Smyth Lodge

Im a qualified general nurse and Ive worked in nursing since the 1980s.

I feel strongly that I and my team are here to help residents to live their best life. Its important to see them as a holistic person. Theyre a husband or wife, brother or sister, a mum or dad or a best friend. Theres a lot we can learn from them.

I love hearing residents and colleagues laughing together. Humour is so important. I enjoy engaging with my team, with the people we care for and with their loved ones. I enjoy combining my nursing skills with being a leader. I believe that being a nurse – and a home manager – is an honour.

I’m an experienced care manager and was keen to join Care UK because it’s an organisation with impressive values, a strong portfolio of homes around the country, and it is dedicated to providing residents with person-centred care. That’s an approach which is at the heart of my own values and ethos of care.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to be part of the Smyth Lodge team right from the start, building the team and making our stunning new building into a warm and friendly home from home for residents. I’m looking forward to helping to make a difference to the older people in our care and forging strong relationships with them and their families. 

I like to unwind by going for a daily run and long walks with my dog. It’s also great to get together with friends and family and to see more of the world as often as I can on holidays. 

I come from a background in pubs and restaurants and I joined Smyth Lodge in late 2018 because I was keen to have a new challenge. I wanted to provide great food for older people, and to turn my hand to cooking something different each day.

I’m driven to deliver the highest standards of food quality and dining experience for residents. I care about what I’m doing and who I do it for – and about using the best, freshest ingredients available. 

Away from work I enjoy spending time with my family, and pursuing my interests in football and Formula 1. I do also enjoy cooking in my own time too. To use a sports analogy, there’s everything to play for in our new care home at Smyth Lodge. I’m looking forward to seeing the home and my team grow and develop. 

I’ve been working in the care sector for over 25 years in care homes and domiciliary care. I started as a Care Assistant and became a Team Leader.

I joined Care UK because I knew people who worked for the organisation and who talked about the quality of care and the excellent training and support given to colleagues. I actually started working at Foxbridge House, Care UK’s care home in Oprington, before moving here to Smyth Lodge a little while after it opened. I appreciate how Care UK recognises your commitment and enables you to try different roles – that’s how I’ve been able to move from being a Team Leader to becoming a Lifestyle Coordinator.

I enjoy coming in first thing in the morning, meeting and greeting everyone and planning the day’s activities. I enjoy being a part of the residents’ life and working as part of a fun and supportive team, bringing new ideas to Smyth Lodge.

My heart is in the care sector. I was a healthcare assistant in the NHS for 13 years and I’ve worked on the finance/admin side with another private care provider. I joined Care UK in 2018 because it has a fantastic reputation, with strong values, and I wanted to be a part of that. Smyth Lodge is also a beautiful place to work, and there’s a great team here. Everyone is focused on delivering great care, which is essential.

I love any opportunity to be involved in making the lives of residents as wonderful as possible. Outside of work, I like to fundraise – I’ve raised money for my local hospice by abseiling and skydiving. Who knows what I might do to raise money for residents! 

I joined the Smyth Lodge team in 2020, having been Head Housekeeper at another care home for many years.  

In this role I think it’s important to be passionate and caring. You also need to know the job inside and out. First thing in the morning I enjoy walking around the home making sure everything is okay. I then go into the laundry to ensure that the residents’ clothes are all washed and ready. 

I take huge pride in making sure that Smyth Lodge is always to a high standard of cleanliness at all times. I enjoy talking to the residents every day about their lives and families.

I'm also the Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) Champion for Smyth Lodge. It's my job to establish and maintain a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness so that residents, colleagues and visitors keep safe.

I began working at Smyth Lodge in late 2018 – I’ve worked in maintenance for other care providers, but I watched the home being built and I was impressed by what I saw, so I thought I’d apply to join the team. 

I like to start the day by taking a walk around the home and the grounds to check that everything is okay. It’s a good opportunity to say hello to people too. It’s important to be patient and understanding and to be ready to turn your hand to anything in this job. You never know what each day will bring, or what new skills you’ll learn. 

Ours is a new home where everyone’s getting to know each other and the ways of working. It’s an exciting time, and it’s a great feeling to make a difference to the residents.