper’s approach is mainly journalistic in style, it attempts to put Sam’s 38-year career and his aspirations in a wider historical and policy context. The role of the third and fourth authors at Chiron Care were outlined briefly in an earlier article published in this journal (McMillan, 2026). Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to provide a description of a small but growing supported living service in Reading, UK. Provided by Chiron Care, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary later this year, it is owned by Sam Antwi-Marful. Sam is a mental health nurse who launched the enterprise after a long and successful career as a mental health practitioner and manager in the NHS and independent sector. Findings One of many supported living enterprises in the UK, Chiron Care has some unique characteristics that will hopefully be of wider interest to other providers and practitioners, particularly those with mental health nursing backgrounds. Originality/value Sam began his career in a large psychiatric institution, which closed in 1997, and is now flourishing as a role model and leader at the forefront of delivering an alternative and arguably unusual model of care in the community. His experiences are unique, but are likely to resonate with other mental health nurses whose careers began in the former asylums.