Blythe Rose Specialist Dementia Care Home

My name is Barry Flanagan and I am proud to be the manager at Blythe Rose Dementia Care home.

I began working in the care industry during the 1980s and qualified as a nurse in 1991, subsequently working for the NHS and in both the private and voluntary sectors.

Over the past thirty years, I have primarily worked with residents who can present with challenges and in the last 12 years, dedicated my energy and experience to developing specialist care for adults with dementia or mental health conditions.

I am a qualified trainer and while always keen to develop my own knowledge and skills, also enjoy sharing my experiences and supporting and encouraging the people around me to meet their full potential.

My ambition for Blythe Rose Dementia Care is to make a real difference in the lives of the residents under my team’s care and empower them to maintain their identity, character and choices.

With strong values, passion and innovation at its heart, the home will truly be a centre of excellence – contributing to ongoing development, research and best care practices for people living with dementia, mental health and cognitive impairment.

Outside of work, I have a happy family life and enjoy many hobbies including football, reading and history.

Hello, my name is Jo and I am one of the Deputy Managers at Blythe Rose Dementia Care.

I have over 28 years of experience in health and social care, working in a range of services and covering a diversity of roles, from carer right through to care village Home Manager. A true carer at heart, I am passionate about helping each of our residents to live better lives and supporting the teams that I work with to be the very best they can be.

In my free time, I enjoy a busy home life and to relax, I like running, walking or going to the gym.

My name is Raj and I started my journey in health & social care as a part-time care assistant whilst pursuing a Masters degree in Management at the University of Warwick. I have amassed over 18 years of management experience in a wide array of Health & Social Care settings. Driven by continual learning, I have added to my qualifications along the way, notably gaining a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health & Social Care and a Higher-Level Apprenticeship in General Adult Social Care & QMS ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor.

As Deputy Manager at Blythe Rose Dementia Care, my goal is to achieve an OUTSTANDING quality rating and help lead a specialist service in the treatment and care of individuals with dementia and mental health disorders and associated behaviour difficulties, by creating a ‘happy and happening’ home. A home where both residents and staff are ‘happy’ to be there; and ‘happening’ through its culture of constant innovation and improvements. These are holistic in approach, ranging from purposeful activities, a stimulating environment, technology advancements for the benefit of the home and continual learning and skills development for staff.

In my free time, I play cricket in the Sunday Arden League, Warwickshire County Division 3 and organise social events for a cricket club community. I also enjoy playing badminton, socialising, and travel.

Having developed her career in the leisure industry, in 2022, Sammy made a career change into the care sector. Before joining MACC Care, she managed all admin staff within the care home group and was responsible for auditing, overseeing recruitment, health and safety, plus marketing.

Since joining Blythe Rose Specialist Dementia Care in June 2024, Sammy has spread the word in the community about the home’s specialist services. She continues to build new relationships with residents, their relatives and local businesses in and around Solihull. Sammy looks after all new enquiries for Blythe Rose and will be delighted to meet with you, discuss your loved one’s needs and guide you through each step of the admission process, making it as seamless and stress-free as possible.

As part of its multi-disciplinary approach to helping individuals live well with dementia through person-centred care, Blythe Rose Dementia Care benefits from regular clinical visits along with the support, mentoring and guidance of Professor Tarun Kuruvilla.

After completing his medical training in 1996, Dr Kuruvilla went on to specialise in Psychiatry and qualified as a consultant in 2006. Since then, he has worked in old age psychiatry and as a Dementia Specialist for over 15 years.

Professor Kuruvilla runs memory clinics in Birmingham and the Cotswolds along with a regular dementia café session at Blythe Rose Dementia Care. His clinical interests are in early diagnosis of dementia and newer treatments for dementia.

Funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) as a Principal Investigator for clinical trials for newer treatments for dementia, Prof Kuruvilla is a clinical lead for Division 4 of the NIHR: West of England Clinical Research Network. A visiting Professor at the School of Health & Social Care, University of Gloucestershire, he has authored several peer-reviewed publications. When not practising, he continues to research and publish papers on memory loss and brain imaging. Professor Kuruvilla’s clinical interests also include memory clinics, early diagnosis and emerging treatments for Alzheimer’s disease & other dementias.

Charlotte is one of our Activities Co-Ordinators here at Blythe Rose.