Birtley House Nursing Home

Sylwia Indycka has a full Nursing background as well as previous care home management experience. A proud member of the Birtley team since July 2018, she joined us during a period of business innovation and change and has inspired and led her team to success in various ways.

Sylwia is a positive character with various dimensions to her leadership, she goes the extra mile to always make sure our Residents are getting the most out of life and experiencing new things, whilst teaching her team to do the same. She has also written a book on end-of-life care following her own personal experience of caring for a close family member.

Qualifications: University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Romania, General Nurse qualifications in 2014, maximum degree.

Written by our Registered Manager, Vio was a finalist for the 'Frontline Leader of the Year' award at the Surrey Care Awards in 2019.

I met Viorica when I joined Birtley House in July 2018, it didn’t take me long to recognise her skills and abilities. In this short time, she proved to me her dedication, commitment, organisational and strong leadership skills.

After witnessing Vio’s work ethic, and the influence she has on others in the nursing team, general hard work, commitment and positive attitude to change, I chose to promote Vio to Clinical Lead in the Spring of 2019. Vio’s attitude is always positive and she is strategic in her approach to completing tasks. I have seen days where she might be facing a deadline, but she will continue to motivate others, find the paths of least resistance, and prioritise accordingly. Great skills to have in a reactive role such as nursing.

Vio has raised the visibility of a smile around the home and she faces her duties with a focus on compassion and an open mind and she treats everybody fairly. Her passion and consistency support our home all the time.

Our latest CQC inspection on 7th June this year was of course unannounced and a first for Vio. She was a great support to me during this time, as I knew I could trust that she would be calm and professional. She was, and she reassured the three inspectors with her skills and knowledge. She was able to navigate them through the day with a great attitude, and she showed pride in her work as she found them the evidence of things that they requested.

Vio’s caring personality allows her to graciously and naturally respect resident’s values and respond actively to other people’s needs. Vio always wants the best possible outcomes for residents and staff. She genuinely, really cares and wants to make a difference.

As a qualified nurse myself and now an experienced Care Home Manager, I have learnt that to deliver good, quality, person-centred care and effective compassion, the nurse in question is required to use their head and heart. I have witnessed this quality in Viorica on numerous occasions, and she sets great examples for the team around her.

Every time I implement new innovations or a change Vio adopts a positive approach towards learning and embraces the challenge, because she wants to grow in her skills and knowledge, and she wants to be the best version of herself for the home.

I think that nothing can reward nursing practice as much as the feeling you get when you know that you are being the nurse, and the person, that you want to be – I strongly believe that Vio actively practices being this person. It takes courage and self-management to respond to people who are distressed and vulnerable, to advocate patient care or to challenge and change practice and Vio each time can deliver all.

I am very pleased to have Vio in my nursing team- she is truly a rising star in the nursing industry because of her dedication, kindness, attention to detail and empathetic compassion.

Hello, I'm Rudo and l have been a nurse for 14 years.

I started at Birtley House as a healthcare assistant and it really motivated me to pursue my nursing career. Having grown up living with my Grandmother, my passion is taking care of older people. Just after qualifying as a nurse, I went on to study a module at Brighton University which explored perceptions of ageing and why we should care for our elders in certain ways. Being able to apply this to my Nursing qualifications was perfect for the career that I have chosen, and which I love. I have been at Birtley House for around 18 years and only stepped away once for a short stint in a hospital environment to wider develop my knowledge and experience.