Katherine House Rest Home

I have worked in Social Care for 26 years and have a variety of experience in elderly/Dementia, learning disabilities and mental health settings. This included 15 years working for South Gloucestershire council in all their residential care home homes, five years at Frenchay House residential care home and working as a strategic manager for another Charity.

I trained as an NVQ Assessor to support staff gain their qualifications as well as working with a training provider delivering NVQ's to care homes across the South west. I became a mental health champion to support staff and residents to understand their own mental health challenges.

I am a very nurturing manager and enjoy supporting staff to increase their skills set to enable a career progression.

I have 35 years experience working in different care settings specialising in mental health/psychology, dementia, residential/nursing care of the elderly.   My role is to provide support with the management of the home, delivering the highest standards of care/support that our residents deserve.  
 I manage an extensive training/assessment, competency programme for staff to ensure they have skills and knowledge to deliver exceptional care to highest of standards. It is important to me that our residents receive the best quality of life through daily fulfilment, excellent care and services and a home where they feel valued, respected, empowered and treated as a unique individual with their own wishes and choices, creating a home from home environment. 
I feel honoured and proud to work with such a compassionate, caring team, they do a wonderful job and I feel privileged to do this job

I am a Team Leader I have been a member of the team for more than 5 years. My job role includes amongst other things, the in-house Infection Prevention Control training, conducting fire drills and supporting the manager and the deputy in the day to day management of the homes. I love my job because it offers me opportunities to contribute solutions to the challenges that come with the job. I am a team player, have a calm disposition, am dependable and passionate about what I do

I started hairdressing at Cote House, another part of the Cote Charity, in 1990 when one of my clients became a resident. Before I knew it, more and more residents were asking me to do their hair and since then I have been visiting every Wednesday.

I deliberately didn't go and see Katherine House while it was being built. I just wanted to see the end product. It is breathtaking - light and airy and so modern. The reception you get when you come in is lovely - everyone is so welcoming to anyone who walks through the door. There's a really special atmosphere and always so much going on for residents, which I also like to get involved in - I've even been known to dress up as Father Christmas!
I consider myself really lucky. I've been hairdressing for 37 years and my job is my hobby.