I started working for Carr Gomm in 2003 and I still love my job as much today as I did back then. I was a service manager for 14 years before taking on my current role as an operations manager covering Forth Valley.
The main responsibility of my role is to support five service managers to run their services to a high quality standard of support, ensuring all people supported are being given the opportunity to be happy, safe, valued and thriving in order to reach their goals.
The other side of my role is to support my colleagues and senior operations manager to guide and steer the organisation to be the best it can be in every aspect.
I am still driven today by the same principles and values which have driven me for the past 16 years and seeing people we support doing things they had probably never dreamt of is a great motivator.
My career started back in 1974, when I lived in Northern Ireland. I started my training as a Learning Disabilities Nurse in County Antrim. I trained and nursed at home until 1982 when we, as a family, left Northern Ireland and came to live in Scotland.
I worked in the NHS until 2000 before joining a private social care company because I wanted to see the other side of care.
One of my proudest achievements since joining Carr Gomm is developing one of our services literally from the ground up. I saw the first bricks being laid and provided input for furnishing and finishing touches so that it was a purpose built house tailored to the needs of those we would be supporting.
I had the pleasure of opening this service, which would be home to four people who had previously lived their lives in the local learning disability hospital.
Supporting them settle into their new home and allowing them to have more control over their lives allowed them to flourish. Knowing I’d helped them achieve all this will be memories I keep forever.
This service is still going strong and it is very highly regarded by relatives, professionals and anyone who has the pleasure of visiting the four people who currently live there.
When I’m not at work, I’m usually helping look after my two young grandsons alongside my husband. This can sometimes feel like a full-time job in itself, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
