Barchester Westergate House Care Home

Welcome to Westergate House, my name is Paul and I am the Senior General Manager here.

I have over 35 years-experience within the healthcare profession, working in the NHS, prior to moving to the private healthcare sector in 1996. I have now been with Barchester Healthcare for over 20 years, I feel privileged, that the majority of these glorious years, I have spent as the General Manager here at Westergate House. I am exceptionally proud of the amazing team, of over 100 staff, many of them with their 10, 15 and 20 years-service awards too. Together, we continually strive for excellence and to improve the service we offer to our residents.

The quality of the delivery of person centred care is paramount in my philosophy to create a home where I would be happy to be a resident. I feel passionately about Westergate and together with my team, we are committed to making a difference for our residents, supporting individuals in everyday successes.

We never lose sight of the fact that residents don’t live in our work place – we work in their home!

My name is Nikki and I am the Deputy Manager here at Westergate House.

I joined the home in 2022 as Clinical Lead and enjoyed supporting the nursing and care team. I work closely with the General Manager, with whom I have forged a strong and positive working relationship, where complete focus on the residents and staff team, and providing a safe and caring environment is a shared priority. As a result, I was thrilled to accept the opportunity to become Deputy Manager at Westergate House and work alongside the General Manager to ensure the home goes from strength to strength in delivering person-centred care, an enjoyable lived experience and a dedicated happy team.

My work history to date includes a career change in 2002 when I decided to join the NHS as a carer. I then commenced my nurse training in 2006 and qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 2009. I now have 15 years of experience, from working in an acute setting as a Ward Sister before deciding to work in the private sector in 2020.

I am a very dedicated and passionate individual, ensuring person-centred care is delivered to the highest of standards for all our residents, I am committed with my team and Westergate to making a difference for the residents who make Westergate their home.

I thoroughly enjoy my role and work with a great supportive and knowledgeable team, no two days are ever the same. There is always plenty happening which makes my role varied and exciting not only for the residents; but the staff team too.

My name is Lisa and I am the Home Administrator here at Westergate House.

My professional journey, although beginning in pharmacy and later moving into the NHS, has consistently been centred around the well-being and care of patients and residents.

As an Administrator, I see my role as an opportunity to do more than manage operations; it's about helping to build a true community. My goal is to work alongside our dedicated care team to make this a place where our wonderful elderly residents feel a profound sense of belonging. I want every resident to feel as though they are not just in a care home, but truly at home, surrounded by warmth, dignity, and respect. I bring a blend of administrative expertise and heartfelt compassion, believing that these qualities are essential for creating an environment where residents can thrive.

I am delighted to be working with the staff team, the residents, and their families at Westergate House, and supporting with anything that comes under the umbrella of administration.

My name is Bernice and I am the Head of Memory Lane communities at Westergate House.

I have been at Westergate House for over 20 years and a Registered Mental Nurse for over 35 years. I lead the Memory Lane communities and Dementia Champions, sharing my knowledge and experience with them; enriching the lives of people living with dementia.

Enhancing the well-being of the residents and to make every day enjoyable. We strongly believe people living with dementia should enjoy a fulfilled and happy life, with specialist support to continue doing the things they love.

Westergate House is my home and I could never imagine working anywhere else. I have always wanted to be a nurse and to make a difference, to be part of residents' lives to make them feel safe, happy and secure.

My name is Mel and I am the Head of Nights/ Clinical Lead here at Westergate House.

I am delighted to be working at home and using my work experience to date supporting the Deputy Manager as Clinical Lead to ensure we are always delivering high standards of effective and compassionate care. My role includes leading the night team as the Head of Nights.

I have been a qualified nurse RGN for forty years and have enjoyed an incredible career. My training was completed at Kingston & Richmond Hospital where I stayed for a year after qualifying before working for a number of agencies where I gained a wealth of clinical experience. In 2000 I joined the Sussex Community Foundation Trust as a Clinical Lead and enjoyed working with patients in the community for twenty years. More recently, I have worked as a Registered Manager for a local nursing home which gave me valuable insight into caring for residents with a range of complex and individual needs as well as their GP and multi-disciplinary team to ensure the best possible care.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to put these skills to use in my role at Westergate House and look forward to working closely with our residents, their families and the exceptional staff team.

My name is Marc and I am part of the nursing team here at Westergate House.

I qualified as a Registered Nurse in 2011 and began my career working for Barchester Healthcare. I spent the first two years working at Llys Y Tywysog Care Home in Wales and then transferred to Westergate House eight years ago.

I am thoroughly enjoying my role here in West Sussex and love caring for our residents. No two days are the same and there is always something fun going on. I enjoyed taking part in the home’s activities and appeared in last year’s panto. I am also a keen member of the Westergate House quiz team!

My name is Lee and I am the Head of Lifestyle here at Westergate House.

I support our residents daily to do the things they enjoy and it is extremely important to me that we are offering a premium and person-centred service to each resident. I support our residents on a daily basis by providing meaningful and quality activities either in groups or on a 1:1 basis, to help encourage and build confidence while creating an enjoyable environment for everyone.

Westergate House is the home of our residents, and we as staff are working in it, so it is extremely important to me that we are respectful of that while offering a premium and person-centred service to each and every resident.

I am a trained actor and professional vocalist and am not shy about making a fool of myself. If I do that every day to put a smile on our resident's faces then I’m happy I have played my part, along with the rest of the amazing team, to brighten their day. If you hear someone singing along the corridor or see them dancing in the lounges, it will probably be me.

