Our team at
Skylark House

I joined Care UK in 2016, having wanted to work for a large organisation with high standards, offering opportunities to progress.

In my role it is important to be flexible and caring to both residents and colleagues. As well as being able to motivate a team, especially during challenging times, like those faced during the Covid pandemic.

I enjoy afternoons in the home when residents are often enjoying activities in the lounge. This is a great time to chat with residents and I generally always find out something new about somebody, it’s fascinating learning about people lives.

I’m looking forward to using my knowledge and skills to support the residents and our fantastic team at Skylark House.

I spent 26 years selling beds, gloves and consumables to care homes. I joined Care UK because it felt like it was time to come and work in a care home! My role involves welcoming potential new residents and their families into the home and showing them the difference we can make to their lives. 

I love the variety of this job: going from doing a show-round to organising the paperwork for a new resident’s admission, and then having a chat and a giggle with some of the residents. How many jobs enable you to do that?! 

One of the best things about my job is seeing a new resident settling in and enjoying life. Particularly if they’ve had a stay in hospital, being in lovely, calm surroundings and enjoying personalised care, activities and tasty food makes all the difference to them.

I started working at Skylark House as one of the nurses who started the nursing unit when it opened in early 2017.

I had read a lot about Care UK prior to joining the company, and knew them to look after the residents and staff well. I have had also read about the programs and opportunities for career development, so felt it was the perfect place to continue my career. 

To work within nursing I believe that a person needs to have empathy and good communication. Having these skills allows a person to effectively manage the team, gain cooperation and maximize team effort to ensure that maximum care is provided for the residents of the home. Being empathetic also allows a person to understand staff members, and residents, to provide them with the support that they need.

My favourite time of day would be during the morning shift rounds. This time allows me to greet residents and have a conversation with them and get the sense of how they are feeling that day and how I can best support them.

I look forward to being able to continue to contribute positive changes, and I know that, together with my colleagues, we can do great things for residents.

I studied at Coutance Pastry College in Normandy and worked in Paris where I came fourth in the Best Apprentice Chef in France Awards. I then spent 12 years training on the job under head chefs in the UK before becoming a head chef myself. I’ve worked at some superb hotels as well as at Panacea, one of Manchester’s greatest bars. I also worked for a short time at Wimbledon but was sadly too busy to watch any tennis!

I wanted to move into care home catering because the hours are much more sociable and I wanted to explore new challenges. Care UK is a progressive company and its ‘Dining with dignity’ approach continues to drive excellence in care catering.

One of the best aspects of this job is when residents stop me to talk about the food and say how much they’re enjoying it. I love working in our great care home team at Skylark House. Seeing new residents move into the home and helping them to flourish with great care and fantastic food is extremely rewarding.

I used to run my own catering business, but after a couple of years of working mostly outdoors, I decided it was time to head inside! I love cleaning, so working in housekeeping really appealed to me. I was delighted to be appointed to my current role after less than a year at Skylark House. 

I use many of the skills from running my own business in this role too. I need to plan and organise my team and our jobs for the day, and it’s important to be able to adapt to whatever comes up. 

One of the best parts of the day is returning clean clothes to residents and having a chat with them while I put their things away. I love having a job that enables me to support some amazing people, and it’s very satisfying to maintain the high standards of cleanliness in the home. 

Meet Bentley, who has one of the most important jobs at Skylark House, our Canine Relations Manager.

Bentley came to Skylark House with our receptionist Karen, his owner. Karen felt Bentley could bring so much to the residents at Skylark House and Dora, our Home Manager, hired him as Canine Relations Manager.

Bentley loves to sit at reception and greet all the residents. He is always happy to have a cuddle with anyone who needs a bit of love.