Garden House

I have been the Care Home Manager of the Garden House for 5 years and was the Deputy Lead at the home prior to this.

Alongside my nurse registration, I was proud to achieve a degree in 2016. I also hold health and safety qualifications and have completed several nursing courses related to teaching. I have had a long nursing career that has included working in Africa in disability and elderly rehabilitation, which feels like a very long time ago now!

My favourite part of my job is working with residents and their families at a time of their life when they need our help and ensuring the move to our care home is smooth, whilst recognizing the huge change that it is. I am also incredibly proud of my team and really enjoy seeing staff develop and grow both personally and within their careers.

Outside of work I sing in a choir and am an active Rotarian.

I have been working for St Monica Trust for eight years since 2016, initially as a Registered Nurse then progressing to a Lead Nurse, and now in my current role as Social Care Deputy Manager. I have responsibility for the Garden House Dementia Unit ‘Sundials’, as well as the home’s Well-being Team who support residents with all aspects of social care from larger social events to individual one-to-one sessions.

Over the years I earned a degree in psychology and my main interest and passion is promoting the residents’ well-being from different angles.

I love spending time with the residents, listening to them and building relationships of trust.

My favourite part of my job is seeing people flourish, express their full potential, and contribute to our amazing Garden House community. I feel lucky to work in such a beautiful and vibrant setting. Book a tour with us and see for yourself!

I initially worked at the Garden House as an agency nurse and was impressed by the excellent care provided by the home, therefore when the position of Deputy Manager became available at the start of the pandemic in 2020 I applied and was successful. My current role is now Clinical Deputy Manager.

I have wide experience in the care of the older person and the impact ageing and ill health have on the residents. I am passionate about promoting high standards of clinical care and practice and as the Clinical Deputy, the support and development of our junior nursing colleagues. With a specific interest in learning, I support the placement of nursing students from UWE. Also, as a home, our team has successfully seen in-house staff complete Nursing Associate training and become Registered Nursing Associates, with ongoing training seeing one member of staff’s continued development to become a Registered Nurse.

I am proud that we work with residents with a wide variety of very complex needs with support being provided to the residents, families and the staff teams.

I initially joined the Garden House team in 2014 as an Administration Manager with many years of management experience. During the last 10 years I became Business Manager and following organisational restructure in 2022 I became the home's Business Deputy Manager.

I have responsibility for administration functions within the home as well as the Resident Support Assistant team who provide delivery of catering and housekeeping services for our residents. I also work closely with the Trust's facilities team to support the day-to-day running of the home. Alongside the General Manager, I enjoy helping residents and their families as they navigate the moving-in process to achieve a smooth transition into our community.

Daily conversations with our residents are the highlight of each day and gives me an opportunity to listen to their feedback and for this contribution to influence decisions around the home that they share. Having previously worked in the corporate sector, this role provides a different level of satisfaction to know that the work we do directly impacts the experience of residents who have chosen the Garden House as their home.

Since becoming Business Deputy Manager I have been supported by the Trust to attain further qualifications in Leadership & Management. I aim to provide high standards in all aspects of the services we provide and look to ensure this ethos is shared by the wider Garden House team.