Barchester Balclutha Court Care Home

Hi, my name is John, and I am the General Manager here at Balclutha Court Care Home.

I am a registered nurse by profession with over 38 years of experience working in the private care home sector, and I am very proud to be leading the team here at Four Hills.

I aim to provide person-centred care alongside the highest level of service possible to each and every one of our residents.  Our team is focused on designing an individual life enrichment programme to ensure each resident has activities tailored to them and their individual interests.

Nutrition is an integral part of daily living.  At Four Hills, our fully qualified chefs have developed a bespoke seasonal menu using fresh, locally sourced produce to ensure each resident has a well-balanced choice, whether at breakfast, lunch or supper.

I am extremely passionate in my job role and strive to ensure that my team work to the highest standards and shares my knowledge with them to ensure that all have a full understanding of what my expectations as the General Manager are to deliver exceptional and compassionate care to our residents.

Supporting, reassuring and communicating with residents and their loved ones is my highest priority and enriching our residents lives to the fullest.

Julie began her career here at Balclutha Court as a newly qualified Staff Nurse in 1995. She was promoted through the years, first becoming Sister, then Senior Sister and then finally becoming Deputy Manager. Julie is responsible for assisting the General Manager in the daily running of the home and is a great support to Alison. She is also the home trainer, providing and co-ordinating all the training for the staff.

Julie lives at home with her partner, daughter and her dog Benji, she met her partner within Balclutha Court a good number of years ago when he worked here as a Carer. Julie loves her family time, reading a good book, going walks with the dog and girlie days out with her daughter.

Rhona is the Administrator at the Home. She assists the manager with all aspects of the administration and finance within the home. Rhona started her career at Balclutha Court in 2000.

Rhona is married with two beautiful children, a boy and a girl - they often pop in to say hello to the residents and staff. Her family life keeps her extremely busy trying to balance work and kids activities. Rhona is a music fan and you often can’t get her off the karaoke. She also enjoys walking, reading and spending quality time with her friends and family.

Anne is part-time Admin Assistant, assisting the Administrator in the finance and the administration of the home. Anne started working at Balclutha Court in 1992 and since then she has become someone everyone knows and loves to speak to. She is always happy and bubbly, you will always find her this way. She can multitask, answer the phone, count money, solve a staff members problem and have a full conversation with a resident all at the same time!!! Anyone who visits the home always gets a kind word.

Anne has two daughters and four grandchildren, they play a huge part in her life and when she is not at work she keeps herself busy spending time with the children. Anne’s hobbies are shopping, especially for unusual jewellery (you always know what to get her for a present) and reading, she often tells us of the latest romance story that she has been reading. She also loves to dress up and join in with the activities in the home.

Jill is part-time Admin Assistant, assisting the Administrator in the finance and the administration of the home, she also covered when the Administrator was off on maternity leave. She has been with the home since 2004, starting when she was only a young girl of 18.

Jill was recently married and shared her big day with the residents, attending the home straight after the ceremony. Jill lives at home with her husband and her two cats Coco & Cosmo, who are very mischievous. She takes pride in her “wee” flat and is very house proud. Her hobbies include reading a good book, swimming, shopping and housework

We’re thrilled to introduce our new Head Chef, Mark, to the Balclutha Court family! Mark brings a friendly, enthusiastic energy to our team, and it’s clear that care homes are his true passion.
After finishing school, Mark went to college to train as a chef and has since gained experience working in restaurants as well as other local care homes. He loves getting to know our residents, organising events and themed days, and is especially looking forward to running workshops alongside them.

Outside of work, Mark enjoys spending quality time with his wife and going on holidays both across the UK and abroad. His warmth, dedication, and creativity are already making a real difference here at Balclutha Court

Our activities team is made up of Karen Dillon, Magi Bell and Sharon McArthur. Between them, they ensure the residents are happy and have loads of fun.

They have a jam-packed weekly activities programme which includes excursions, tea parties, knitting bee, arts & crafts, Mega Scrabble, Carpet bowls, Domino and Jigsaw Clubs and much more. Every fortnight we have local entertainers who provide live music and we all party, having a dance and a wee tipple should it take your fancy. We also have movie afternoons showing on our big screen, and another favourite of our residents is our exercise class.

We are very keen to involve the residents in the decision-making within the home to enhance their experience. They take part in the residents' meetings, catering forums and assist the General Manager in interviewing new staff. The residents really enjoy this and take great pleasure in offering the right candidate the position.

Our aim at Balclutha Court is to ensure the residents are happy as they possibly can be and enjoy living within the home

Angelica started working at Balclutha Court in September 2013 as a Staff Nurse, and was promoted to Senior Staff Nurse in October 2019. She is responsible for ensuring a high standard of care is delivered to the residents.

Angelica is originally from the Philippines and has two gorgeous grown-up children. Angelica is happily married and lives with her husband Billy, and Toffee, their beloved cat! Angelica and Billy fell in love at Balclutha Court, as he also works as a Staff Nurse. Angelica has many hobbies, including handbag shopping, cooking and baking, watching films and listening to music. She also shares the love of travel with her husband—they are always off on their travels! She is a social butterfly and loves spending time with her family and friends.

Heather trained at Stirling University and qualified in 1997, Heather first started working in Balclutha Court as a newly qualified Staff Nurse, she was promoted to Sister in 2002. She is responsible for ensuring a high standard of care is delivered to the residents. In the absence of the General Manager, she ensures the home runs smoothly.

Heather lives with her partner and her two girls, the girls keep Heather on her toes and her extremely busy. Her hobbies are reading a good book, being creative around the house, gardening. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially large family gatherings when her family visit from Australia which is also a dream of her and her family.

Sita was recruited by the home in 2001 from Guyana as a Staff Nurse, to be quite honest we weren’t sure whether Sita was going to stay as the General Manager served her some Scottish cuisine, however, she is still here and is now Sister. She is responsible for ensuring a high standard of care is delivered to the residents. In the absence of the General Manager, she ensures the home runs smoothly. Sita also is the Moving & Handling Trainer for the home.

Sita lives at home with her husband, two grown-up children who she is extremely proud of. She has worked extremely hard over the years to put her children through university. Sita loves to shop and likes to keep up with the latest fashions. She also likes to return home to Guyana to be with her family and visit her sisters in Canada and New York. She plans to return to New York with her daughter this year, which she is really looking forward to. Her hobbies include relaxing at home and having “me time”, socialising with her friends and dining out.

Liz started at Balclutha Court in 1999 as a Domestic Assistant and was promoted to Housekeeper in 2008. Liz is responsible for ensuring high standards of cleanliness within the home and managing her team of four laundry assistants and five domestic assistants.

Liz is very family orientated, spending a lot of her time away from work with her sister, grown-up son & his wife. She enjoys going for long walks, reading and going holidays abroad.

Brenda is our Charge Nurse on the night shift. She came to Balclutha in June 2019 and is responsible for ensuring that a high standard of care is delivered to the residents.

Brenda has three daughters and lives at home with the two youngest. She enjoys having girly nights with them along with her mum and sister. She loves spending quality time with her partner and his son, even though they make her walk up big hills and mountains. Family and friends are really important to Brenda.