Hartwood House Care Home

What I do - I am excited to lead a renowned and award-winning team. Our dedicated staff strive to deliver outstanding care to our residents, their families, and friends of Hartwood House. We are a luxury care home nestled in the heart of the New Forest, offering exceptional care in a truly homely setting. We believe outstanding care is built on trust, kindness and genuine relationships, and we take great pride in creating a place where residents feel safe, valued and truly at home.

My Experience – With extensive experience in elderly care, dementia support, and team leadership, I have successfully managed and improved multiple care settings. I thrive on building strong teams, implementing innovative healthcare systems, and driving meaningful improvements in service quality.

About Me - Beyond my professional life, I love spending time with my family and exploring my interests in psychology, arts, photography, and beauty. Balancing my career and personal passions keeps me motivated and inspired every day.

What I Do
As Deputy Manager at Hartwood House, I help lead the day-to-day operations of the home, working alongside residents, their loved ones, and our dedicated team to create a warm, supportive, and caring environment. I am committed to ensuring that every resident receives high-quality, individualised care that promotes independence, wellbeing, and dignity.
My role includes supporting and developing staff, monitoring the quality of care provided, and helping to maintain the highest standards across the home. By fostering a culture of compassion, respect, and teamwork, I strive to ensure that Hartwood House remains a place where residents feel safe, valued, and truly at home.

My Experience
I began my professional career working for a global investment bank, where I developed strong organisational, leadership, and people management skills. After having my two boys, I took the opportunity to reflect on what I truly wanted from my career and decided it was the right time to pursue my long-standing passion for working in care.
I started my journey in the care sector as a Care Assistant, gaining invaluable hands-on experience supporting residents and their families. Driven by a desire to make a positive difference, I progressed into a Care Coordinator role before being promoted to Deputy Manager. Each step of my career has strengthened my commitment to delivering high-quality, person-centred care and supporting teams to provide the best possible experience for those we care for.

About Me
I am incredibly proud to be a mum to my two wonderful sons, who are at the heart of everything I do. Family is very important to me, and I love spending quality time with them whenever I can.
Outside of work, my greatest passion is travelling. I enjoy exploring new places, experiencing different cultures, and creating lasting memories with family and friends. In fact, I almost always have my next holiday planned, as having something exciting to look forward to is something I really enjoy. Travelling helps me recharge, gain new perspectives, and bring positivity and enthusiasm into both my personal and professional life.

What I Do:
My role here at Hartwood House is to provide support to anyone enquiring about moving into care and the options that are available to them. As Admissions Advisor at Hartwood House, no two days are ever the same — and that’s exactly what I love about my role. From welcoming families for their first visit, to guiding them through the enquiry process and helping them make informed decisions, I am here to ensure every interaction feels personal, supportive and reassuring.

My Experience:
With five years’ experience in the care sector, I truly feel I have found my calling. Supporting families at what can often be an emotional and uncertain time is something I consider both a responsibility and a privilege.

Before moving into care, I worked in hospitality, where I developed a genuine passion for working with people and delivering exceptional service. That background has shaped my approach — I believe families should feel listened to, valued and completely at ease from their very first conversation with us.

For me, this role is about more than admissions; it’s about building trust, creating relationships and helping families feel confident that Hartwood House is the right place for their loved one.

What I do:
As an Activities and Wellbeing Coordinator at Hartwood House, I am passionate about creating a vibrant, engaging, and person-centred environment for residents. My role focuses on enhancing quality of life through meaningful activities that promote physical, emotional, and social well-being.

I design and deliver a diverse programme tailored to individual interests, abilities, and life histories—ranging from creative arts and gentle exercise to social events and community connections. I believe that every moment matters, and I strive to ensure each resident feels valued and included.

My Experience:
I began my career in care shortly after finishing my education, starting as a Care Assistant. In this role, I discovered a passion for engaging residents beyond their daily care, particularly through activities that brought enjoyment, connection, and purpose to their day.
I began supporting the Activities Lead and quickly grew in confidence and creativity, learning how to plan and deliver inclusive, engaging programmes tailored to individual needs and interests. This experience led me to progress into the role of Activities Lead myself.

Now, I combine my care background with my passion for wellbeing to create meaningful activities that enhance residents’ quality of life, ensuring everyone feels valued, included, and supported.

About Me:
I spend most of my time out with my Friends, they are such a huge part of my life. I enjoy meeting everyone at the local pub on a Friday; this has been a tradition for many years. I have 2 beautiful cats that I adore. I absolutely love animals; I find them to be so therapeutic.

What I do;
I ensure we prepare, cook, and consistently serve delicious, nutritionally balanced food here at Hartwood House using fresh, seasonal ingredients. I’ve continued to enjoy my position for the past two and a half years, and I love working here. What keeps me keen is sharing my love for food, as I understand the importance of our residents and staff to enjoy great meals!

My experience;
I have now been a Chef for over fifteen years, working in most industries from private, fine dining to large corporate contracts, gastro pubs and outside catering environments. In 2016, I was proud to be nominated and included in the top five for food in the Care Sector Awards. I also have an NVQ Level 3 advanced apprenticeship in professional cookery.

About me;
I love food, enjoy playing football and listening to music. My little boy keeps me busy, and my wife runs her own baby swimming business. I often take our son along to her classes.

What I do:
As Maintenance Manager at Hartwood House Care Home, I am responsible for ensuring the building, facilities, and equipment are safe, well-maintained, and fully operational at all times. I carry out regular inspections, preventative maintenance, and repairs to create a comfortable and secure environment for both residents and staff.

My role includes overseeing health and safety compliance, managing contractors, maintaining records, and responding promptly to any maintenance issues. I also support the wider team by ensuring all systems—from heating and lighting to safety equipment—are functioning efficiently.

Above all, I take pride in helping provide a safe, homely, and welcoming environment where residents can feel comfortable and cared for every day.

My Experience:
I bring over 30 years of engineering experience from my time with BT, where I was based at Heathrow Airport. In this role, I was responsible for maintaining and supporting communication systems and cabling infrastructure, ensuring reliable and efficient service in a high-demand environment.

After relocating further south, I transitioned into the care sector, joining our sister home, Mornington Court, as a Maintenance Assistant. This role allowed me to apply my technical skills in a new setting, focusing on creating a safe and comfortable environment for residents.

I then moved to Hartwood House Care Home, where I now work as Maintenance Manager. In this role, I continue to build on my experience, overseeing all aspects of maintenance and contributing to the smooth day-to-day running of the home.

About Me:
Outside of work, I’m a big sports enthusiast, with a real passion for golf—any chance I get, I’ll be out on the course. I also enjoy playing snooker in my spare time.

I’m a dedicated football fan and hold a season ticket with Fulham Football Club, rarely missing a game and always supporting the team.