Claire James is the Senior Nurse at OSJCT Windsor Street, in Cheltenham where she oversees care for up to 81 residents who live in five households in the modern care home. Claire has worked in older people’s care for over 25 years, including several years at Coverage Care, a Gloucestershire agency which OSJCT took over 17 years ago.

Earlier in her career, Claire worked at Cheltenham Hospital on surgical wards. However, she also enjoyed the community side of nursing and worked at Grevill House, an OSJCT care home in Charlton Kings. She kept both jobs, working 20 hours in each, until the time came to choose, and older people’s care won.

Claire said: “I loved the atmosphere at Grevill House. I worked with a great Manager and a fantastic team at the home.

“Nursing in care homes has always given me plenty of scope to use my nursing skills, such as tissue viability and assessing people’s care needs. I’ve seen a big change in the attitudes and care for dementia. In the care home we take the time to assess and fully support our residents living with dementia, something that was often overlooked in a hospital setting.

“As the prevalence and awareness of dementia has increased so has our understanding and tools. OSJCT employs Admiral Nurses, specialist dementia nurses, who provide fantastic support and training to our care teams. This means that we are better equipped to support residents and their family members, for whom the changes in their loved one can be very hard to cope with.”

Another change that Claire has seen over time is greater emphasis on person-centred care. She said: “There is much more focus these days on understanding residents and their life journeys. We carry out an exercise called ‘All About Me’ where we get to know a resident’s history, family tree and use photographs to understand them and their life story. We build up a personal profile on them, often with the help of family members. This really helps us as a care team to get to know a resident quickly and establish rapport with them.”

One of Claire’s favourite parts of her job is building relationships with family members. She said: “It’s also a privilege to get to know family members. It’s important to build a trusting relationship so that we can work together to support their loved one.”

Claire has worked at Windsor Street Care Centre for the past 10 years and in 2020 was voted OSJCT Gloucestershire Nurse of the Year 2020 by colleagues. In 2021 she was awarded a Silver Medal of Merit by the British Association of the Order of Malta (BASMOM) in recognition of her exceptional service to social care, which Claire was extremely honoured to receive.

Claire wished to be a nurse from a very young age, and even has a photo of her dressing as a nurse at the age of three. It is a career that she has always found rewarding. She said: “I love the interaction and relationships that build between our residents, carers, team members in the home, and relatives. This is reflected in the positive atmosphere at Windsor Street.”

Brenda is one of the residents with whom Claire has built a special bond. Brenda came to Windsor Street with a poor prognosis, but thanks to Claire’s nursing, has since recovered and is now an active member of the home’s community. Brenda often expresses her gratitude and respect for Claire and her compassionate care. Claire said: “It makes my day to see how far Brenda has come and what care and nursing could do for her. It’s wonderful to see her happy and enjoying her life here.”

As well as a busy nursing career, Claire is mum to four grown-up children and has a dog at home, which she often brings into the home to meet residents.

Claire supports the other six nurses in the care home and oversees all nursing services. She is known as ‘Aunty Claire’ and really enjoys training and coaching team members and supporting them to learn new skills, to complete their NVQ trainings and progress in their careers. Claire is the home’s Moving and Handling trainer, Tissue Viability Lead and Medication Lead.  

Claire is passionate about end-of-life care, ensuring residents and family members have a good experience at this difficult time. Claire explained: “This brings out our core nursing skills of comfort, calmness and compassion. It’s also about listening to the resident, respecting their wishes and reading body language. This can also be a difficult time for team members. Thank you cards from family members whom we’ve helped through that difficult time are very special to me and the team.”

Claire would recommend a career with OSJCT in adult social care to potential new recruits. She said: “Whether they are nurses, carers or supporting the home in another way, the Trust offers a solid induction as well as buddying, to ensure that new recruits feel supported. OSJCT provide opportunities to upskill and progress in every direction, should you wish to.”

“Working in care can have its challenges but is ultimately very rewarding, I have a great team and management around me. I’m very happy that I chose to pursue my nursing career in older people’s care.”