Sonya Lodge Residential Care Centre

John joined Nellsar as a Home Manager in February 2022. Having previously managed a medium-sized Nursing Home, John first began his care career as a Care Assistant, progressing into management over time. John’s previous role as a Metropolitan Police Officer translates to great leadership and communication skills with the Home, with a passion for Dementia care and making people feel safe. John leads a very strong, friendly, and reliable team, and together they ensure residents feel happy and content every day. As a Manager, John is caring and calm; he runs an open-door policy and enjoys empowering his team with support and professional development.

"When I first joined ‘The Family of Nellsar’ in March 2014, little did I know how much satisfaction I would receive daily working in a care home for people living with Dementia. It was a very personal decision choosing to work within care. After losing my husband to cancer and receiving so much support from Macmillan I wanted to give something back to the community and here I am some few years later loving the role I am in. I had very little understanding of Dementia and was thrown in the deep end from the on set and soon found that all what was needed was time, patience, and a calming voice of reassurance along with a smile.

My role initially was a little part time role of 16 hours per week – a dream position working four hours per day, four days a week. At the interview I clearly remember asking what the job expectations would be and the response was, "It is a brand-new role that has been created and it involves a little bit of typing, filing, and answering the telephone." Little did I know what the role really involved! With an increasing workload, within a year, Nellsar saw the need to increase this position and I was asked to work full time. My role as Business Support Officer entails many aspects of administration working very closely with both the Home Manager and Deputy Manager and all my colleagues.

There have been many changes and development within the group over the years – improved training and learning being offered to all personnel, improved technology and a huge amount of support being provided from my peers and colleagues, to name a few. I am still learning daily and every day here at Sonya Lodge is different. We are one big Nellsar family unit.

The team at Sonya Lodge are all amazing and working together is a crucial and integral part of the smooth running of the Home and care provided for our residents and colleagues. Working at Sonya Lodge is a privilege – after all, this Home belongs to our lovely residents first and foremost and their care is our absolute priority.

I thoroughly enjoy meeting our residents' family members and loved ones, and building a good rapport. I believe it is important to be honest, always, and to have a listening ear too, as this is probably one of the toughest decisions a family will ever make – finding a suitable Home for the care of their loved one.

For anyone that knows me well here at Sonya Lodge and Nellsar, I am lucky enough to bring my dog into work daily. Roxi is a valued member of the team here and our residents adore her. For me, having this opportunity to go to work with my best friend Roxi is simply awesome. Roxi brings smiles daily with her unconditional love."