Hi, I am Janice Eve Cresdee (I prefer to be called Jan – I don’t like ice in my drinks or in my name it’s too cold!)

Before coming to join the Ferndown team, I was a Regional Manager and had a Quality Compliance role looking after 4 homes for a small private provider. I am not a Nurse Manager by trade, I qualified by working in the social care sector and went to Winchester University as a Mature Student. I have two thirds of a degree in Social Care and Social Care and Leadership (my aim is one day to complete my degree). I wanted to come to work for Care UK as they are a reputable care provider and now that I am here, I love working for Care UK, Ferndown Manor and my team.

I believe that being a good manager means you need to be good at being part of a family and juggling all the balls in the air at once! I am all about the standard of care – get the basics right for example induction, induct people well and you will reap the rewards. The basics of care are important. The right care, activities, fluid intake, nutrition recording and communication are all key components to keeping residents well and happy. Happy residents means happy families.

I love leading a team and like nothing better than rolling up my sleeves and getting involved. That might be dancing at activities or helping out the teams at times of pressure and assisting a resident to eat or with personal care. I love action planning with the team to bring about change and improve standards. I like to support my team, consult and involve them as we are a family.

Before working here at Ferndown Manor I recruited temporary healthcare staff for different settings. I felt I wanted to use my relationship building skills in a care setting, so here I am. I also have personal experience of finding long term care for a loved one. I know how hard it is and what an emotional experience it can be.

I really enjoy getting to know colleagues and meeting new people. I’m looking forward to being part of the growing team at Ferndown Manor, building our community and meeting and exceeding the expectations of residents and their families.

I have over 30 years’ experience in my role, and I am dedicated to maintaining the highest standards. In my new role at Ferndown Manor, I hope to make a difference at the home and help to brighten the residents’ daily lives.

After seeing the lease of life my own grandmother found when she moved into a care home, I look forward to being able to share the same sense of joy to those living at Ferndown Manor. I have worked in the opening of a kitchen as part of a new build before, which has given me valuable experience. I am committed to delivering highest standards of meals for residents.

I started here at Ferndown in July 2018. Before joining the team here, I have had various roles; I have worked in the Health and Social Care sector since 1995 starting as an Office Junior at the Head Office of The Dorset Trust (now known as Care South) and then progressed onto administration in the Domiciliary Care department, before helping to develop their own in house training department to help deliver government funded training to the staff members. I then went onto remain in the training side of Health and Social Care working for the United Kingdom Home Care Association (UKHCA) helping to provide government funded training to Domiciliary Care providers across the UK.  I then moved to Affinity Training/eLearning For You as an Office Manager and helped care employers across the UK with their training needs.

For six months I stepped out of the Health and Social Care sector and worked as an Administration Manager for an Electrical and Mechanical Contractor, I didn’t get the job satisfaction in this role which lead me to my role at Ferndown Manor, where I am extremely happy and really enjoy what I do.

I used to be Maintenance Manager at a care home in Leicestershire. My role at Ferndown Manor was the first job for me in Dorset after relocating from the Midlands. I joined the care home team in 2019.

I get huge satisfaction from completing tasks that make a positive difference to the home team, residents and their families. I think it’s important to be a good listener in this role, to have a ‘can do’ approach and to be a genuine people person – maintenance is only a part of the role!

In my spare time I enjoy fishing, relaxing with friends and family and taking walks along the beach.

I was a Care Assistant for 15 years before working in hotel housekeeping. I made the move back to the care sector, and Ferndown Manor, in 2018 because I wanted to combine my two passions and manage a team and make a difference to people’s lives.

The morning is my favourite part of the day. I like to assess, plan and prioritise the needs of the home and the residents to ensure that the day runs smoothly. One of the highlights of my role is meeting new residents and learning about their lives. It’s a privilege to help them to settle in and to see them start to enjoy themselves.

It’s important to be flexible in this role and able to adapt to changes. You need an eye for detail and to be friendly and chatty to everyone. I do think that I’ve found the ideal role for me, and I was delighted to recently win an award at the National Care Awards. I’ve also been nominated for other care sector housekeeping awards.