Our team at
Ancasta Grove

I have been qualified as a nurse for over 40 years, with a specialty in trauma and orthopaedics. I have been working for the past 15 to 20 years in care home management positions, including as Clinical Lead and Deputy Manager.

When I first saw this position advertised, I looked Care UK up and was impressed by the opportunities available and the support given to new colleagues. I have a passion and drive to do my job well and to make a difference. Seeing a person smile or laugh always makes me happy. In this role, it’s important to be compassionate, empathetic, approachable and firm but fair. You also need to be a good listener, problem solver and have a good sense of humour.

Spending time with residents and their families, getting to know them individually, is my favourite part of each day. I enjoy listening to their life stories and working with the care team to make a difference in their day-to-day lives.

I feel proud when I can support the team and share my knowledge and experience. Supporting the care team to deliver exceptional care to residents is the most important part of my role.

I find time to relax outside of work by reading and listening to music. I love spending time with my son, and my love yorkshire terriers.

Im an experienced customer relations manager, having worked for other care providers. During my time in the care sector Ive kept meeting people who recommended Care UK and its ethos, so when I was ready for a new challenge, I thought I'd investigate!

Mine is a very varied role – you need to liaise with a wide range of people, from relatives and prospective residents to healthcare professionals and people in the community. Having empathy is a must because I support families who are looking for a fantastic home for an older loved one. Its an emotional and stressful time for them so its vital to have an understanding of what theyre going through. 

I have lots of ideas for initiatives we can set up at Ancatsa Grove to help us become a focus in the local community. In other homes Ive set up a dementia-friendly film club, a tissue viability clinic, a memory café and a dementia action group, so the skys the limit for Ancatsa Grove. 

I joined the team in 2022, moving across from working as a sister in an NHS hospital into social care, which is quite different! However, I love how I’m now able to get to know the people I care for. In a hospital you don’t have the opportunity to do that.

I enjoy the start of my shift. I walk around and catch up with the residents and find out how everyone is doing. I relish being able to support and inspire the team to do their best work and ensure every person we care for is receiving the best in tailored care.

I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved so far in my career. I trained as a nurse overseas and moved to the UK 15 years ago. Since then I’ve developed my skills in so many different areas, and I’m looking forward to continuing to deliver the best possible care to the lovely residents of Ancasta Grove.

As my job can be busy and intense, I like to spend my free time going for long walks, watching movies and spending quality time with my family.

As well as working in the care industry, I've worked in sales, hospitality, leisure management and education. I joined Care UK because of the career progression opportunities that are available.

As Lifestyle Lead, I understand that it’s important to listen to people. You need to be empathetic, adaptable and have good observation, communication and time management skills. It’s also important to have a positive attitude.

My favourite part of the day is having one-to-one time with residents, like at mealtimes. I love listening to their stories. I’m proud that I get to make positive decisions that impact people’s lives in this role.

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my family in the outdoors.

After three years culinary school training to become a qualified chef, I worked at a four-star hotel in Southampton for ten year before taking the decision to try something new and join Care UK as Head Chef when the home opened in 2021.

I love cooking and I am so passionate about food. To run a smooth kitchen, you need to be well organised and have good people skills for communication. My favourite part of the day is the preparation before serving the food to people and seeing how much they enjoy it. It can be very busy but I love the rush. Ancasta Grove allows me to work with lovely fresh ingredients producing delicious meals for residents, and have a great-work life balance. 

I previously worked in administration within a care home where I realised how much I enjoy being in a residential environment. Not only do I love the administration work but also being around residents and their families.

This role requires good interpersonal skills and the ability to organise and record accurate data. Prioritising busy workloads is very important as it covers so many areas. Staying on top of all duties like resident billing, data, staff hours and wages can be a challenge.

Caring for others and working as a team allows everyone in the home to play their part and become a family.