Mountfitchet House

I started my career as a healthcare assistant before training and qualifying as a nurse. That was 24 years ago, and, since then, I’ve worked in the NHS and in the private sector. I’ve worked in many different areas of nursing, from paediatric intensive care to end of life and dementia care, and also in management.

I joined Care UK because I wanted to bring my skills and experience to benefit an exciting and forward-thinking care organisation. I love the idea, at the heart of Care UK’s ethos, of fulfilling residents’ lives. I think it’s something everyone can understand and get behind. It motivates the entire team, whatever role they do.

The best part of my role is seeing residents happy and satisfied, and seeing my team’s pride in the way they help others to live happy lives and achieve their wishes.

Before I joined the Mountfitchet House team I was working in the USA in Ocean City. I’m a qualified Nurse and have worked on a mobile intensive care unit.

In this role it’s important to have strong management and communication skills. You also need to be self-motivated and have a good understanding of regulatory requirements. I enjoy guiding and mentoring the team to deliver their best work for the benefit of residents and their families.

My favourite part of my job is seeing happy families and happy residents - every hand wave or happy greeting makes my day.

Looking ahead, I’m excited by the challenge of supporting the team to enhance care even further and support residents to enjoy the best possible life.

I have always worked in sales and customer service, so the care sector was completely new to me. However, I wanted to work in an environment where I felt I could make a difference to people and to use my skills and experience to help them. It’s been a challenge to learn the different policies and procedures that are necessary, but it’s been good.

Having empathy, being a good listener and being determined to do all you can to support families at a stressful time, these are all important skills and attributes needed in this role. One of my favourite parts of the job is helping new residents to settle in, and supporting relatives to feel like part of the Mountfitchet House family.

In my spare time I like going to the gym, walking my dog, socialising and going on holidays. I also volunteer with an animal charity as I’m passionate about animal welfare.

When I was studying for my Health and Social Care qualification in college, we needed to find work experience. I chose Mountfitchet House and had such a great experience here, meeting residents and taking part in activities, that I applied to join the team full time once I’d completed my studies.

Working in the lifestyle team it’s important to be creative, energetic and caring. Having a good understanding of dementia is also vital here, and it means that we’re better able to plan and approach activities for residents.

I’m always determined to make residents smile and I love to spend time with them. Their happiness is my aim. The highlight is always a trip out, to Hatfield Forest, garden centers, farms and pubs for lunch. We’ve also held an ‘I’m a Celebrity’ day plus other big events, which the residents love.

I started working at Mountfitchet House in 2020, having previously worked as a functions manager and party planner. To do well in this role I think you need to have a good imagination, good communication skills, and the drive to help others. I enjoy supporting and helping the residents; the best part of my day is being able to make residents smile, as it brings them a little more joy. I am looking forward to seeing all of our residents come together and be able to mix in a big activity as soon as possible!

Coming from a background of working in care, when Mountfitchet House was built in my village in 2014 I thought it would be a great new career challenge and an opportunity to make a difference in the community. My favourite part of my job is that I get to see the resident’s smiling and enjoying life – if they’re happy, I’m happy. To be good in this role you need to have patience, empathy and good people skills! It can be challenging at times but my purpose above all else is to make sure the residents are safe and well in their home. When I’m not at work I love to spend time with my family, especially my young grandson.

This job demands a combination of things, understanding, needing to comply with certain regulations, the ability to bring a variety of skills and a desire to be helpful to other people.