Our team at
Pinetum

Before joining Pinetum, I worked as a registered manager for a homecare agency. I left homecare looking for a change and came to Pinetum as a Unit Manager. After learning about Care UK, I felt they had the good qualities I was looking for in a care provider.

As a Deputy Manager, you need to be very patient, organised and have good time keeping. It’s important to have good communication skills, be a good listener and be able to deal with confrontation. Communicating with colleagues and relatives and being there to listen is a key part of my role.

I enjoy when the team comes together in our meetings. All colleagues at Pinetum meet to discuss any issues or concerns they have and find solutions. Learning new skills has been challenging, and we’re a very busy home, but I’m proud to have learned quickly and stepped up to this role.

Outside of work, I have two grandsons and another on the way – they're my world. I spend all my free time treating them.

I love working at Care UK’s Pinetum because their values align with my own. I love the job I do and enjoy every day I spend at work. Before this, I was working as a Care Assistant, but I’ve had a varied career. I worked as an engineer in a wastewater laboratory, as I have a master’s degree in this field.

In my role as Lifestyle Lead, it’s important to be creative, have a positive attitude and work well in a team. You also need to communicate well and be cheerful – I love bringing smiles to the faces of people around me.

This role is all about energy and creativity, and for me the best part is when the residents are enjoying the activities and asking me for the weekly plan.

Outside of work, I love gardening and enjoy spending time with my chickens. I love to travel and spend time with my family and friends too.

I decided to work at Care UK because I wanted to make a difference and make residents happy by giving them the food they deserve.

In this role, it’s important to have creativity and professionalism, and to work well in a team and have a positive attitude. I believe it’s important to love the job you do and enjoy every day spent at work. Every day has its challenges, but it’s very rewarding.

For me, the best part of my day is when I send food out for the residents and receive good feedback. It makes my day better when they enjoy my food. The menus are always made with the residents’ choices in mind, and it’s important to me to provide good quality food for them. I feel proud when dishes come back empty and when residents or colleagues ask me for recipes!

My interests outside of work are still cooking-related – on my days off I’m cooking for myself and my wife. I also play football once a week and table tennis. In the evening, I enjoy spending time with my wife and our dog.

I’d worked in another nursing home prior to joining the Pinetum team in 2016. I knew someone who worked here and they said good things about the home, so I thought I’d find out for myself. 

There’s such a strong family atmosphere here. A lot of colleagues join and stay for a long time because they love working here, and I’m the same. That’s a good sign for relatives who know that their loved one is getting good quality, consistent care from people who know them well. We’re a strong, secure team, even though Covid did its best to challenge us! We came back stronger. 

In my spare time I like to do crosswords, watch motor sport and I like to relax with some yoga.  

Before joining Care UK, I was working as a handyman at Quinplex, but I wanted a role where I could make a difference. My favourite part about working at Pinetum is making residents and colleagues happy so their day is a little bit better.

My role is all about helping the residents and my colleagues throughout the home. Problems can come up quickly, so you need to be prepared to take quick action and find solutions in this role.

Knowing that the home I look after is kept to a high standard makes me proud of what I do.

When I’m not working, I enjoy walking, reading and spending time with my family. Becoming a maintenance person means I can help with family life, and that’s been a big highlight in my life.