Barchester Ashminster House Care Home

Hi, I’m Ana, and I'm the general manager here at Ashminster House.

I graduated as a nurse back in Romania in 2015, and arrived in the UK in the same year, when I started my nursing career.

I joined Ashminster House in May 2019. I have a passion for caring for the elderly, and that makes my job so interesting and fulfilling. I aim to ensure that the residents in my care enjoy the highest standard of care and that they are always comfortable and safe.

I have previously worked in retail for over 30 years, working my way up to management level, dealing with HR and the financial side of the business. I have now been with Barchester for over 3 years, and I absolutely love it. The interaction I have with our residents and families is very rewarding. I am very proud to be working for a company that puts person-centred care at the heart of everything we do. I look forward to meeting and helping you in any way I can.

Kim Beale
Admin Assistant
Hello, my name is Kim; I am delighted to join Ashminster House and be part of the Barchester family.

I was a single mum for many years, bringing up my two boys, who are now grown men, my eldest having given me three gorgeous little girls, who have become an enormous part of my life and bring great joy. They are also rather exhausting in a lovely way!

I have had a love of theatre and dance from the age of two, when I visited a dancing school with my mother and disappeared only to be found in a ballet class. Over the years, I have danced, helped out in the dancing school when I was older and performed in many annual dancing shows. At the age of 17, I joined an amateur theatre group, dancing in many musicals and pantomimes. At the age of 19, I moved to Surbiton, where I joined the most amazing youth theatre and have many happy memories of the shows that I had the pleasure of being part of, either as a member of the cast or as a choreographer at our theatre opposite Hampton Court Palace or at youth festivals overseas.

I have worked in many different industries over the years, which include financial, corporate, funeral/care and the arts, one of which was the Royal Academy of Ballet, which was a dream come true. After being single for 22 years, I met my partner Phil, who I have been with for 14 years, and we recently moved to our first joint home in Egerton, which brings us a lot of joy…..especially the Christmas tractors lit up which go through the village!
I no longer dance but still embrace going to the theatre, this time as a member of the audience, and can’t wait to take my granddaughters to share and hopefully pass my passion onto them.

I began working at Ashminster House in February 2015 as a Care Assistant while awaiting my registration with the NMC. Since receiving my registration, I have been employed as a Registered Nurse at Ashminster House. I am deeply passionate and dedicated to my role, and I take great pride in working collaboratively with my team to deliver person-centred care in line with Barchester’s standards.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and exploring nature through regular walks.

Sabrina began working at Ashminster House in 2008 as a Care Assistant.

She has developed her skills and successfully gained both Level 2 & 3 Health and Social Care Vocational Qualifications and has also now completed our In-House Care Practitioner Programme.

Sabrina currently leads our very homely Residential Dementia Unit with her team.

In her own time, Sabrina enjoys spending time with her family.

I have worked at Ashminster House since 2003, first as a carer, then progressing to an 'Activities Co-ordinator', now re-titled 'Head of Lifestyle'. I have a wealth of experience in my role as well as NVQs in Health and Social Care, Activities in the Care Setting and Dementia.

I am passionate about fulfilling residents' everyday life, by getting to know the individual residents with a person-centred approach, finding out about their experiences and helping them to express themselves, for example, through reminiscing with items of old.

My interests outside of work include antiques, dogs and spending time with my family.

I started work at Ashminster House in February 2020. I have experience working in Nursing Homes and Hospitals as a Maintenance & Installation Engineer. I am a Qualified Plumber and I enjoy my job very much.

When I am off duty, I like to spend time with my family and produce rock music as an amateur musician.

Matthew Lamb
Job Title: Head Chef
Joined: 06/01/2025
My name is Matthew, and I am the Head Chef of Ashminster House Care Home. I joined the Barchester team in January 2025, and I thoroughly enjoy working with the team and delighting our residents with my culinary creations and promoting their wellbeing. I’m a qualified NVQ level 2 Chef.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, exploring on my motorbike and indulging in fishing.

Hi, my name is Selma, and I am the Head Housekeeper of Ashminster House Care Home.

I joined the Barchester team in August 2024, and I enjoy spending time with the residents and hearing their life stories. They are very fascinating people. No two days are ever the same.

I have a career history working within the NHS and hotels as either a domestic Assistant or head housekeeper. I have always taken pride in my roles.

I love family time, and find so much happiness when my family and I are out walking my 2 little cockapoo puppies, or spending time at home with the family. I'm a big animal lover and own 2 dogs, 3 cats, 2 turtles.

I joined Ashminster House team in October 2015 as a care assistant whist working to be a registered as a nurse. After I received my pin in February 2016 I started working as a registered nurse and now I am head of unit nurse of Windmill lodge and I am very happy to use my clinical skills to improve quality of care for all residents. I am very passionate and dedicated to my role and enjoy working alongside my team to provide personal cantered care to our residents.

In my own time, I enjoy spending time with my family and to admire the beauties of nature in all seasons.

I have been a registered nurse for 38 years, with the past 24 years devoted to the care home sector. I currently hold the position of Unit Manager on Memory Lane, our specialist dementia care unit. In addition to my nursing career, I served as a Special Constable with Kent Police for 22 and a half years. I am also a semi-professional close-up magician.

I take great pride in my role at Ashminster, where the strong professional bonds among the staff contribute significantly to a supportive and effective working environment.

I began working as a Care Assistant at Ashminster House in 2019 and was promoted to Team Leader in 2020. I take great pride in my role and am committed to providing person-centred care to all residents. Building meaningful emotional connections with those I support is an important and rewarding aspect of my work.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and exploring new places.