Nightingale House

I am the Registered Manager for Nightingale House, and my role has legal accountability for the care and safety of our Residents. I joined Nightingale House in 2011 as a Registered Nurse, providing nursing care to Residents. Within 18 months I had the opportunity to move on to a 39 bedded Nursing Dementia unit as a Manager. In 2014, I commissioned a 28 bedded specialist and purpose-built dementia household for Residents living with complex and advanced stages of dementia.

My responsibilities included the provision of high-quality and compassionate care for Residents living with advanced dementia, leading a team of nurses and carers and taking on and mentoring student nurses as sign-off mentors. I also had the responsibility of Nutrition and Hydration Lead for the Home. As part of my role, I was a part of the Pre-admission Assessment team, assessing and making decisions for care placement.

In 2017, I took on the dual role of Head of Nursing and Manager for a 40 bedded Nursing dementia unit. I was responsible for a Care Team of 70 Team Members comprising Carers, Senior Carers, Nurses, and an Activity Co-ordinator. I also oversaw the recruitment and professional development of Nurses, mentoring and signing off student nurses on clinical placement.

In 2021, I moved into a strategic and planning role and became office based. My responsibilities include providing oversight of all care for Residents, workforce requirements, reporting to regulatory bodies and coordination and communication with various departments and external health professionals.

Additionally, I am also responsible for implementing and following up on changes from the Department of Health and Social Care and providing guidance and supervision to managers while retaining accountability for the overall care and safety of Residents.

My career began when I qualified as a General Registered Nurse. After a short period in the acute sector, I specialised in the care of older people and since then have never looked back. I went on to specialise in Health Services Management with the Royal College of Nursing and completed a Master’s degree in Public Health.

I have worked across Health and Social Care with some great corporate brands, and this is where I cemented my leadership skills before joining Jewish Care at the end of 2017.

I have also won several awards; perhaps the two that I’m most proud of are the Wise Woman in Leadership Award by Faith Magazine in 2015 and, most recently, the Health & Social Care Leader of the Year 2021 by Black Women in Care.

As a leader, I enjoy influencing others positively, connecting with people, problem-solving, motivating colleagues and empowering Teams to deliver great results. Most of all, I enjoy mentoring and coaching.

When I joined Nightingale Hammerson as CEO in July 2022, I knew I was joining an organisation that had an incredible reputation for providing exceptional care. Seeing this in practice is a great privilege.

The Care sector remains a challenging environment to operate in. However, we remain fully committed to providing the best care to the most vulnerable in our community and in spite of the financial pressure, find innovative and effective ways to ensure our Residents lead fulfilling lives, have a sense of purpose and feel loved and cared for in our Homes.

It is important that our Teams recognise that every role is hugely valued in Nightingale Hammerson. I am determined to remain hands-on and support the team to deliver care to the best of our ability. I know that I could not do my role without the incredible Care and Support Teams so I prioritise ensuring they are well cared for so they can provide exceptional care to our Residents.