Meet the Westlake House Care Home Team

I began my nursing career in Italy and was drawn to pursue my passion further in the UK.
I have a strong background in providing care to a diverse range of residents needs and I understand the challenges that they may encounter in day to day life. I enjoy working closely alongside our residents and their families to ensure that they receive the utmost level of person centred care & support that they require, whilst also assisting them to achieve their goals no matter how big or small.

As Deputy Manager, my overall aim is to support the team by working closely alongside our General Manager to ensure the highest standards of quality and accuracy.

I am a registered nurse and have experience working as a manager of another nursing home prior to joining Westlake House in October 2018. My role is to support and assist the General Manager in running the care home on a day-to-day basis. I am involved in leading and supporting the nurses to provide excellent care services to those we support. I am happy to be a part of a great and dedicated team at Westlake House. 

I am a Staff Nurse here at Westlake House.I have worked in Westlake House for 17 years now, I really enjoy the atmosphere here, and the residents have become like a second family to me.

I was born in a small village in Zimbabwe called Ntabazinduna ( mountain of the chiefs), on the outskirts of Bulawayo.
Our house was a stones throw from the main government hospital called Mpilo - meaning Health.
I always loved to see doctors and nurses go in and out of the hospital but never thought I would be a nurse one day.
I came to the UK in November 1999. I began working in Westlake House in 2002 for 6 months and came back in 2004 until 2019. Now l’m back again after a 3 year absence.
Westlake has always felt like hometown me. Wherever l’ve been l always wished to come back home to Westlake House. What a great Home, a great team and supportive management. 
There is no place like Westlake House, our residents , relatives and visitors all echo the same sentiments.
When l do retire l will be forever great full for having been part of this fine establishment and having had the opportunity to fulfil my childhood dream. 

I started working at Westlake House in August 2023.

I began my career in care in 2013 as a support worker and went on to work as a Senior, Team Leader, later moving into care administration and care recruitment. I am very passionate about the care industry and strive to ensure that my team and I deliver the best quality service to our residents and their families.

I joined the Barchester family in May 2024 and have instantly felt welcome and supported. As an activity coordinator, I am passionate about getting to know our residents and delivering  person-centred care and activities to all residents, an approach supported by a holistic, whole-home view.  I have a solid theoretical background in supporting older people with their social and wellbeing needs. I graduated with a 2:1 in Psychology BSc in 2022. Since then, I have worked as an activity coordinator and cognitive rehabilitation assistant with older people.

 I am studying for a master’s degree in Psychological therapies to help me progress in clinical work. I am committed to continuous professional development and training to improve Westlake's life enrichment aspect..

I feel that the residents at Westlake House benefit most when we work together as a team to ensure that our service is delivered appropriately, successfully, and in line with high standards set by Barchester.

I am the Head Chef at Westlake house. I trained as a Chef in 2008 to a Level 4 Management NVQ. I have been with Barchester since September 2022 and lead the chef and hospitality team here at Westlake House. I have a passion for Italian food and love to try new ideas and menus. I am so proud of our team, we really do provide outstanding quality food and we meet with residents regularly to ensure our menu reflects their favourite food's with a delicious nutritious varied menu. I love talking food with our residents and cooking for them and I look forward to seeing them every morning. 

Prior to my position at Westlake, I was a Maintenance Manager at a local airfield, and I am looking forward to taking the maintenance position to great heights here.

My role means that every day is different; one minute l am plumber, then next an electrician, then a painter & decorator – just to name a few of the things l do!

I enjoy all the discussions that I have with the residents here at Westlake and every day they teach me something different. I enjoy working alongside and discussing with residents the different ways to do things.

I started working at Westlake House in June 2022. I am passionate about delivering excellent customer service and I am enjoying the variety of skills that I am developing. My role will be to answer enquiries in a timely manner and provide support to our Administrator with recruitment.

Sheila, Resident Ambassador has been a resident at Westlake House since 2023.

She has been selected by our residents as well as staff, to take on the role of our Resident's Representative. This position within the home is one of many responsibilities. Sheila will work alongside the residents as their trusted confidant. All topics of improvement, worries, complaints and praises within the home will be handed over to Sheila where it will then be mentioned in our monthly Resident's and Relatives meeting that is held every first Monday of the month.

My name is Yamil and I have been working at Westlake House since October 2021 as a care practitioner. I love my role which involves supporting the care team as well as the nurses with clinical tasks. I enjoy helping the residents, talking about their lives and getting to know them and their families. 

I joined Barchester Healthcare in 2022 as a senior carer. I have worked with in older peoples care for many years. I really enjoy getting to know residents and finding out about them. I trained to become the speak up champion for Westlake House in 2023 and I am here to listen and support our residents and my team members. 

I am a registered midwife ( Philippines ).  I came to England in 2002.  I then took NVQ3 at the Barchester Academy.  I have worked at Westlake House since 2012. I really enjoy working at Westlake House. I have made many friends within Westlake including families of residents, residents and friends

After 20 years as a Customer Services Manager for a local Housing Association once taking voluntary redundancy I decided on a complete career change. I took a minibus driving course, brushed up my DIY skills and became a Maintenance Assistant.

Now there is no greater job satisfaction than as part of the Westlake Maintenance Team giving the best possible customer service we can to our residents, fixing whatever needs to be fixed and sharing the experiences as we go out on one of our regular trips in the minibus.

Making a difference during their stay with us is what it is all about and getting to know the residents and their families and learning about their varied and amazing lives makes the job all the more enjoyable.

My name is Mandy Szukiewicz. I have been hairdressing for 45 years, mainly working in care homes which I really love. I cared for my own parents for 15 years so i know what it takes to care for someone. I’ve been working at Westlake House for 20 years now. The staff are kind, considerate, and professional. So much so, that when my mother needed care this was the place she came. I offer my services to residents at Westlake House every Tuesday for a very reasonable price. They love it and I have formed very strong bonds with all the staff and residents at Westlake House.