Rockdale House

Jo Tenwick is Rockdale House’s Registered Home Manager and a registered nurse.

It could be argued that managing Rockdale House was fate for Jo. When her mother was heading into hospital to give birth she was stopped at the doorway by a fortune teller. The fortune teller told her she’d have a double surprise, and that she’d raise a teacher and a nurse. To Jo’s mother’s surprise, later that day she gave birth to twins. One indeed became a teacher. The other – Jo – went on to become a nurse and care home manager!

Jo has spent her entire working life in the care sector. Inspired at the age of 16 by her Social Care teacher, Jo found work experience in a care home and never looked back. She read Politics & Economics at university but supported herself throughout by working as a domiciliary and care home carer. Upon graduating she then trained as a nurse before spending many years working in NHS hospitals, including in A&E, ITU and Respiratory wards. In 2005 Jo made the move to residential and nursing care homes for the elderly, doing every form of nursing role, then progressing into management positions including ‘Development Manager’, ‘Head Of Governance & Compliance’ and a variety of Regional and Area Manager roles for large care home chains. Jo’s experience of managing care homes across London and the home counties is vast.

However, small is beautiful - and after having worked for large corporates, Jo is now relishing the independence, intimacy and family-feel of Rockdale House. She says; “The moment I first walked into Rockdale House I fell in love with it. It’s such a rare gem… a care home that really feels like the residents’ home. There’s a friendly, family-like atmosphere that you notice as soon as you arrive. Many of our staff have been here for years, sometimes caring for two generations of the same family! It’s a place where you instantly feel comfortable.”

Away from work, Jo loves to spend time drawing with her young daughter and travelling with her family. She’s also rather partial to Suska, her cat.

Sorina is the Deputy Manager at Rockdale House and a registered nurse with over 10 years of experience supporting older adults across nursing homes, rehabilitation services, acute hospital settings and end-of-life care. She exudes kindness, empathy and fun.

“When I was a little girl, I wanted to become a flight attendant because I loved the idea of travelling and meeting people from different places and backgrounds. But as I grew older, I realised that what I really wanted was to become a nurse and make a positive difference in people’s lives. I believe everyone deserves kindness, dignity, and respect, especially later in life. I often think about how I would want my own parents to be cared for, and this inspires me every day to provide the same compassion, reassurance, and support to residents and their families.

Sorina qualified as a nurse after studying at Canterbury Christ Church University, having previously worked as a Healthcare Support Worker and Team Leader, where she developed strong clinical skills and a passion for person-centred care. She has experience in caring for people with complex health needs.

“Dignity, kindness and communication are at the heart of everything we do at Rockdale House,” she continues. “We are 100% committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment where residents feel valued, comfortable, and supported. And we do our very best to make sure families feel reassured that their loved ones are safe in compassionate and caring hands, too.”

“The thing about working for Rockdale House is that it’s a family away from your family,” says Becky, Rockdale House’s Head of Care. “The residents and staff are the family I don’t take home with me.”

Sevenoaks born-and-bred, Becky has been part of the Rockdale team for over 16 years, having worked her way up from a housekeeper, to a carer, to a senior carer, and now – Head of Care. It’s a series of promotions that is well deserved, with everyone from management to visitors noticing how sensitively Becky deals with one and all. But looking back, Becky almost missed her calling.

“When I was younger, I wasn't sure what I wanted to be. I had a part-time job in Halfords and was learning how to wire car sound systems and do spray paint jobs. But my mum was a carer, and my nan worked in a care home as a housekeeper, so I guess working in care was in my blood. As soon as I tried it for myself, I was hooked. The thing I love most about working at Rockdale House is making the residents and their families feel happy. It can be very stressful when you have to make the move into a care home – and stressful for your loved ones too. This is something I’ve experienced myself with my own family, so when I see other people going through the process, I always do my best to put everyone at ease and smooth out the emotional bumps. I love making residents feel at home.”

If you are thinking about exploring a move to Rockdale House for either yourself or your loved one, Dawn is probably the first person you’ll speak to. She’s our Admissions and Administration Lead, and there isn’t a thing she doesn’t know about the transition into life at Rockdale House.

“Whether you’re considering coming to us for a permanent move or just for a period of respite, I’m here to talk you through the process, answer your questions (big and small) and make your move as easy and stress-free as possible,” Dawn says.

“Meeting you and your families and helping you into your new home is what I enjoy most about my job. I can show you around our home and talk you through all the questions you might have about rooms, meals, laundry, entertainment and procedure – as well as arrange for you to meet our senior nurses and carers to chat through your specific needs. I can also help with your admissions paperwork.”

