Care sector jobs – Care & Nursing Essentials magazine presents a round-up of new appointments, promotions and vacancies at care providers and within the wider social care sector.
Darley Dale Apprentice wins Health & Care Hero Award
November 2019
17-year-old Health & Social Care Apprentice, Nell Matthews, was recently presented with the prestigious Heath & Care Hero Award at the Darley Dale Community Awards.
The award recognises her dedication and commitment to her role at Darley Dales’ Ivonbrook Care Home, celebrating her enthusiasm and excellence at work.
Working towards her Health & Social Care Level 2, Nell has gone from strength to strength in the world of care, learning alongside the homes’ experienced carers how to provide the best care service possible.
Nell attended the glittering award ceremony to accept her award, enjoying a night of much-deserved celebration.
Nell commented on her achievement, saying: “I was really grateful to have been nominated for the award, let alone to have won it.
“I didn’t always have the best time at school, but I’ve never let it hold me back.
“With my apprenticeship, I’m learning while on the job – gaining valuable work experience all while working towards a well-recognised qualification.
“Working in care is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.
“For me, caring is about helping the residents maintain their dignity and independence. It can be emotionally draining at times but it’s still a great feeling to be able to help someone in need.”
To learn more about our excellent Carers and the support and companionship they provide to help our residents enjoy later life, get in touch with a member of our team on 01629 735306.
Canford Healthcare announces new appointment at Hampton Care Home
October 2019
Canford Healthcare, a leading provider of nursing, residential and dementia care services in south west London, is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Trigg RMN as Home Manager of Hampton Care Home.
Anne brings a wealth of valuable and very varied experience to the role. Not only is she a qualified chef, baker and butcher – courtesy of the Women’s Royal Air Force – but she is also a mental health trainer, university lecturer and psychiatric nurse who spent 15 years working with patients on a secure unit. Since moving over to elderly care, Anne has held a number of senior management posts for well-known companies including Caring Homes and Royal British Legion, where she oversaw several CQC outstanding ratings.
One of her main priorities is to reinforce the home’s commitment to person-centred care, ensuring that residents are supported to live full and active lives, as far as possible.
“As soon as people become elderly others try to stop them from doing things they’ve always done. They are people with wisdom, not children,” she says. “Why should they not do what they enjoy, simply because they live in a care home? Our role is to protect them, not take away their choice.”
Anne is already enjoying working with her new team. “Every day our dedicated and highly skilled staff endeavor to deliver the best care to residents. But we won’t rest on our laurels because we can always be better at what we do!”
Caron Sanders-Crook, Operations Manager says: “We are delighted to welcome Anne as the new manager of Hampton Care Home. We believe that her particular set of knowledge, skills and experience, together with her person-centred approach to residents, add up to a formidable combination that will take Hampton from strength to strength.”
Anne is ably assisted by recently promoted Mobin Jacob Philip, the home’s former clinical lead, as well as the rest of the Hampton team.
Chief Nurse appointed to drive quality governance and clinical compliance procedures
September 2019
Florence, the recruitment marketplace connecting nursing and care home providers with qualified professionals to fill temporary shifts, today announces it has appointed Fiona Millington to the newly created position of Chief Nurse.
In her new role, Fiona will lead clinical governance systems and processes across the organisation. She will be working closely with the management team to develop frameworks and policies that support quality, compliance and safety for all RNs and carers engaged by Florence and the residents they support.
With over thirty years of nursing experience, Fiona began her career in nursing as a registered nurse in Bristol where she completed her training. She has subsequently enjoyed a varied and successful nursing and academic career, having previously held the position of Associate Chief Nurse at the University Hospital North Midlands and lectured at Keele University on nursing theory and practice.
Fiona has a passion for looking after older people and during her role as Matron at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, she helped to launch a Frail Elderly Assessment Unit – an older person’s alternative to A&E. This model, now in its tenth year, was believed to be the first of its kind and has gone on to be adopted up and down the country.
Fiona said, “Nursing is a privileged role, supporting people and their loved ones during times when they need it most. It requires kindness, compassion and clinical expertise, factors that all contribute to delivering quality patient care and the effective management of the clinical environment including nursing and residential care home settings.
“I was attracted to Florence because it offers me the opportunity to bring my experience and passion for governance to a growing business and nursing network. The issue of temporary staffing and recruitment in the social care sector needs to be addressed and I look forward to being part of the solution, helping with the development of a more flexible workforce, which is effective and efficient.”
Charles Armitage, Co-founder and CEO at Florence, said: “I am delighted to welcome Fiona to Florence as we expand our team in order to support our planned growth trajectory. She brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record of governance and compliance leadership. I have no doubt that she will make a positive contribution to us all at Florence and importantly, help us to further our mission – offering more flexibility to nurses and care workers and delivering a cost effective and high-quality solution to temporary staffing.”
Care South’s Crewkerne Home Care office celebrates 20th Anniversary
September 2019
To mark the 20th Anniversary of Care South’s Home Care office in Crewkerne, the team enjoyed a celebratory lunch with 50 special guests from past and present that had all contributed to the office’s success over the years.
Past employees, colleagues from other care agencies, the local authority and local community services and suppliers all came together to reminisce about the office and its success with a delicious anniversary lunch. This followed an earlier celebration in July when they marked the occasion with their clients by holding an afternoon tea event.
