Barchester Kernow House Care Home

Welcome to Kernow House, my name is Leigh and I am the General Manager at the home.

I am a registered mental health nurse. Prior to becoming a nurse, I spent 13 years as a soldier in the British Army, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other overseas operations. I became interested in post-traumatic stress disorder and decided to train as a nurse. During this nurse training, I discovered a particular interest in working with dementia and decided to pursue a career in this.

As a Manager, I put my leadership skills to good use when managing the home. I ensure we deliver person-centred care in a therapeutic manner and share my knowledge with other staff, both within the home and with outside professionals.

I acknowledge that whilst residents are at the forefront of our home, it is important that staff are supported, so the care we deliver as a whole home is filled with passion and enthusiasm.

Sarah is an occupational therapist who has worked at Kernow House in that role for many years whilst supporting the management team. She supports a holistic approach to caring for residents at Kernow House, where a good quality of life filled with meaningful activities is important. Sarah works actively to encourage residents' independence.

Jo is a clinical lead on Millaton where she leads a team of nurses and carers. Jo is a general nurse as well as a mental health nurse. She has many years experience and a wide range of knowledge from her background working mainly in the community.

Ema is a general nurse and has worked at Kernow House for many years. While Ema has a lot of experience in general nursing, she also holds a master’s degree in psychology and has insight and understanding of, what it is like to live with mental health conditions. Ema leads a team of nurses and carers, who work with dedication and compassion to support residents and their families on St Pirans.

Richard is the clinical lead on the Petherwin unit. He is a general nurse who has worked as an A&E nurse and in mental health nursing prior to coming to work at Kernow House. Richard knows the unit well, having worked on Petherwin as a senior nurse. He is compassionate and approachable. Richard is always available for a chat if anyone has any concerns.

Richard represents residents at Kernow House. Richard says, he likes to make sure residents have enough to eat and drink and that everyone is well cared for. He takes part in resident meetings and talks to anyone who has any concerns. If anyone has anything they would like to talk to Richard about, he can be found quite easily and is always willing to listen and take any issues forward.

Jackie supports residents to take part in meaningful occupations and enjoyable life activities.

She supports residents to maintain independence by accessing, adapting and providing suitable equipment and is proactive in her support of the life enrichment approach to caring for those who live at Kernow House.

Emma is the administrator. She deals with enquiries, HR, invoicing, payroll, banking and logistics. Emma's door is always open for anyone who needs advice or support with anything concerning administration.

Bea works in a small team with residents, relatives, all staff groups and the wider community. She ensures there is a vibrant environment with a varied weekly activity programme and organises celebrations of themed events. There is always something going on at Kernow House.

Rachel is our head chef and leads a team of chefs and kitchen assistants. She has lots of experience from her previous work cooking in cafes, restaurants, pubs and care homes. Rachel is very passionate about providing good home cooking and particularly enjoys baking. She has completed many training courses to learn a variety of catering skills and is able to provide nutritious meals for all dietary requirements.

Tim is head of maintenance at Kernow House. He has a good all-round knowledge of maintenance and DIY.

He likes to keep everything safe and fixed in a timely manner and he does this by working closely with colleagues and outside contractors.

Tracy has worked at Kernow House for many years and she knows the home well. Tracy leads a team of housekeepers and laundry assistants and together, they ensure the home is clean and the laundry is washed and delivered to residents and the kitchens. Tracy is friendly and always includes residents in doing daily living tasks if they want to be involved and she is always ready with a friendly chat.