Meet the Home Manager of Holbeach Meadows Gemma Woodcock

• As a general manager what does your role entail?

As Home Manager it is my responsibility to ensure that our residents are safe, happy and well cared for, that the home is running smoothly and all departments are effective.   Also, to lead my team, ensuring that they are happy in their roles, trained to a high standard and working well as a team to meet the needs and wishes of our residents.  As the manager of a new home it is important for me to ensure that we build a community here at Holbeach Meadows as well as becoming part of the wider community in the local area.

• Why did you choose a career in the care sector?

My career in care started when I was still at school studying for A Levels, with a weekend care assistant position.  I trained as a nurse and while taking a career break to raise my family, completed my degree which focused on the social care sector.  Those studies reignited my passion for improvement in the social care sector, leading me to join Tanglewood as a Home Trainer.

• What qualifications do you have?

I am a nurse by background, with a degree in Health Studies, having worked in both the acute and community sectors in the fields of Trauma and Orthopaedics, community nursing and Tissue Viability.  I am a qualified trainer and have worked for Tanglewood since 2020, working my way up through the company from Home Trainer to Home Manager.

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

Moving into a care home is a huge step for any resident and their family and loved ones.  From the moment we receive an enquiry we will begin to allay anxieties, welcoming the resident and their family in to spend time in the home and have a tour and taking time to go through all of their questions and concerns.  It is important to me that my team recognise the anxieties and emotions that come with such a move and ensure that we all play a part in making the resident feel welcome.  All heads of departments will introduce themselves to the new resident and have a chat about how, within their department, they can ensure the residents settles in well and that they understand the resident’s preferences.  The staff on duty will all welcome the new resident and spend time introducing them to other residents.  Our management team will also take time with the family to go through their anxieties and ensure we have captured all of their needs and priorities.

• Which part of the role do you enjoy the most?

The most rewarding part of my role is seeing our resident’s smile.  I love nothing more than to walk around our beautiful home, seeing the residents chatting to each other, playing a game, crafting, watching a film or sharing a meal, with a smile on their faces.  To have visitors come into the home and feel at home here as much as the residents do, to have a family feel here, is also very rewarding for me.

• How do you spend your free time?

I am married with two daughters, we enjoy spending time together at the coast, watching films and cooking together.  I also like to bake and sew, particularly making keepsakes such as patchwork blankets and memory bears.

Holbeach Meadows Care Home offers Residential and Dementia Care

The home is located at the heart of a new housing estate on Daisy Road in Holbeach.

Holbeach Meadows is a 66-bed care home that offers spacious bedrooms with ensuite wet-room facilities, stunning communal lounges and dining areas, hair salon and nail bar plus a home cinema.