The Care South office officially opened its doors 20 years ago to meet the demands of a large home care contract with Somerset County Council. From the beginning, it also offered home care services across Bridport, but this continued to grow and from 2005 the office covered the whole of West Dorset.
Since it opened its doors, a large number of innovative care and support services have been run from the office, as well as standard home care, including night response, home from hospital support, prevention of admission to hospital, reablement, general home support, care line response, extra care housing support and the company’s Care South Select services for self-funding clients. The office has close links with the community and also works with the local police and fire service to keep vulnerable people in the area safe.
Over the past 20 years, the team has delivered dementia training to local businesses and GP practices and has continued to raise money for MacMillan nurses and the Alzheimer’s Society through coffee mornings, cake sales, sponsored walks and even parachute jumps! They are currently fundraising to buy a Raizer Lifting Chair for use in the community and have already raised 50% of the funds needed.
Director of Home Care at Care South, Carolyn Collins, said “We were delighted to mark the anniversary today with our guests. The event was a huge success and it was great to celebrate with so many members of our local community and recognise the partnerships we have made over the past 20 years. We are now looking forward to maintaining our quality and often vital services and looking forward to what the next 20 years will bring.”
Sir David Behan CBE appointed chair of HC-One
September 2019
Leading care home provider HC-One is pleased to announce that Sir David Behan CBE has been appointed non-executive chairman of the company board.
Sir David joined the HC-One board as a non-executive director in November 2018 and will assume his new role effective 31st October 2019. This follows the retirement of Dr Chai Patel CBE FRCP.
Sir David is also the current Chair of Health Education England – having taken the post on 1st December 2018 – and he will continue to serve in this role.
Sir David’s career includes being the former chief executive of the Care Quality Commission for six years (2012 – July 2018). Before that he held roles including chief inspector of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, director general for social care, local government and care partnerships at the Department of Health, director of social services for the London Borough of Greenwich, and before that for Cleveland County Council.
Commenting on his new role, Sir David said: “Throughout my time on HC-One’s board I have been repeatedly impressed by the commitment of HC-One colleagues to making sure residents are safe, happy and well cared for. The organisation is focussed on becoming the first choice care provider for residents and colleagues.
“I’m delighted to have been appointed Chairman and look forward to continuing to work with the Board and Senior Management Team so that HC-One continues to deliver its ambition of becoming the best care company based on the value of kindness. My personal passion for safe, effective and high-quality care will remain a top priority.”
HC-One Chief Executive Mr Hutchens said: “I’m delighted that Sir David has accepted the chairmanship, and I look forward to welcoming him in his new role. His knowledge and experience have been – and will continue to be – hugely valuable to me, our organisation and colleagues and, most importantly, the residents we care for.
“The coming years look set to be an exciting time for the HC-One family. We are very proud of what we have achieved so far, and, with Sir David’s support and guidance, I know we will further elevate the service we provide to communities across the UK.”
HC-One founder, and retiring chairman, Dr Patel said: “As the founder of HC-One, I can think of no one more appropriate to take on the chairmanship than Sir David.
“His unparalleled experiences across the UK social care spectrum sits perfectly alongside Justin’s global track record in care provider operations.
“Together they will navigate the company as it continues to become a truely great organisation, harnessing 21st-century connectivity and building on our strong values to ensure that we continue on our mission of providing the kindest care.”
Photo: Sir David, left, with Justin Hutchens, HC-One CEO
Dream Team at the helm at Avalon
July 2019
Two experienced care managers who have worked together previously have taken over as manager and deputy manager at Avalon, Bridgwater’s specialist dementia nursing home.
Paul Teasdale, marketing director for the Camelot Care Group which runs Avalon, said: “Sarah Patten’s background includes impressive experience as a care home quality improvement specialist, which means she has a fantastic understanding of quality control that is going to be of benefit to our entire group.”
Also joining Avalon as deputy manager is Jess Hawker, who has worked alongside Sarah for a previous care employer and was head-hunted for her new role.
Sarah Patten has worked in the care industry for nearly 14 years and was drawn to work in the sector by a desire to give people the very best possible care.
Sarah said: “I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing less-than-perfect care when it was needed by a family member, and it made me determined to learn how to make a positive difference to people’s lives when they are at their most vulnerable.
“Dementia care is a highly specialised area, and it is crucial to deliver personalised care for each of our residents.
“Family liaison is also an important part of what we do at Avalon, because we feel strongly that people should be well-informed and able to access up-to-date information about their loved ones at all times.”
Jess has been in the sector for 12 years, including four years’ management experience, and brings to the job a special expertise in clinical monitoring, and extensive experience of end-of-life care.
Jess Hawker said: “I am passionate about empowering individuals to live the life they want to within a safe and happy environment.
“One of the things I shall be doing here is sharing the specialist end-of-life training I’ve received at St Thomas’s Hospital in London, and locally with St Margaret’s Hospice. Involving families at this stage is of the highest priority for us at Camelot Care.
“Through my career I have helped individuals with their career development, and I feel that this opportunity for staff to learn and develop will further improve the high-quality person-centred care we deliver.”
Avalon Nursing Home, which is on Taunton Road in Bridgwater, is run by the award-winning specialist dementia care provider Camelot Care, who have other nursing homes in Wellington and Plymouth.
Photo: Sarah Patten (right) and Jess Hawker
Care and Nursing Vacancies:
Hospice Engagement Officer – Worcestershire
Experienced Healthcare Assistant – Residential – Surrey
