Mercia Grange

The team and I consider it a huge privilege to care for older people and are proud that their families trust us to care for them.

This is a lovely friendly and happy home, with a great family atmosphere. We look forward to welcoming you here soon.

I’ve worked in the care sector for ten years now, and joined Care UK in 2017. I’d worked for another care home providers, but I heard good things about Care UK from a colleague.

I think CRMs like me have a very important part to play in a home as we’re helping families in their hour of need, reassuring them that we can care for their loved one in the way they’d want. During my time working in older people’s care, I’ve developed a passion for dementia care. In fact, I’m one of the Dementia Champions at Mercia Grange. I enjoy sparking that passion for dementia care in other people.

I love this job, every day is so varied and rewarding. I enjoy meeting new families and welcoming new residents, and I love spending time with our existing residents, having a chat and a giggle with them. One of the best parts of working in a care home is being able to help fulfil residents’ wishes.

I trained at art school, and have worked in hospitality, and my background has been incredibly handy for the role I now have at Mercia Grange. Creativity is important as you need to think ‘outside the box’ to engage the residents.

I love making a difference to older people’s lives, it makes my day to see residents smiling and enjoying themselves. There’s no better feeling than when an activity has gone really well and everyone’s buzzing afterwards. 

I would say that learning about dementia has been one of the biggest challenges for me in my role (and learning to drive the minibus!). But, having said that, I’m very proud that I found a barber who visited the home to pamper our gentlemen. He became a Dementia Friend and now visits other Care UK homes to pamper their gents. Something that I helped to start has had a hugely positive impact on many people’s lives.

My work in the hospitality industry has ranged from my training in a country house hotel, to running my own kitchen in a village pub and then travelling Europe as a chef on a cruise ship. In that role I was helping to produce over 13,000 meals each day!

When I joined Mercia Grange it was a new home and it offered the chance to set the standard in a brand new environment. The home looked more like a hotel and it offered much more sociable working hours compared to the hospitality sector, so I was keen to give it a go.

In this role you need to have a caring nature because it’s important to be passionate about delivering the best for the residents. Having a range of cheffing skills, including creating pastries and desserts is important too. I really enjoy baking the treats for residents each day for them to enjoy in the café or for afternoon tea. They always let you know how much they’ve enjoyed them, which brightens my day.

I’ve spent 20 years’ working in offices as a Personal Assistant, Secretary and Business Administrator, and, before joining the Mercia Grange team I was an Administrator in another care home. I wanted to join Care UK because it is a hugely reputable care provider.The mornings are always my favourite time of the day because there are lots of happy faces coming through the door, and I look forward to what the day has in store. I get a lot of satisfaction from ensuring that the office is running smoothly. Time management skills are crucial in this busy role, as are good people skills, and having some computer know-how: we use lots of different computer and information systems.I enjoy conquering new challenges, and I thrive on the fact that every day is different. I’m also proud to be the Colleague Voices Representative for Mercia Grange.

My background is in the hotel industry. I’ve set up a large four-star hotel and have worked as a general manager in a big hotel too. When I fancied a change recently, I was really attracted by the ethos of Care UK. The organisation believes in providing hotel-style levels of quality and comfort to residents. That really appealed to me, and I felt my skills would be a good fit. 

Mercia Grange is a beautiful new home - and it’s a pleasure to work here. One of the best parts of the day is when I bring residents’ laundered items back to their rooms. I love seeing all the residents and having a chat. I haven’t been at Mercia Grange long, so I’m still getting to know everyone, and their fascinating life stories. 

Outside of work, I’m a big animal lover: I have a dog, a rabbit and a cockatoo. When I’m not caring for them, I like to unwind with a glass of something and my favourite American boxset!

I’m an experienced Maintenance Manager and worked in a privately owned nursing home prior to joining the Mercia Grange team. I heard a lot of good things about Mercia Grange – it has an amazing reputation – and I knew I’d have different and interesting challenges to tackle here working as part of a bigger organisation.

The end of the day is my favourite part of the day because I know all my jobs are completed and I’ve helped to keep Mercia Grange running smoothly. I enjoy working on my own initiative and supporting the residents by ensuring everything’s working well and is safe for them. There are some incredible people who call Mercia Grange ‘home’ and I’m enjoying getting to know them and learning about their lives.

In my spare time I enjoy riding motorbikes, reading, watching films and playing board games and video games.