28 July 2023

Meet Horncastle Home Manager- Susan Hughes

As a general manager what does your role entail?

This role overseas everything in the care setting, from residents to staff and visitor’s to outside professionals. Meeting and greeting, engaging and caring for people. You have to be able to listen more than you talk and support others to come to terms with the caring role and the environment. Most of all my role is about being a compassionate person who considers others feelings and acknowledging their fears and working with them to accomplish what they wish to achieve.

Why did you choose a career in the care sector?

I think it chose me. I had been a childminder and emergency foster carer for the RAF in Germany when my children were young and on returning to the UK in 1998 I decided to try something else. My local care home was advertising for evening carers and from their I never really looked back, after 5 years as a carer, senior carer and deputy manager I was promoted to manager and now nearly 19 years later I am still here and waiting for the Silver Clock on my 25^th Anniversary

What qualifications do you have?

I have achieved an NVQ level 3 in health and social care.

NVQ 4 Registered managers award.

How do you relieve the anxiety of people coming to live in a care home?

Its all about having a friendly outlook and being respectful of their wishes and acknowledging that this is an alien environment. We have a level understanding that some who come here do not have, so acknowledging their fears and explaining about the home helps to relieve that. Kindness and understanding goes a long way

Which part of the role do you enjoy the most?

For me it is seeing an underdog achieve their goals. I have watched some of my carers go onto have a great nursing career because I believed in them and encourage them to better themselves and to get educated. Just seeing someone achieve what they thought they never could is a great feeling