Our team at
Elwick Grange

I’m an experienced carer and senior carer and I applied to join Elwick Grange when I relocated to the local area and saw a role available. I did a bit of research about Care UK and it sounded like a good company to work for, so I applied. I’m very proud to have worked my way up from being a Care Assistant to my current role. 

I like to start my shift by having a walk around and catching up with residents. It’s a great start to the day and always makes me happy. 

I’ve learnt so much in the years that I’ve worked here. Care UK is very quality focused, and there are lots of systems and procedures to help us deliver the very best care. Finding my way around computers and systems has been one of my biggest challenges, but I’ve got there!

I’d say that the residents are what make this job so incredible. They have so much knowledge and they’re always a pleasure to chat to. They’re full of surprises too. 

I was another new joiner to the Elwick Grange team during the pandemic. I wanted to use my skills as a support worker to help older people in care homes when so many people were unable to work and support them. 

I always aim to be compassionate, caring, fun and enthusiastic, and I love spending time with the residents, getting to know them and making them smile. It was tough during the lockdowns, but we did it – there’s a strong team spirit here at Elwick Grange and it has a positive impact on residents, as well as on colleagues. I was so honoured to become Lifestyle Lead here – it made all the hard work worth it. 

Away from work I play an active part in my church, playing the cornet in the church band. I also like arts and crafts (I’m in the right job then!) and tend to apply glitter to everything from glasses to mugs and plates! 

I was actually a restaurant manager before joining the Elwick Grange team, but I wanted to have a fresh challenge. I’d always wanted to work in the health and care sectors since becoming a parent. I’d volunteered at Elwick Grange and loved the interaction between residents and the families.

I love seeing the wonderful interactions between colleagues and residents, particularly during activities. Seeing a person who is living with dementia smile and light up is a fantastic experience. 

As Dementia Champion at Elwick Grange, I deliver dementia training to colleagues, enabling them to better understand the challenges that people living with dementia face. The training is experiential, so people can see for themselves what it may be like to live with dementia. Becoming the home’s Dementia Champion has definitely been a career highlight for me.