May 2021
My Journey As Home Manager So Far
Chestnut Court Home Manager, Gence, took some time to reflect on his journey at Chestnut Court so far
Gence started working at Chestnut Court as the Home Manager in February 2020. He moved to the home having spent 8 years working as a Home Manager with another care provider. Gence has a background in nursing with over 20 years’ experience.
“From the first moment I visited Chestnut Court, I knew it was the home for me. There was a lovely atmosphere running throughout the home. I was also attracted to the values OSJCT has an organisation. They put their residents and team at the heart of everything they do.” Gence said.
Whilst Gence knew the challenge of starting the new role and achieving the improvements he wanted was going to take time, just like the rest of the world, he could not have foreseen the devastating impact that Covid-19 was going to have after only 2 months in the role.
“The Covid-19 pandemic was difficult for everyone in the sector. I am incredibly proud of the way the team has stuck together throughout the past year. I could not have done it without them.”
Gence continued, “They put the residents at the heart of everything they do. Providing them with person centred care tailored around the individual. It was difficult time when we had to adapt the way we worked but the team stayed together.”
It is therefore no surprise that during his first year in the role, one of Gence’s proudest achievements has been the way the home team has kept together and strong throughout the pandemic.
In the last few weeks, Chestnut Court has also improved their CQC Rating. The Care Quality Commission saw considerable improvements within the home during a thorough inspection and as a result raised the rating of the home to ‘Good’.
“The increase in our CQC rating is something myself, the team and everyone connected to Chestnut Court should be very proud of. We always felt the home deserved a higher rating and everyone has worked hard to make that a reality. Especially during these difficult times.”