Margaret Collins
Registered Manager
Little bit about yourself (including skills):
I joined Keele House in October 2007. I am a very caring fun-loving person, I am the eldest of 5 siblings, therefore I have developed strong leadership skills. I have 4 children of my own and 6 step children, who have given my husband and I an abundance of grandchildren and great grandchildren, who play the very important role of keeping us feeling young at heart. I have worked all of my adult life doing a variety of part time jobs when the children were small, from waitress, barmaid, picking potatoes, factory work, care in the community, cleaner, carer, etc. When the children went to school, I got a job as a cleaner in Broadstairs Nursing home, this set me on my journey to where I am today the registered manager in Keele House.
What made you want to join the care sector:
The experience of working in the community, with elderly people gave me an insight into the difficulties they experienced living at home, it showed me tha the support they received was imperative to enable them to life at home for longer. The experience of working in a care setting, with elderly people gave me an insight into the difficulties individuals experience when leaving their own home and moving into a care home. People don’t always move into care homes through choice nowadays, it is mostly a necessity usually due to severe frailty or Dementia. My nurturing caring and respectful nature is ideally suited to this profession.
Experience in care:
I have 25 years of care experience, I started my care career working in the community, then as a domestic in a care home and on to being a care assistant. I studied hard and achieved qualifications, in doing so I gained a greater insight into people’s care needs and developed an insight as to how these needs can be met. l have worked and managed many different care settings ie Residential care, Dementia care, care in the community I worked in Wales for 6 months in a residential home that had changed its registration to enable them to care for people with Dementia, using my experience to aid a colleague gain appropriate management knowledge to become the registered manager of her home.
What you love about your care home:
I love that the function of the home makes a difference to older people’s lives, at the most vulnerable time of their lives, when they feel lost, alone, confused, poorly and even neglected/ abandoned. Our home is open, spacious and secure, it offers a feeling of freedom for those who are restricted, they can come and go into the garden as they would have at home. We offer care for each individual as their needs require, but most of all we offer love, support and companionship.
Most important qualities/values your care home has:
The care home offers a home from home atmosphere, welcoming family and friends to remain involved with loved ones.
- NVQ 2,3,4 Registered Managers award
- Manual Handling Trainer