Highfield House

I started my career as a Support Worker for individuals with learning disabilities and complex needs, and it was there that my passion for care truly began. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to develop my knowledge and experience within the health and social care sector, managing multiple services simultaneously including EMI, mental health, supported living, behavioural complex units, elderly care and outreach services.

These experiences have shaped the leader I am today and given me a real understanding of the importance of person centred care at every level.

As Area Manager for Kirklands Care Group, I’m proud to support our homes across Cumbria. I value people and I firmly believe that everyone’s voice matters and deserves to be heard. My goal is to ensure our residents receive the highest standard of care while creating teams who feel supported, appreciated and proud of the work they do.

I started my career in care as a Health Care Assistant and have progressed and worked my way up through the Health and Social Care Industry, working across many services such as mental health, learning disability, children's services and dementia nursing, reaching the position of Area Manager.

In 2021, I joined Kirklands Care as their Operations Manager, overseeing all of their care homes. Kirklands Care is a family-run business that shares my own beliefs about care and that the residents' care is of utmost priority, and this, for me, comes first. My love of spending time with the residents shines through my work, hearing their stories and having the ability to make a difference in their lives. Every resident I care for is treated how I would expect my family member to be cared for, which for me is with love, dignity and respect. My role allows me to work with families to take the pressure off whilst allowing them to feel their loved one is in a suitable environment, is safe and cared for.

With over 30 years’ experience in the care sector, my journey has taken me across a wide range of roles, settings and specialisms, all of which have shaped the way I support residents, families and teams today.

I began my career as a Health Care Assistant in nursing and EMI settings before moving into residential services, where in 1999 I became a Registered Manager for a specialist unit supporting people living with Korsakoff psychosis. From there, my passion for learning and development led me into training, supporting learners through their NVQs and helping them grow in confidence and skill.

For the next 15 years, I worked within learning disability services as an Area Operations Manager. This included business development and supporting younger adults to build independent lives, secure their own tenancies, and receive the right support to thrive. Alongside this, I continued to study, achieving a Level 6 in Leading Organisations with Positive Behaviour Support and, more recently, a Level 7 in Transformational Leadership and Coaching.

Returning to elderly care feels like coming home. I’m genuinely enjoying being back in this sector and bringing everything I’ve learned along the way. My experience across different roles has given me a strong, transferable skill set, and I’m passionate about using this to introduce fresh ideas and strengthen the care we provide at Kirklands.

I’m a firm believer in “we can”, not “we can’t”. I’m very much a people person at heart, and I place each individual, their needs, their wishes, their sense of identity at the centre of their support. I’m committed to championing the team, encouraging their development and helping them continue the fantastic work they already do.

I couldn’t imagine doing anything other than supporting others. I give 100% to my role because I know it plays such an important part in each resident’s experience of living here.

I also hold a Level 5 in Leadership & Management, a Train-the-Trainer qualification in Moving & Handling and have previously trained as an Autism Trainer.