Charterhouse

Gail joined the Charterhouse team as the Care Home Manager in 2021. She is a registered general nurse with over 30 years’ experience and holds a level 5 diploma in management and leadership.

Gail completed her registered nurse training in the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh in 1988. She has worked primarily in elderly care throughout her career, in both hospital and community settings. Prior to moving into the private home care setting in 2009 she was a community palliative care sister for East Dorset Health Authority. Since working in the care home sector, Gail has worked in various care home manager roles including regional roles.

She is passionate about enhancing the day-to-day experience for residents, gaining feedback from them about how their day was made better by staff’s interventions or by just seeing them smile. Being surrounded by positivity is what she feels makes her job worthwhile. The residents and their families are at the centre of everything that she does.

Gail is very much a people person who loves spending time with residents and their families. Her main passion is ensuring peoples quality of life and believes that just because someone is approaching the latter years, they should be given every opportunity to live their lives the way they choose. She loves working in a large team, empowering employees to achieve their full potential and supporting them through their chosen career paths

Gail has a husband called Gary and three (almost) grown-up children, whom she is immensely proud of. She loves spending time with her family and friends, attempting to get fit and has a keen interest in photography.

I joined the Charterhouse team in May 2023 as the Business Deputy Manager. I was previously an Administrator at The Russets, Sandford (another St Monica Trust site) for 2 years, before progressing to the position I am in now.

I feel grateful to have been given this opportunity and I absolutely love working at Charterhouse. I completed my Level 5 in Business Management during the period we had Covid-19 and the world was in lockdown, I wanted to use the time to achieve something I’ve never done before and really push myself to achieve great things. I am glad I did it as it helped me gain a lot of knowledge and gave me an insight into what might be possible for me in the future. It paid off as I am now happily using the skills I learned in my everyday role, and I couldn’t be more proud of myself for what I have achieved.

I love interacting with the residents on a daily basis, I love hearing their stories and they always know how to make me smile. Charterhouse is a very friendly environment and a great place to work.

I have a great understanding of the administrative duties that take place within Charterhouse and feel that I can really support the team as I have been where they are, and I think this has allowed me the smooth transition that took place from moving from another site. It is great that we have the opportunity to do this within St Monica Trust.

In my own time, I enjoy spending time with my husband who I married in September 2022, and our beautiful dog, who is a huge part of our lives. I enjoy going to the gym and travelling to new places to explore. My favourite quote that my Manager shared with me is “It’s not one day, it’s day one”, meaning start it now and see where it takes you, rather than waiting for things to happen.

Clare joined St Monica Trust in 2017 and is the Social Deputy Care Home Manager at Charterhouse. She has around 27 years of experience working in social care settings in various positions and previously worked for Bristol City Council. Clare holds a level 5 qualification in adult care leadership and management and received an overall distinction.

With extensive knowledge of dementia care, Clare prides herself in creating an inclusive and nurturing environment for people to thrive and achieve their aspirations and goals. She also has a great passion for resident-centred care, always with the aim to enhance the experience and support her team to enable the residents to live their best life possible.

Clare lives with her partner Matt, their two daughters, and their dog Lenny. She is a sociable person who enjoys spending time with her family and friends and has a passion for travelling.

I came into the St Monica Trust as a Helping Hand in February 2021 and I was quickly noticed for the way I presented myself, the empathy that I have and my care for the job I am doing. I applied for a senior role and within less than a year of working here and with the support and backing of the team, I managed to get the position.

By gaining the senior role, St Monica Trust has given me the opportunity to do my NVQ3 which I am currently doing. This is an expensive diploma and St Monica Trust is happy to put me through and support me. I have now gained further promotion and I am the House Lead on the nursing unit.

I joined Charterhouse in April 2021 as a Care Assistant in the Avon unit, which cares for residents living with dementia. In June 2022 I moved up to the role of House Lead for the Avon unit, I am proud of this achievement and pleased to have the opportunity to do more for our residents.

I very much enjoy being part of this team and we see our residents as a family, always trying to find ways to enhance their experiences and day-to-day living. I love listening to their stories about life, family, and what they used to do as it helps me get to know the person inside and I am often very surprised at what they tell me!

What does being a care worker mean to me? I always think to myself ‘How would I want my own family to be cared for?’. The answer is with dignity and compassion but also safety so these are principles I follow when providing care. I pride myself on the relationships I build with not only residents but also their families as this builds trust in the care we are providing. Person-centred care is also vital when caring for residents as it allows them to make decisions on the care they receive. I try to always promote this where possible, whether it be if they want a shower or a wash in the morning or what time they want to go to bed in the evening.

Activities play a huge part in keeping our residents stimulated, helping with their mental well-being and enriching their lives. I have seen this amongst our residents, particularly during lockdown, whether it be colouring, bingo or quizzes. Activities can provide many positive outcomes; they promote conversation between residents and staff, residents can relive previous experiences and can put a smile on their faces! It is important to make sure the activities provided are meaningful as residents are more likely to engage if it’s something they are interested in. A quote I love is ‘We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing’.

I am the Clinical Deputy Manager here at Charterhouse.

My career started 15 years ago when I joined as a band 2 healthcare assistant at my local hospital. It was then that I had a drive to progress in my career. I worked my way up the healthcare banding scale and applied to university to study adult nursing. I graduated with a BSc honours degree.

My clinical background is a mixture of working in hospitals, and the community as a district nurse, providing care and support for people living with dementia or a complex medical condition, and palliative care.

I have enjoyed all my roles, however care of the elderly fulfils my passion and has made me the nurse that I am today. St Monica Trust is a very nurturing place to work and the support networks within the Trust have allowed me to perform to my greatest ability.

Family and friends are very much a big part of my life, I have a wonderful husband and four beautiful children. My colleagues here at SMT, I am lucky to call my friends, we work very much with a one-team approach.

I joined the Charter House team in April 2018 and I’m one of the House Leads on Chew Unit Residential.

I came to the UK in April 2009 and a year later I started my journey in the care sector. Working in a care home is not always easy as you are responsible for other people’s well-being, but caring for others helps to develop empathy and the ability to connect with people, even in difficult times.

I am passionate about my work. Because I love what I do, I have a steady source of motivation that drives me to do my best. I challenge myself daily and learn new skills that help me to do better work.

I always use my skills to inspire others to achieve great things. My goal in life is to love others unconditionally and foster meaningful connections with people. What is important in life? Friendships, relationships, time, memories, and experiences are what truly matter in life. It's those people and things that can never be replaced, even if we try.

My favourite quotes:
"If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart."

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”