A FRESH PERSPECTIVE FOR ADULT SOCIAL CARE
Inspired leadership, Stronger teams. Brighter futures.
Supporting adult social care leaders to lead authentically, build empowered teams, strengthen cultures and improve care. Coaching, mentoring and consultancy that turn challenges into practical, sustainable action.
Think differently. Lead confidently. Care better.
✳ People thrive
✳ Care excels
✳ Ideas flourish
Who I help
For people who want
to make a difference.
Care providers
Strengthen leadership, culture, quality and organisational performance to create the conditions for outstanding care.
Leaders & managers
Navigate challenges, make confident decisions and turn your priorities into meaningful action.
Nurses & care professionals
Build professional confidence, autonomy and evidence-informed practice, with the skills to influence and lead.
Teams
Develop stronger relationships, better communication and shared accountability to improve everyday care.
Support that moves you forward
Fresh thinking.
Practical progress.
For registered managers, providers and care leaders who want to develop their people, strengthen practice and create lasting improvement.
Coaching & mentoring
A confidential space to gain clarity, navigate difficult situations, reflect on decisions and find practical ways forward — whether you are building confidence or preparing for your next step.
Clearer thinking · Greater confidence · Purposeful action
Culture & organisational change
Bring your purpose to life through everyday behaviours, communication and relationships. Practical support to help people feel valued and teams take ownership of better care.
People thrive · Care excels · Ideas flourish
Quality improvement
Turn evidence, insight and extensive nursing experience into measurable improvements in environments, staff development and person-centred, relationship-focused care. Support can cover care quality and compliance, governance, workforce development, dementia care, end-of-life care and professional practice.
Evidence into practice · Measurable improvement · Better experiences
Authentic leadership & professional development
Develop the self-awareness, confidence and judgement to lead authentically, make sound decisions and inspire others. Tailored learning, reflective supervision, mentoring and practical frameworks support professional growth and future leaders.
Stronger leadership · Confident teams · Sustainable change
Team development
Stronger teams start with better conversations. Develop communication, relationships, trust and shared purpose so people work well together, take ownership and feel able to contribute.
Stronger relationships · Shared accountability · Better care
Self-care & resilience
Leaders need support too. Build self-awareness, healthier boundaries and more sustainable ways of working, balancing professional responsibility with your own wellbeing.
Healthy boundaries · Greater resilience · Sustainable leadership
Experienced leadership when you need it most
Interim leadership
& project delivery.
Clear thinking. Steady leadership. Capacity to move things forward.
Change, growth and transition can create an urgent need for additional capacity, capability or expertise. I bring senior operational experience and a clear focus on outcomes to help stabilise services, maintain momentum and deliver change.
- Interim leadership during vacancies, transition or organisational change
- nominated individual support and senior operational oversight
- Project leadership and mobilisation for new services and developments
- Focused service improvement, transformation and project delivery
The aim is to create clarity and leave your organisation stronger and more capable when the work is complete.
Experience with purpose
Behind better care are people with the confidence, support and space to make a difference.
The thinking behind Outstanding Thinking
MEET THE FOUNDER
Care experience.
A different perspective.
Anita Astle MBE
Founder, Outstanding Thinking
I understand the responsibility of leading a care service, the difficult decisions and the difference a supported team can make. My approach combines professional knowledge with curiosity, honest conversations and practical action.
I bring 42 years of nursing experience and 36 years leading Wren Hall Nursing Home. Under my leadership, Wren Hall achieved CQC Outstanding twice, including Outstanding in all five areas at its second inspection.
My career spans frontline nursing, care-home leadership, workforce development, education, governance and strategic leadership across family businesses, charities, corporates, government and academia. I bring insight from the frontline to the boardroom.
I was awarded an MBE by Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2014, am a Queen’s Nurse and have received the Chief Nursing Officer’s Gold Award for my contribution to nursing.
Outside work, I am a wife, Mum and Nanny to eight grandchildren. I enjoy scuba diving and bring that same curiosity about what lies beneath the surface to my work with people and organisations.
36 years
leading Wren Hall
108
care assistants supported to become registered nurses
The values behind the work
How we work matters.
Practical experience. Evidence-informed thinking. Meaningful change.
Integrity
Do what is right for people. Take responsibility and have the courage to question decisions and challenge practice.
Compassion
Understand the pressures people face. Listen with empathy and treat everyone with dignity and respect.
Honesty
Have the conversations that matter.
Be open about what is working and what needs to change, without blame or judgement.
Curiosity
Ask better questions, explore different perspectives and keep learning. Challenge the idea that things must stay as they are.
From conversation to change
A thoughtful approach.
A practical way forward.
Starting with what matters to you and the people you support, we turn that understanding into action you can implement.
UNDERSTAND
Make space to think
Listen and understand. Explore your challenges, hear different perspectives and review the evidence to understand what is working, what is getting in the way and what needs to change.
EXPLORE
See new possibilities
Prioritise and act. Question assumptions, connect evidence with experience and agree clear goals and achievable actions with the people who will help make change happen.
ACT & REFLECT
Make change meaningful
Measure and embed. Agree meaningful indicators, track progress and listen to feedback. Build capability and ownership so improvements become part of everyday practice and last beyond the work together.
Learning that changes practice
Tailored support for dementia care, end-of-life care, dysphagia and the development of clinical leaders. Progress reviews through feedback, observations, audits, care outcomes, customer engagement and service data, according to your goals.
Testimonials
What People Say
These testimonials reflect Anita’s leadership at Wren Hall and her wider professional work before founding Outstanding Thinking.
Real experiences. Trusted relationships. Lasting impact.
Culture change & leadership
“This didn’t just happen – years ago Anita took on the need to radically change, to lead a new culture of care, to continually inspire a large staff team and to become a force for good in Nottinghamshire and beyond.”
Professor David Sheard
Professor of Emotional Intelligence in Care, York St John University
Quality improvement & professional integrity
“She is not afraid to challenge when she believes something is not clinically or professionally correct, but she does so in a constructive, evidence-based and respectful way. She combines professional confidence with a genuine desire to improve services rather than simply identify faults.”
Margaret Tempest
Tempest Management Training
Authentic leadership & trusted advice
“After more than 30 years, Anita is still one of the first people I turn to when I need advice, when I want to talk something through or when I simply need somebody whose judgement I trust. I know she will listen, she will be calm, she will tell me what she really thinks and, when something matters, she will fight for it.”
Ros Heath
Managing Director, Landermeads Nursing Home
Coaching & lasting professional growth
“Throughout this journey, Anita coached, educated and supported me. She challenged me to develop my knowledge and skills, but perhaps most importantly, she helped me to recognise and believe in my own potential – that encouragement had a lasting impact on my career and on the person I became professionally.”
Deborah Smith
Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A clearer picture
before we begin.
Practical support shaped around your people, your challenges and your ambitions.
Your next step
What do you want
to achieve?
Whether you are navigating change, developing your team or finding your own way forward as a leader, start with what matters most.
© 2026 Outstanding Thinking. All rights reserved.
UK based · Working nationally and remotely
Transforming thoughts into exceptional actions.