My name is Chris and I am the Head Chef here at Westergate House. I qualified as a chef in 1992 and served in the Royal Navy for 24 years, both in service and as a head chef. After leaving the Navy, I had an amazing experience of being able to take part in ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’ and reached the quarter finals. I have also cooked for several members of the Royal Family, including the Queen, Prince Philip on his 90th birthday and the Countess of Wessex.

As Chef here at Westergate House, I appreciate the value of mealtimes and how much they are looked forward to as a very important part of the day. I am focused on providing delicious meals that ensure complete nutrition, making good use of seasonal fruit and vegetables. Together with our exceptional kitchen team, I provide a varied menu, ensuring I listen to the residents’ choices and preferences. We love an event day, of which there are plenty of celebrations at Westergate House, and I am only too happy to cater for open days, community days, birthdays and anything else that is special. Quite often we explore different themes and enjoy preparing dishes from around the globe; different flavours and ideas which add to the spice of life. If residents and their families or friends fancy dining together, it is a pleasure to prepare for a party, lunch or celebration tea, and visitors to the home are very welcome to help themselves to tea, coffee and cake anytime.

This year I have enrolled in Barchester's renowned Chef Academy, and am enjoying the tutelage of Hospitality Development and Standards Manager, Mervyn Knights, enhancing my knowledge of cooking for residents living with dementia.

Working at Westergate House is a privilege; I am proud to be part of such a fabulous team.

My name is Roger and I am the Senior Head of Maintenance here at Westergate House.

I spent 24 years working for the Army and feel confident in my unfazed approach to sorting and fixing! An interesting fact travelled the world, and I am the proud owner of memorabilia from 53 Hard Rock Cafes.

While I oversee all things maintenance, part of the pleasure my role brings, is conversing with our residents and sharing stories of travel and careers.

Looking after a beautiful Grade II listed building, part of which is over 200 years old, means no two days are the same.

My name is Holly, and I am the Head of Housekeeping here at Westergate House.

My work experience to date includes a variety of housekeeping roles, where I have learned all elements of ensuring an effective approach to housekeeping management. I am really passionate about my position and take pride in keeping the entire home clean and well looked after. Every day, it is my focus, along with my amazing housekeeping team, to ensure our residents’ surroundings are clean and tidy, creating a happy and pleasant environment for everyone to live in.

Working as Head Housekeeper here at Westergate is a very fulfilling role, and I feel honoured to have a fantastic housekeeping team and to be able to spend time getting to know our residents and their families, and hearing about their wonderful life stories. There’s a purpose to every day, and I love the variety that my role here at Westergate House offers. There’s never a dull moment, and always the camaraderie and support of a fabulous team to work with.

My name is Cheryl, and I am a Team Leader and the Speak Up Champion here at Westergate House.
I have worked at Westergate House for over a decade now and pride myself on offering the best care possible. I endeavour to ensure those I look after continue to live their best life. It is really important to me that residents feel safe and happy within their homes, and I felt the Speak Up role is perfect for me; it helps to ensure this happens.

Our priority at Westergate House is our residents' safety and quality of care. All our staff are encouraged to SPEAK UP internally where there are any concerns in the workplace, and there are a variety of ways that we can do this. We have recently expanded this to allow an internal point of contact within Westergate as an alternative safe person to speak to. As part of my role, I maintain confidentiality and integrity. I am impartial, approachable, inclusive and empathetic. All the skills required to support the home with this new role. This makes it easy for everyone to speak up. This ensures continuity of excellent care to our residents and a positive work environment.

My name is Rachael and I am a Senior Care Assistant and one of the Dementia Champions here at Westergate House.

I have worked at Westergate House for over 3 years.

Previously I was a stay-at-home mum with two lovely daughters. During my working career, I spent a decade working for the Police as a Safer Neighbourhood Officer. It was at this time I realised I was committed to making a difference. I pride myself in being approachable, friendly and supportive whilst providing the very best care for the people I look after.

It’s natural to want the very best support for your loved one. And we wouldn’t accept anything less. Caring for those living with dementia requires special aptitudes and skills, as well as a caring and inclusive view of life. As one of the Dementia Champions, I promote Identity, Connections, Security, Autonomy, Meaning, Growth and Joy. We have a good understanding of each resident living in our communities, including their interests, having meaningful conversations, their previous occupations, important people and places to them and their personality traits. We create stimulating environments through meaningful engagement and activities. We see their time with us as the next chapter in their life, and we promote independence where possible; with meaningful occupation each day in our Memory Lane communities.

My name is Carly, and I am a Senior Care Assistant at Westergate House, and also the Well-being Champion for the home.

I have worked in health and social care for over seven years now, the last year of which has been at Westergate House. It has been a pleasure to work with such a fabulous team and to look after our lovely residents. I feel I have settled in well, and I am thrilled to take on additional elements to my role. As Well-being Champion, I am in a position to help and support fellow team members when they need someone to talk to, and to help them manage busy or stressful times. Quite often, it is simply lending a listening ear. I am naturally caring and kind-natured, and I feel privileged to be able to offer team members access to health and well-being opportunities, as well as promote activities within the workplace. In terms of homelife, I have four children and six grandchildren, which has equipped me with skills of patience and understanding; I feel I am an approachable and positive person who can help make a difference. In addition, I raise awareness of the Barchester Well-being policy and promote healthy lifestyles and positive mental health. I am extremely enthusiastic about supporting well-being within Westergate House and love my Champion role.