Supremely organised and perpetually helpful, Dawn’s been part of the Rockdale House team for over five years. She has GNVQ Level 2 & 3 qualifications in Health and Social Care, and her previous experience has seen her working in both housing and as a medical claims assessor. But in her own words… “welcoming new residents to the Rockdale community is the best.”

“What do I love about my job…? Everything!”

Sally has worked as Rockdale House’s Catering Manager for 6 years and reckons she might just have the best job in the world. “I’m in charge of everything our residents eat. Food is so important. It’s a source of joy in people’s lives, as well as being so vital to health and wellbeing. I lead a 4-strong catering team that provide our residents with 3 meals a day (plus freshly-baked cakes), 365 days a year.”

Rockdale House’s menus change constantly and reflect the seasons, with fish from our Sevenoaks fishmonger and vegetables from our Orpington grocer. All dietary needs are catered for. Says Sally; “When residents move in we want them to feel as independent and empowered as possible, and that goes all the way through to the meals they can choose from. I speak to our residents every day about our menus, and every 8 weeks we have a ‘food committee’, when they tell me what dishes they fancy. Plus, once a month I let a resident come up with their idea for the Dish of the Day. My team then makes it, and if the other residents like it too it wins a more permanent place on the menu!”

Perennial favourites enjoyed by our residents include cottage pie, beer-battered fish and chips, and home-made pies - plus fresh fruit salads, crumbles, rice puddings and lemon drizzle cake.

Sally comes from a family of caterers and says feeding people good food is in her wiring. “Before Rockdale I spent 15 years working for The Priory. It was important to create intelligent menus that nurtured people in the ways they needed most. Some residents were suffering from illnesses or addiction, some had acquired brain injuries - but they all needed the right nourishment to help their recoveries.”

But Rockdale House proved the ultimate draw. “I’m so passionate about my work at Rockdale – not just the preparation of good, homely food, but also in nourishing our residents, body and soul! Too often elderly people are forgotten in society, which is such a waste for us all. My team and I don’t just feed our residents at Rockdale – we talk to them, listen to them, swap stories with them. A day will not pass without me sitting down with our residents and having a natter.”

As Facilities Manager, Tracy’s responsible for making sure that Rockdale House is always in perfect condition for our residents, whether that be ensuring the bedrooms and corridors are sparkling clean or checking that everyone’s light bulbs work! It’s the ideal role for Tracy who, by her own admission, can’t sit still. And when you combine this energy with her forensic eye for detail and huge love of cleaning you’ll understand why, although Tracy leads our team of 12 housekeepers and a caretaker, she’s always the first to roll up her sleeves and help out wherever she’s needed - whether that be sorting the laundry or painting a wall!

A former aircraft supervisor at RAF Brize Norton (where she was in charge of the teams who cleaned the aircraft and provided the catering), Tracy first started working in the care sector 25 years ago. Initially she looked after young adults with learning disabilities but eventually found herself gravitating towards working with the elderly. Part of the Rockdale family for thirteen years, Tracy joined us in 2012 , back when the current Rockdale House hadn’t yet been built!

Says Tracy: “I love working in support of the elderly, and I love working at Rockdale House. Above everything, Rockdale House is our residents’ home, and it’s my job to make sure they can enjoy each day snag, niggle and inconvenience-free.”

When Tracy’s not working (or cleaning!) she likes walking and spending time with her rescue dog, Bailey.

As Rockdale House’s Activities & Wellness Manager, Matt’s average day can see him talking to everyone from our most elderly residents aged over 100, to energetic three-year-olds from our local nursery, to Elvis Presley!

Matt leads our Activities team and is in charge of all the daily activities that we run for our residents here at Rockdale House. He oversees a rich and wide-ranging calendar of events to suit all tastes, taking care to speak to residents individually to discover and include their particular personal passions. From organising arts and crafts activities, regular church services, exercise sessions and quizzes – not to mention visits from local historians, singers, entertainers and magicians- Matt’s team is behind it all. He has great relationships with local schools who come in to sing or perform for us, plus an extremely versatile black book of contacts that has seen us welcome visits from animal and reptile handlers, local dance troops and – yes – Elvis Presley!

Matt has worked in care for many years, both supporting individuals within dementia communities as well as providing one-to-one care in people’s homes. He has always found care work deeply rewarding but wanted to spend more meaningful time engaging with residents, which led him to focus on Activities and Wellness specifically. He gained a qualification with NAPA that equipped him with the skills to deliver engaging and meaningful activity programmes that harness the positive impact of creative engagement. His background also includes a degree in illustration, which he draws upon to bring creativity and imagination into his work with the residents.

Says Matt; “I am delighted to be at Rockdale House and to bring a range of different intergenerational activities that support the health and wellbeing of our lovely residents.”