These are the reflections of Wendy Coleman, Registered Manager at 23 Duston Road, who retires in June after 10 years at Richardson Care. We’d like to thank her for the way that she has led her team and brought stability to the home. Wendy’s passion, commitment and support has enabled her and her team to enhance the lives of the residents at 23 Duston Road. Here she shares her reflections on her experience at Richardson Care.

“It has been a pleasure to work for Richardson Care. The care they provide is excellent and I am proud I have been part of the Management team and the relationship we have built. I am proud of the staff at 23 Duston Road; their hard work and achievements. I could not have achieved what I have without them. I am proud of the relationships I have built with service users’ families and other professionals.

Bringing leadership to the team

“When I first came to 23 Duston Road, there had been frequent changes of management, so the staff had been left without consistent management. They lacked guidance, leadership and direction. I found out later that they didn’t expect me to last more than three months!

“I worked with the staff to give them stability of direction and to ensure that everyone understood their responsibilities, increasing motivation and the overall effectiveness of the team. With more focus on consistently implementing policies and procedures, staff were better able to deliver good standards, thus providing better outcomes for the residents.

“Every day is different and often brings new challenges. It has been wonderful to see the home transform and staff develop into a cohesive team. We are all responsible for the wellbeing and safety of the residents, fulfilment of their needs and positive outcomes.

Management qualities

“I feel as a Manager you must be caring and have large amounts of patience and resilience. You need to have good communication skills and always be ready to listen. As Managers, we play a key role in ensuring that the service users’ needs are met and they live happy fulfilled lives.

“I see my achievements as enhancing the lives of the service users. It’s also when staff lay on events, parties, outings, etc and I see how much the residents enjoy them. Seeing staff development and confidence in promoting high standards of care are also very rewarding.

“It’s a demanding environment as many of our service users have complex needs and can present with behaviour that challenges. As a Manager, you also have to deal with staff performance issues. I have learnt from every experience, and I know that I’m not alone. I am supported in my role by the Multi-disciplinary team of neuro specialists and the other Managers.

“I have learnt that it is important to ask for help: My peers, the Managers and Directors have always been there for guidance and support.

“I feel I have developed myself in the role. As well as keeping up to date with training, I have taken the opportunity to advance my skills. I have enjoyed working with my peers and the Management team, to develop skills in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), where you reflect on your own practice and those of others.

It’s more than a job

“Being the Manager at 23 Duston Road has been more than a job: It has been a big part of my life and I will take many happy memories with me. I have made many good friends and I find the feedback from everyone quite overwhelming. Everyone should be proud of what they have achieved: I am sure that they and the company will continue to grow and achieve.”

Managing complex placements

“Wendy’s experience and calm and level character was just what we needed at 23 Duston Road”, adds Greg Richardson-Cheater, Director. “We have some service users with very complex and challenging behaviours who need a stable and consistent environment. Without someone like Wendy, some of those placements may have failed.

“She is also genuinely caring and always up for the challenge, because she wants to give people a chance. For instance, she has been prepared to accept some very difficult respite placements because she want to give them and their family a break.

“Wendy has demonstrated true commitment to the job, the service users and her colleagues. She had originally planned to retire before the Covid crisis, but decided to stay on through a very difficult time. We are hugely grateful to her for the support that she has given us over the last 10 years. We’d like to wish her all the very best for her retirement.”